A neglected core part of spiritual practice

[Cathal]

Keep in mind the terms I use are from my POV mainly Buddhist and Jungian

There is a serious amount of work in parts of developing samathi that requires a certain establishment in mindfulness to be attentive to the present moment that seeing how (as Jung put it) your Shadow projects to other people and creates the felt perception of 'I and others.' This is just how the ego goes on working creating its sense of self.

This is probably not news to most of you, but to the degree in which the Shadow is made conscious and integrated is actually for the most part the degree you will be established in your samathi (or ability to concentrate) in your meditation practice, or the first foundation of practice; sila (morality).

 

We understand greed, hatred and delusion are the basis of all suffering and the Shadow is formed through hatred (rejection) and results into experiencing delusion, seperation. Now this seperation is what we are all trying to free ourselves from, but the biggest misunderstanding in this western world of spiritual practice is not paying enough attention to the Shadow and getting more and more established in sila.

It really hit me after spending some time in a monastery about sila that indeed there is for anyone a possibility to enter concentrated states  through one pointed concentration and get into first jhana, but this is exactly what the Buddha realized didn't work towards liberation. The issue is, the moment that the condition appears for the Shadow to project, you will go in a loop experiencing the direct experience of 'other' people and it does not change the experience of thes shifting perceptions of personalities you are trapped in, or in other words you will keep experiencing seeing through the lens of your Shadow until it is integrated into your whole psyche.