Enlightenment....Its Dark Side

[Revoltingest]

In the news...
Meditation can 'boost feelings of superiority', study finds | Daily Mail Online
Excerpted....

The path to enlightenment is an ego trip: Meditation and mindfulness lead to narcissism and feelings of 'spiritual superiority', study finds

• Study finds a link between those engaged in spiritual practices and superiority
• People engaged in 'energetic' therapies like aura reading were the most smug
• Spiritual training 'has the paradoxical effect of boosting superiority feelings'

Meditation and spiritual enlightenment can 'boost feelings of superiority' by stoking the ego, a new study has found.

Dutch experts studying questionnaires of nearly 4,000 people found a link between practising spiritual training, like meditation, and feelings of 'spiritual superiority'.

Forms of spiritual training – including mindfulness, meditation, self healing and reading auras – are supposed to distance people from their ego and any feelings of self-worth.

But spiritual training appears to actually have the opposite effect, by enhancing people's need to feel 'more successful, more respected or loved', the experts say.

+4
Meditation (pictured) is a form of 'spiritual training'. Other forms include self healing and reading auras

Thy found that those who were engaged in the more bizarre 'energetic' therapies, such as aura reading, were the most smug.

 

[Vinayaka]

Depends on the individual, but mostly I concur. The spiritual ego is the greatest barrier.

 

[Wu Wei]

In the news...
Meditation can 'boost feelings of superiority', study finds | Daily Mail Online
Excerpted....

The path to enlightenment is an ego trip: Meditation and mindfulness lead to narcissism and feelings of 'spiritual superiority', study finds

• Study finds a link between those engaged in spiritual practices and superiority
• People engaged in 'energetic' therapies like aura reading were the most smug
• Spiritual training 'has the paradoxical effect of boosting superiority feelings'

Meditation and spiritual enlightenment can 'boost feelings of superiority' by stoking the ego, a new study has found.

Dutch experts studying questionnaires of nearly 4,000 people found a link between practising spiritual training, like meditation, and feelings of 'spiritual superiority'.

Forms of spiritual training – including mindfulness, meditation, self healing and reading auras – are supposed to distance people from their ego and any feelings of self-worth.

But spiritual training appears to actually have the opposite effect, by enhancing people's need to feel 'more successful, more respected or loved', the experts say.

+4
Meditation (pictured) is a form of 'spiritual training'. Other forms include self healing and reading auras

Thy found that those who were engaged in the more bizarre 'energetic' therapies, such as aura reading, were the most smug.

Then I would say...those folks are not "enlightened" They just want to think they are for purposes of shoring up their own ego. Kind of like the person who brags about knowing everything there is to know about a specific topic.......its all ego....which is not enlightenment

 

[Revoltingest]

Then I would say...those folks are not "enlightened" They just want to think they are for purposes of shoring up their own ego. Kind of like the person who brags about knowing everything there is to know about a specific topic.......its all ego....which is not enlightenment

So.....you've introduced the "No True Enlightenment" fallacy.
Pretty clever for a bear.

 

[Wu Wei]

So.....you've introduced the "No True Enlightenment" fallacy.
Pretty clever for a bear.

No, I said the folks they are referring to were not enlightened....did not say there was no true enlightenment.....you be twisting my words there Scotsman

 

[Revoltingest]

No, I said the folks they are referring to were not enlightened....did not say there was no true enlightenment.....you be twisting my words there Scotsman

In this, I twisted your words into the same meaning, but pithier.

Now, for your enjoyment, Ron Swanson attempts meditation....

 

[Secret Chief]

Is this the dark side of enlightenment or the dark side of some questionairre analysis reported by the daily mail just to feed their permanently outraged readership? There's as much enlightenment to be found in the btl comments:

- Sounds like the hard left of the labour party.

- 2000 years of this, controlling the masses

- Same with cyclists with cameras on their helmets.

- Same as being a school teacher, local councillor, local government official, civil servant, MP, actor, GP, board director, bishop, royal, Me-gan Me-kal, and four of our neighbours!

- Pure evil in our times.

- Explains why a recent study on the year of 2020 showed every group of people's happiness went down...except church goers. Those people actually increased their happiness; they were the exception. Turn to meditation and Eastern religion all you want, it doesn't make you feel better; you will feel worse. Note the "meditators" and other nonsense didn't increase happiness. This data isn't my own. Go look it up. You don't need meditation or all the other wastes of time: you need Jesus.

