The shadow is that part of the self that we don’t want to see, that we’re afraid of and we don’t want others to see either. If our “actor” (ego) is well-defended and in denial, the shadow is always hated and projected elsewhere (we tend to hate our own faults in OTHER people!). One point here is crucial: The shadow self is not of itself evil; it just allows you to do evil without recognizing it as evil! That is why Jesus criticizes hypocrisy more than anything else. He does not hate sinners at all, but only people who pretend they are not sinners! Matthew 23
Jesus’ phrase for the denied shadow is “the plank in your own eye,” which you invariably see as the “splinter in your brother’s eye.” Jesus’ advice is absolutely perfect. “Take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye” Matthew 7:4-5.
Fr Richard Rohr
Matthew 7; 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look,
a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will
see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
*****
He who has not sinned cast the first stone...Judge not your brother alas you hasten My Father's judgement upon yourself...Love one another as I love you...
ReplyDeleteI think all Jesus wants is for us to just love each other...
'I think all Jesus wants is for us to just love each other...'
ReplyDeleteYes. Amen Lisa. I think that is our True Self - the real us!
Amen
ReplyDeletewonderful post...denial and hypocrisy are linked together often...we have to work everyday to keep that shadow in check
ReplyDeleteThank you and Amen
Amen!
ReplyDeleteSo, let me get this straight -- hypocrisy is really just refusing to admit that you are a sinner?
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Keith and what a lovely image!
ReplyDeleteI'd go with what's stated here except this part:
"That is why Jesus criticizes hypocrisy more than anything else. He does not hate sinners at all, but only people who pretend they are not sinners! Matthew 23."
To me this is a perfect example how the human egoic shadow part is projecting onto Jesus those aspects that aren't Love. A being that is just Love can't
be envisaged by the ego/shadow. An enlightened being like Jesus represents, wouldn't even see anyone as a hypocrite, let alone feel hate or the need
to criticize .... This is very frightening to most of us who feel we have to see everything as good or bad and live by judgment... Letting go of that can be
our biggest challenge.....
Hi Mia - I chose this image, which I took from a part of a painting, as it has a sort of shadow of me in it with My camera - plus, of course, because of the crucifixion scene which when combined goes with this story. You know how us Christians Lve the pain :)))
ReplyDeleteThe reply is not working on this post for some reason. You said - 'An enlightened being like Jesus represents, wouldn't even see anyone as a hypocrite,'
Well according to the link I left, at the end of that sentence, thIS is what Jesus is doing. That whole statement was pointed at the link. If you read Matt 23 you will see He is 'jolly well upset' with, and hating the hypocricy of the Scribes and Pharisees, In effect, then, you are saying that this scriptue is a projection and that Jesus wasn't saying this to them. As for as the enightened state of Jesus, from the point of view of duality it is either a projection or Jesus was not in an 'enlightened' state on this earth. Whether we like it or not we do live in duality and this is how the Bible is - it is writen in duality, for us who live in duality, but as you pointed out the truth of it's teaching isn't. You were in agreement with its teaching and what you object to is how the teaching is delivered. It is delivered to us humans who live in this un-enlightened state and allows the Truth in to show us the way out. Jesus was delivered to us in the duality form - in the form of flesh and sin if you like, to show us the way out, I think whether Matthew is projecting here or not is not the point - it is the awareness of the shadow self, the awareness of the ego and how it works in the context of hypocrisy that is important. Jesus said "forgive them for they know not what they do". We often know not what we do and as such we need to be shown what we do. I prefer this way of being shown as do billions of other Chrstians.
The teachings you prefer to follow are just different than mine - a different approach to salvation. It is not my way to come from the point of view of an perfected person but from the point of view of who I am - ego and all. I do believe however,as with you, it is where I am going and how I slowly loosen the bindings of fear that is important. I want to produce and become the fruits of the Spirit, to become Christlike and not see and live life from the eyes of duality or, as I would put it, the flesh. Again what does it really matter how the lesson is delivered so long as we grow from the message!
shenry61 - The reply thing is not working so as you asked...
ReplyDelete'hypocrisy is really just refusing to admit that you are a sinner?'
Yes Hypocrisy is a form of denial or refusal to accept or admit our sins - to admit who we are. We hate the sin so much we refuse to see (cannot see often) we are likewise the sinner. We hate to see those sins even more in others and hide behind the hate. I think when we overcome these sins, starting by admitting to Jesus we are the sinner, we can accept the sin in others. Say for example if the sin of adultry is the burdon, the reformed adulterer no longer attacks others for their adultory but instead have compassion for their pains, even helps them with them. As you may have noticed in the past there were a few evangelists who attacked the adulterers and homosexuals while living this life themselves - a good example of hypocrisy was J Edgar Hoover. I love the following quote from Matt 23
"25 For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."
this is what we do in Jesus - clean ourselves up within and then there is no longer a need to cleanse the outer - to put up a front.
