I love the analysis of the shadow and the vampire. Hunt, chew, swallow, digest, burn the shadows. But I also feel like our shadows need love and coaxing to come out and feel safe so it's not hiding any longer.
A really interesting and thoughtful video. I also appreciate Tracy Goodman's portion on "eating the shadow". Very enlightening and gave me much to think about. thank you.
I grew up in an extremely diverse neighborhood. As kids on the play ground, race wasn't a big deal. There were times that it was mentioned that I was white & some comments made, but overall we all got along. Also, I didn't indefinitely internalize it when there were agressions because I had friends of all races, and my parents weren't drilling racism into my head at home. My besties were usually not white, and again, no one mentioned anything, including white people. Additionally, when I was growing up, black people were seen as cool. White people were seen from a different lens. Usually almost all negative. These childhood experience helped me realize three things. 1. We all experience racism. But, it's actually prejudice, which is different 2. The only people who aren't prejudice are children. 3. Deflection is an interesting thing that can be a collective agreement. And might I add, someone else's prejudices aren't more shame worthy just because they're not yours
For those who have not read any Jack Kornfield books,I strongly recommend reading at least a Path with Heart.Yes,Jack Kornfield does come from a pretty privileged upper middle class educated background,he talks a little about it in a video.His father was violent and abusive and a wife beater and then went out into the world and was a well respected academic.I think Jack has had his fair share of suffering.I'm sure he acknowledges his privilege and works hard to bring about a more just and fair world. I do agree that class is not mentioned nearly often enough in many discussions around inequality though.I think this is a really good talk though because dealing with shadow is really the hardest thing but it is where so many of the fruits can be reaped if we care to face it.We can spend so much time rationalising,comparing and distracting ourselves that we just do not face it and then feel bitter and negative our whole lives.
Being middle class is far from being 'privilaged' for the record. Most people are in the middle class in western, liberal democracies. He shouldn't need to acknowledge his so called privilage.
I appreciate that more spiritual people are talking about facing the shadow. Too many new agey people only gloss over with a sugar coated veneer of Yoga and smoothies and fake smiles meanwhile all of their dark thoughts remain in control. The lady with the "Wusband" is a good presenter and had some good things to say however.... I think if a person is a master then they have overcome ego and darkness. Being a master is rare and perhaps a form of evolutionary mutation. It almost never happens. She describes that she was married to a "master", but that's not true. By definition her wusband was not a master. Now, that's not actually my main point. My main point is that I think it would be more effective if she demonstrated how she could face HER shadow and admit that she was attracted to another human ego that thinks itself higher than the rest. And that is because she wanted to be that way at some level. That her Wusband was a mirror for all of the contradiction and ego-centrism that exists in her and all of us. That working through said lessons she realized that because she hadn't been aware of her shadow, it lead her to project all of her hopes (and fears) on to her wusband, making him in to the "Master"/"Tyrant". All he was is a human. Also: her mention of Micro-aggression is indicative that she hasn't learned about radical ideology and pseudo science. The "professor" who dreamed up the nonsense of micro-aggression is causing more separation and his theory is unsubstantiated and in fact mostly refuted by sophisticated psychology. I'm sorry but it's a grave spiritual error to go around looking for peoples "micro-aggressions" and what of the fact that YOU don't have to take offense to anything YOU don't want. Example: If someone calls me fat and bald, (objectively true, temporarily) do I get insulted? Or do I realize that the person calling me those things is *displaying how they focus more on superficial looks than on heart, and or/*Is in pain from something unrelated to me and thus they are macro-aggressing me. Her comment on how being mindful of words will lead us to no longer offend others is a remarkably bad lesson to teach people spiritually. If you believe that other peoples reactions are YOUR responsibility teaches people to place their happiness in your hands. I think a better spiritual teaching is to teach people how happiness is their own responsibility and can be maintained regardless of what others say and do.... which is the undoing of micro-aggression theory as a whole. ^^ see how much work it takes to undo shadow threads from "teachings"?
When she talked about her husband who had split off a big part of his shadow side,I wonder what part of herself she had also split off from.When she talked about him being this loving,enlightened conscious being but then this part of his psyche appeared after having been hidden,well what part of her that wanted him to be this perfect loving conscious being had not wanted to see the shadow either maybe in herself or had wanted to see this idealised version of her husband.
