Reddit mentions of Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

>it seems like they're just trying to show how "mindful" they are, or how "yogi" they are, whatever you want to call it. After a certain point it seems like it's less about the personal benefits and more about projecting a certain image towards other people

Chogyam Trungpa called this "Spiritual Materialism"

Awesome! Glad you are on your way. So excited that the aya made it 'stick' this time, and that you were so receptive.

You've already done a very important step: wrapping the memories of those transcendental states in awareness. They will be your reminder if you start to veer. You've been thoroughly convinced to change, AND you have a memory to remind yourself of how absurdly worth it your new perspective is. Consider yourself lucky: the hardest thing for all of us is to be convinced. The vast majority of people are never convinced that to free your inner world is the most important thing - the only thing of true, lasting value - you can do while on this earth.

Sign the vine's contract; obey the spiritual covenant; observe the divine proportion: The more you 'die to self', the more you are born to new life.

Your path is similar to mine. Here's some books I can recommend:

The Bhagavad Gita. This translation has been my most important spiritual book (I've read it nearly ten times - saturation of good concepts is key to reprogramming your mind, especially at the beginning of your path). It's as close to perfection as mere words can get.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bhagavad-Gita-Walkthrough-Westerners/dp/1608680142

This next one is absolutely essential reading as you advance imo. At a certain point, your ego will try to make spirituality a competition. It may be so subtle you may not even realize it. Reading this book not only gives you some of the best and deepest Buddhist philosophy available, but it also protects you against the remnant bad habits of the ego.
http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1570629579/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413997741&sr=1-1&keywords=cutting+through+spiritual+materialism+by+chogyam+trungpa

http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Chogyam/dp/1570629579

https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1570629579

gonna share three books that deal with this, from less directly (at least initially) to most directly dealing with it:

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1- Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

2- A Guide To The Huna Way

3- Oneness

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#1 and #3 are reference books to come back to every decade or so.

#1 addresses in great depth and detail the psychological processes you're now beginning to deal with (consciously) and warns of the pits on the way not so much to 'show' you how to avoid them but to make you know that you're not alone at all with any of those feelings and inner processes. Specially so regarding your last sentence.

#2 and #3 are directly dealing with the time-less nature of Reality.

#2 presents the Huna's 'Higher Self' –the most timeless entity out there; the Huna presents a hard-to-miss way of actually experiencing that timelessness yourself (if it goes anything like it did with me).

#3 may seem too 'fringe' to some people; I know it would have me years ago. Still, give it a chance, ignoring anything that may not resonate at first. I did; then it was non-stop mindblowingness. And my stomach feels funny when I think of reading it again, like 'ooooh rollercoaster ahead!'

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There is also Jung but you already know his work.

Last thing I want to share is (again maybe? if so, well my bad), I had come to such 'realizations' way before coming across any of these books or authors, it happened via 'journaling'; I write everyday, I've recently found out there's a thing called Narrative Therapy, this fused with my earlier routines of stream-of-consciousness writing and [Julia Cameron's] the Morning Pages, it's the way I have been 'journaling' all these years –a kind of fusion of them all. By doing this writing I was 'able' ('allowed') to become aware of this phenomenon. It sure fucked with my mind back then -at the very beginning, knowing nothing or no one into this- but ultimately it helped me discern what was (possibly) a synchronicity and what was entirely a fabrication of my mind.

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Give some feedback if you ever do get into any of that.

Just started reading Chogyam Trungpa’s book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, it speaks to this exact phenomenon. It’s great so far, I’d recommend it: https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Chogyam/dp/1570629579

While it's good to spend that time alone learning about your self, ridding your self of negativity, etc. that time alone means nothing if you cannot find how it translates in a group setting.

>>Its not that I don't want to engage with people, but the way most people engage in conversation, constantly adjusting their facial muscles, making appropriate noises "Ohh!", these things make it difficult for me to really appreciate the content of a conversation. I would rather listen dispassionately to a message someone has to deliver and then respond consciously. I do not care for non-conscious interacti

There are times for both. What you will learn is to eventually meld into either situation. It's not about what you think is better. It's about being contextually aware. You can do things like put your self in more situations where certain conversations happen but even if you, say moved to a commune in the middle of nowhere, eventually people would want to PLAY and do something other than talk deeply about things.

>>If I refuse to turn off my conscious mind and allow my unconscious to run amok then I cannot "merge" or "mesh" into the group. Then I sit back and analyze. I analyze the group that forms. What they talk about, what they value, or more importantly what they don't talk about. Most conversation has nothing to do with communicating. Most conversation seems to be about bolstering our own ego's. Talking up our own achievements and talking down on other peoples achievements. From the perspective of increased awareness all of this just feels Alien to me, or maybe I'm the Alien.

But see, those are forms of communication. Everything is communication. Communication isn't reserved to certain forms of conversation. Silly faces are a form of communication. While talking up achievements, your peers are communicating their insecurities. An equanimous person will know how to be on their level while not compromising their sense of self like it seems you're fearing. You feeling alien, or starting from where you are, is just acknowledging unnecessary distance. You are right there with them and that's the perfect place to be. From where they are, as you describe them, they may need to have their hand held so as to be guided to where you are. Maybe it's not going to be you that does that for them so for your own sanity it might be best to find a group of friends that gets it. But just understand what is really happening.

