Practicing with Just This, Right Now
"... spiritual bypass refers to the unhealthy misuse of the spiritual life to avoid dealing with psychological difficulties. ... serves an avoidance function; it allows the individual to avoid the often painful and difficult psychological work of healing old wounds.... As such, the person in spiritual bypass actually might be best conceptualized as in a state of developmental arrest, which may result in increased psychological symptoms.
The genuine spiritual path involves awareness and acceptance of present moment circumstances. In contrast, spiritual bypass involves a denial of at least some aspects of this experience.
... spiritual bypass ... takes place largely outside an individual's conscious awareness ..."
Cashwell CS, Glosoff HL, Hammond C. "Spiritual bypass: A preliminary investigation. Counseling and Values." 2010; 54(2): 162-174.
“In every case, the important thing is to practice according to whatever is happening in your meditation in the present. Don’t get ahead of what is actually happening. On the other hand, once you have overcome the obstacles for a given Stage even temporarily, then you can work with the obstacles for the next Stage.
The secret to progress is working with the specific obstacles and goals appropriate to your current skill level.”
Culadasa (John Yates PhD), Matthew Immergut PhD, Jeremy Graves. “The Mind Illuminated. A Complete Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science.” Dharma Treasure Press, Pearce, AZ, 2015.