- This explains California

 

[Wu Wei]

In this, I twisted your words into the same meaning, but pithier.

Now, for your enjoyment, Ron Swanson attempts meditation....

 

[Left Coast]

In the news...
Meditation can 'boost feelings of superiority', study finds | Daily Mail Online
Excerpted....

The path to enlightenment is an ego trip: Meditation and mindfulness lead to narcissism and feelings of 'spiritual superiority', study finds

• Study finds a link between those engaged in spiritual practices and superiority
• People engaged in 'energetic' therapies like aura reading were the most smug
• Spiritual training 'has the paradoxical effect of boosting superiority feelings'

Meditation and spiritual enlightenment can 'boost feelings of superiority' by stoking the ego, a new study has found.

Dutch experts studying questionnaires of nearly 4,000 people found a link between practising spiritual training, like meditation, and feelings of 'spiritual superiority'.

Forms of spiritual training – including mindfulness, meditation, self healing and reading auras – are supposed to distance people from their ego and any feelings of self-worth.

But spiritual training appears to actually have the opposite effect, by enhancing people's need to feel 'more successful, more respected or loved', the experts say.

+4
Meditation (pictured) is a form of 'spiritual training'. Other forms include self healing and reading auras

Thy found that those who were engaged in the more bizarre 'energetic' therapies, such as aura reading, were the most smug.

It doesn't surprise me that folks involved in "aura reading," reiki, and so on would exhibit these traits. A similar result for mindfulness meditation practitioners surprises me more, although the correlation wasn't as strong and the authors said that result might be "illusory" (I don't know if that means it wasn't statistically significant or if they're saying it might be a Type I error).

 

[Left Coast]

This explains California

I'm sorry but this made me LOL.

 

[Revoltingest]

 

[Secret Chief]

I'm sorry but this made me LOL.

I tried to pick a variety! My favourite one is the cyclists. WTactualF.

 

[ChristineM]

Is this the dark side of enlightenment or the dark side of some questionairre analysis reported by the daily mail just to feed their permanently outraged readership? There's as much enlightenment to be found in the btl comments:

- Sounds like the hard left of the labour party.

- 2000 years of this, controlling the masses

- Same with cyclists with cameras on their helmets.

- Same as being a school teacher, local councillor, local government official, civil servant, MP, actor, GP, board director, bishop, royal, Me-gan Me-kal, and four of our neighbours!

- Pure evil in our times.

- Explains why a recent study on the year of 2020 showed every group of people's happiness went down...except church goers. Those people actually increased their happiness; they were the exception. Turn to meditation and Eastern religion all you want, it doesn't make you feel better; you will feel worse. Note the "meditators" and other nonsense didn't increase happiness. This data isn't my own. Go look it up. You don't need meditation or all the other wastes of time: you need Jesus.

- This explains California

I do chuckle to myself when our resident mock Scott cites the daily mail, sun or sport.

 

[Secret Chief]

I do chuckle to myself when our resident mock Scott cites the daily mail, sun or sport.

The Sport is still a thing?
Did they ever find that bus again?

 

[Revoltingest]

I do chuckle to myself when our resident mock Scott cites the daily mail, sun or sport.

It's a great source of inspiration.
Mainstream sources eschew the really entertaining news.

 

[Revoltingest]

I tried to pick a variety! My favourite one is the cyclists. WTactualF.

Looks like Leftie deleted his post.
Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[Vinayaka]

It doesn't surprise me that folks involved in "aura reading," reiki, and so on would exhibit these traits. A similar result for mindfulness meditation practitioners surprises me more, although the correlation wasn't as strong and the authors said that result might be "illusory" (I don't know if that means it wasn't statistically significant or if they're saying it might be a Type I error).

I've tried engaging with folks, as occasionally we get yoga practitioners coming to our temple. It's around 50-50 between the proud, and the humble. It's fairly obvious by body language. One yoga teacher gives free classes over there. Another guy, a studio owner, I had to ask him to remove his hat, and he seemed peeved by that.

 

[ChristineM]

The Sport is still a thing?
Did they ever find that bus again?

I think its still a thing. As i remember he posted an article from it only a few days ago.

I don't think the bus ever returned to the depot

 

[Secret Chief]

Looks like Leftie deleted his post.
Enquiring minds want to know!

Two selections from post #7

 

[Secret Chief]

I think its still a thing. As i remember he posted an article from it only a few days ago.

I don't think the bus ever returned to the depot

Well we all know the readership's main interest isn't in keeping abreast of current affairs.