>>I can either interact with people the way they want me to (down on their level) which depresses me just being down on that level. Or I can not interact with people and remain on my pedestal of expanded consciousness, which makes me feel conflicted.

Here's another thing.. You feel like you're above others because you feel like you have discovered something above and beyond them with your journeying as a psychonaut. This is not true. Being a psychonaut we must eventually learn to see spirit in everything. Everything you witness on a mushroom trip or while seated in meditation is just a reminder of what can be seen at any moment in time.

>>Which always brings me back, why do other people matter at all?

Other people matter simply because they exist. To matter is to materialize.

>>My whole universe of experience is only experienced by me. If I can achieve optimal happiness being completely secluded then that is what I should work towards achieving. I see now why people become hermits.

And why is that?

I think you would do good reading the book "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" -> http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Chogyam/dp/1570629579

Here's some relevant advice from Chogyam Trungpa.

http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1570629579

From the Amazon summary:

In this modern spiritual classic, the Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa highlights the commonest pitfall to which every aspirant on the spiritual path falls prey: what he calls spiritual materialism. The universal tendency, he shows, is to see spirituality as a process of self-improvement—the impulse to develop and refine the ego when the ego is, by nature, essentially empty. "The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use," he said, "even spirituality." His incisive, compassionate teachings serve to wake us up from this trick we all play on ourselves, and to offer us a far brighter reality: the true and joyous liberation that inevitably involves letting go of the self rather than working to improve it. It is a message that has resonated with students for nearly thirty years, and remains fresh as ever today.

I watched an interview of the Dalai Lama once by Larry King. Having very little knowledge of Buddhism, Larry King asked him what he does when mosquitoes land on him to suck his blood.

The Dalai Lama replied that it depends entirely upon his mood at the moment. If he's in a good mood, he said, he blows on it to send it away. If he's not in a good mood, he smashes it to bits!

And then he laughed and laughed the way he does. I love Tenzin Gyatso.

Writing this just reminded me of a very helpful book by Tibetan Buddhist, Chogzam Trungpa that I hope to god OP will read, called "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism".

This is a great book for everyone interested in Buddhism or religion in general. It's well written and very easy to read and understand. If I knew OP's address, I'd buy one and send it.

Great questions! I'm a bit of a noob myself, but I would recommend avoiding paying too much attention to some of the more superficial aspects of Buddhism: monastic life, positions, temples, ceremonies, etc.

I would suggest reading about and studying basic Buddhist principles: 4 noble truths, 8 fold path, non-attachment, impermanence, etc.

Through your study of the Dharma you'll encounter many cultural variations of Buddishm, which like any other religion / philosophy can be deeply rooted in and absorb local culture and tradition. Buddhism in the West is a relatively new concept and only in the past 60 years are North Americans creating their own definition of what it means to be a Buddhist when it comes to ritual, dress, and salutations. Different sanghas (communities) appropriate from Eastern practice what they like, amalgamating it with more modern secular traditions, and leave the rest behind. However, the underlying principles and the Dharma continue to hold true as they're pitted against science, psychology, and philosophy.

Also, be sure to check-out "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism". http://www.amazon.com/dp/1570629579
This might help you avoid a lot of pitfalls of any spiritual path.

I think looking at monks, ritual, dress, temples, and ceremonies when starting to learn about Buddhism is like taking a tour of the Vatican as an introduction to Christianity. It's one interpretation of the teachings with lots of sociological-economic-political-cultural-historical layers heaved on top.

Strip all the superficialities away and you'll get to the heart of the matter - the inner workings of the mind.

Desire for truly positive, transformative results is called aspiration. It is still desire, but a different category of desire. One uses it until one overcomes other attachments. Then the dualistic spiritual desire can be let go as well.

Letting go is, of course, also put into practice during meditation. Your aspiration brings you to practice; but when you're actually applying choiceless awareness, you can let go of all thoughts of where you're going to or coming from. Only return to the method, only return to application of the awareness. Then, outside of meditation, when self and attachment habitually arise, you can again apply your positive aspiration to cut them off.

~

One of the all-time classics of Dharma and dharmic practice is Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I highly recommend this book if you're into reading.

Sorry if this is a repeat, but Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism is a great read. It can be a mind fuck, but it's precise and clear.

Most of what is done by meditators today reinforces the ego. There are very few people that talk about this much less books about it as it isn't a popular topic. People self-invest in their idea of themselves as a meditator and all the amazing things it does for "them".

Awakening by Rodney Smith talks at great lengths about this.

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa is another.

"There is no such thing as spiritual practice except stepping out of self-deception and stopping our struggle to get ahold of spiritual states. Just give that up, other than that there is no spirituality." - Chogyam Trungpa

You seem inflated by ego retention, and judge those who judge, as if you are the true judge. Looks like you wasted your time bothering with that garbage literature.
Spiritual materialism. Learn what that is. https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Spiritual-Materialism-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1570629579
You own nothing. Mr Tolle has a whole list of crap he says you own.
What a dick.