There is always more depth to the issues than we may realize superficially - and, like you, I believe, it is a two way street. It took me a while to figure out what my part was in a relationship in which the partner was actually a predator and reeled me in; and I finally realized that I was totally naive, sheltered and ignorant about life; no boundaries just open. Once I did realize my part, then I started working on it ...still work in progress of course.... living a single life.. which I am grateful for so I may continue the healing and transformation and understanding..
Wouldn't it be nice if our spiritual leader lead the way by adopting a refugee into their homes. That way we could really learn the difference between empathy and compassion. Maybe they have and just haven't talk about it.
Those dark parts of ourselves most likely need to be healed and understood. Therapy, a good therapist, maybe in order in such a case. Not only a listener but someone who has done the work themselves. There are also many humans who were traumatized and that is even more challenging to heal and transform. Meditation and spirituality by itself is NOT enough. Inner child work could be very helpful - understanding our dark side and where it comes from and healing it, will eventually bring us to compassion. I believe in inner child work plus other work... but the origins may stem from childhood.... It is so easy to judge the dark and then it goes under cover. Also, to be curious about it and where its origins are. These kinda healings will expand us as humans and enable us to be on a more equanimity level with more beings because we have integrated some of our dark side and no long need to point fingers as much. BUT it is all work in progress.
a comment to question 30:19....I personally do not like the term "strength and weakness"....I have found instead of the label "weakness" I speak in terms of "areas that need to be developed". I found it to be less judgmental and more compassionate which is what I have found is needed.
Isn't that like Jesus says love Thy neighbour as thy self if we don't love and forgive ourselves how can we love others but sometimes it's easier to forgive the other than oneself we beat ourselves up but would not do so to others well not most of us thank you for your teaching
To answer the previous question doesn't that mean you yourself are part of the so called classism bias? Getting a phd is no easy task, no one hands you an education, it takes many years of dedication and hard work. And would the message be more worthy or enlightening if they were poor. You can never be poor enough to make the world rich, you can give up food and nourishment but still not feed the hungry. All we can do is enlighten ourselves and share what we have be it food, money or great wisdom. Let's not forget this man spent many years in the Peace Corp and was a Buddhist monk. I would say he's well earned everything he has
Compassion with wisdom and accountability to combat racism, sexism. for black lives matter, and other injustices to be conscious of our individual and collective shadow of class, xulture, domination and white privilege, rage and fragility. to be the change and agent of change;
Maybe I am only imagining, but how come that there is such a lot of talk about all kinds of negative cultural isms except classism? It's, after all, classism which is globally (according e.g. UN, ~ WHO) the biggest form of discrimination.
Scoreboard people are usually narcissists and there is no getting along with them. The only way is to let them go from our lives and focus on ourself awareness and compassion. A narcissists tactics do force us to continuousky self-check and self-assess and these things are good once any relevant shadow aspects is recognized and swallowed and burned. But the narcassist, don't forget, or the scorekeepers to use the audience member's term has only one goal which is winning and defeating. This is inflamatory for no benefit since it is often founded in dishonesty.
Came here for Jack, but this divisive lady, was too hard to listen. Postmodernists are in great need of doing shadow work themselves. Compassion also have its own shadow, very dangerous one.
I am quite disturbed by this discussion because implicit in it is the settled acceptance of objectified light, light that is external to the 'self'. This also means that inner peace and acceptance can only mean some kind of relative peace with fundamental conflict and love that tolerates compromise, both of which mask and mute the pain. My comments in summary: I am surprised to see that this presentation is embedded in an atmosphere of moralistic high mindedness that actually gives rise to personal experiences of shadow, the very experiences these seekers want to overcome. Discrete personal shadows can only arise where false like is cast upon the consciousness from outside the ‘self’. The nature of false light is always moralistic and legalistic measure. This genre of ‘light’ is implied but not named and since light is the cause of shadow, this is a fatal flaw in the discussion; this genre of false light is implied because there can be no discrete shadow where there is no discrete external (objective, third party) personal perception of such light. The many discrete implied but unmentioned light sources that create respective personal shadows when applied to the consciousness are the cause of condemning personal shadows, guilt and feelings of unworthiness, yet the seekers make all judgements by these false lights. The assumed and implied paradigm of light that is external to the self cannot contain a solution beyond addiction to seminars and retreats. This is good for business, but there is no solution in it. The most explicit hope offered here is the potential to sustain effort to balance the dark side with the externally lit “light side” both of which arise only because of this third-party externally imposed light. The light being external to the self cannot do anything but create and cast shadows of an increasingly fragile and frustrated self which is constructed in light that is tantamount to darkness, if the truth be known. This implied light is not the necessary subjective light of an enlightened mind/heart but a light of objective alien authority; it is an imposition of authority which is enforced only by threat and reward. Oddly, implicit in the recommendation to accept one’s shadow is the contradictory hope of overcoming it; this is an impossible situation, a quest for self-defeat, or at best a neutralisation of all, and certainly the pacification of real human potential. By contrast, the true, loving and all-embracing acceptance of the whole self by the Light that sustains all things is nothing short of the personal becoming of light, and if one becomes light by such divine embracement then one can have no shadow for although a light considered as subject or subjective can cast a shadow on objects, it cannot be a shadow itself. The only way one can perceive oneself as light which is to be without shadow is to become light, a state in which all lesser lights are null and void and with them all shadows. This, if understood, is a scandal; but it is also the surprising extent of the love of God. Perhaps, however, it is unbelievable for the wannabe righteous and holy. Unfortunately, the discussion under review, by not dealing with false objective (externally imposed) lights which create darkness and which are all and always tyrannous tools of condemnation, does not and cannot thereby deal with anyone’s shadow. (Anyone interested in the ‘cosmology’ that explains these matters could make a serious personal study of the First Epistle of John, Chapter 1, but I do not suggest you refer to any expert commentaries, priests or professionals for your understanding of the passage. The passage explains the most fundamental moral grounds of existence upon which all else depends and by which all else is sustained. In short it means, “There is no need to pretend. God knows and yet He loves the hell out of you”.) [Fuller notes are available]
"The bigger the grandiosity the bigger the shadow". Does anyone ever see how grandiose the Dalai Lama behaves? His shadow is complete lack of self criticism and introspection. He supports cruel tests on animals. That is the worst shadow of all.
These people are well intentioned but they are not far enough on the path of enlightenment to be teaching others. Their wisdom is lacking as can be seen in their answers to questions.
A lot of black people need to look at their attachment to victimhood. I think a lot of them would feel lost without it. The truth is, racism isn't even close to being as it was 50 years ago. Sure it's out there and it always will be. But the extent to which they identify as being victims of it is incongruent with how much of real problem it is. I'm always surprised when the people I thought to be pretty insightful buy into the latest racism or social justice hype.
Are you at all familiar with 7 generations trauma ? This is something Canada is recently coming to terms with after the horrors of the residential school system have been brough to the forefront of our society' awareness. I recommend looking into it to help understand why slavery and segregation that ended only 60 or so years ago are far from erased from people's lives and psyches. Humans simply don't work like that.
Jung invented the concept of "the shadow"??????????? . -- wow, what a myopic, provincial, ignorant statement. References to the shadow parts of ourselves have been made throughout recorded history in every single culture through all the arts, philosophy, religion, magic, you name it. I've watched a few of this guy's lectures just because he's such a big name brand -- all I can say is his shallowness, effete out-of-touchness and eagerness to be accepted into the top echelons of all of our traditional hierarchies (academic, financial, celebrity, etc.) leaves me cold. Not only that he starts off saying over and over in various ways that he's intimidated by his audience . . ."why don't I just go home and watch tv reruns . . ." "How many of you have already heard all my tired yarns about myself . . ."And forty years later he can't even say good evening without constantly reading off his notes? Oh, okay, speaking from the heart, I mean the notes, I mean the heart and my vast knowledge and experience . . .whatever, I guess this is the level of "spirituality" that is appropriate for Americans -- even those with all the advantages like the audience at Stanford -- the healthiest, brightest, most carefully raised and cultivated, most sophisticated and travelled, etc.
a waste of time in talking about common places. Why does he finger his eye glasses? Doesn't he have any body consciousness and knowing what his hands are doing?