I hear what you are saying Keith and only because we know each other so well would I come here and question something on your page. In the past we have had many spiritual discussions and always enjoyed them, so here we go lol!!
ReplyDeleteMy belief is that what is Love and purely Love, doesn't know of hate nor judgment. That is real forgiveness in my book and that's Christ mind... And yes, I'm saying that Jesus didn't get upset nor did he hate anyone. If that was the case I don't think that was a part of his message but a lapse into wrong mindedness and not meant to be any kind of pointer to the Truth.... For me Jesus is a Symbol of Love and a Symbol of Love does in no shape or form promote hate...
My point was that what Rohr is talking about as our shadow side projecting, is just what is done, right there in those words and to me it's so obvious! I do understand and respect though that it might not be obvious to you or most others, he he he...
To hate hypocrisy is still hate, still judgment and still separation. Real forgiveness has to go
beyond all that, to real Truth or it's just duality teaching more duality and more judgment and hate being taught. (Cue religious wars..) How is that helpful? To become Christ like we have to learn real forgiveness and let go of judgment and as you say loosen the bindings of fear. To me all teachings, religions and paths have that at their very core. When that seems obscured it's just because of the shadow self that wants to project itself onto everything and everyone... We just can't help ourselves lol...
Deep thoughts.
ReplyDeleteCan we hate war??? Can we hate crime?? I think we can - i know I do - I hate any violence and from what I know of you - I believe you hate violence too. How can we forgive violence when violence in a way does not exist. Hypocrisy is a form of volence too so we are not forgiving the hypocrisy but forgive the person being hypocritical - we forgive the person doing the violence. To be honest I think Richard Rohr used the wrong words here and felt this also at the time I first read this piece. I believe he would be better to have said - "He does not hate sinners at all, but only the denial they use to pretend they are not sinners!" and I believe this is what he means. This being so I do not see hate or judgement being taught here. There are none of us perfect, including Richard Rohr, so please forgive him for saying the worng thing. :)))) (cheeky arn't I) I do not think he teaches separation nor do I see that Jesus being terse toward the scribes and pharisees in Matt 23 and being unforgiving or judgemental. I do not agree that Jesus would not have been upset at seeing violence but I do not think he ever judged anyone for their behavior although I do believe he judged the things they did and pointed this out to those concerned sometimes in a very forceful way. i wonder how Ekhard Tolle or Mooji or even the Dalai Llama would react if at the teachings, objectors to their teachings sat among his followers and interjected and challenged them, interupting the flow to what is being taught. I am sure that they would also get a bit terse and frustrated at such unacceptable behaviour. Jesus is, to me, likewise the symbol of Love and I have never felt in any way in any part of the New Testiment that he teaches hate - not at all!!
ReplyDeleteStevesucks - Yes we have very sagacious dialogues happening at times - kind of like straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! But it is fun!
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think so Keith. If I hate violence it's not helpful! Hate begets hate and we cannot meet aggresson with more aggression, it just multiplies then and there is no healing taking place anywhere...
ReplyDeleteHate and violence, hypocrisy etc still have their roots in fear and we can only drop the fear when there is a deeper understanding. It's all an expression of the same
thing, everyone feeling unsafe in this world and the survival instinct taking over... Life in duality is terrifying and the fear of death underpinning it all is what
rules us from the time we awake in the morning til we go to bed at night. Even our dreams keep repeating the same thing... yikes lol
I didn't say that Jesus taught hate, of course he didn't. His teachings are pure Love. It's the ego interpretations that vary and as you know they have even been used
to start wars and promote separation and dogmas. Whenever we use words and concepts, duality makes it's mark and there we go lol...
What Tolle and Mooji would do in certain situations I cannot speculate in, yes, they might display a flash of anger or frustration as you said, but that will not be part
of their teachings, it will be gone in the next minute and not dwelled upon at all.... It's not about suppressing things, but about not letting fear take hold of
your mind and make a home there if you know what I mean... It's about detaching from all that and being able to laugh at the play of the world, being in the
world but not of it...
well I think this discussion, like our discussion yesterday in messenger, is now all just about getting all our words correct - being at one with the meanings of words - maybe I could say - I do not Love violence!! but I prefer the word hate and hating violence does not make me want to attack it but to extinguish it - negate it or as you put it not allow it attach itself to anything then it is as it really is - powerless. To detatch is this to separate ourselves from something??
ReplyDeleteOut of curiousity - According to the strongs concordance as to the meaning and use of the word 'hate' in scripture, from Hebrew or Greek It can mean two things - to persecute or as I believe I am using it - to Love less.
Yes, I think we are now into discussing semantics which is a bit pointless don't you think? lol Did you get your bread?
ReplyDeleteSo I'll just finish with: What is not Love is a Call for Love and:
A Course in Miracles reminds us, “When your peace is threatened or disturbed in any way, say to yourself: I do not know what anything, including this, means. And so I do not know how to respond to it. And I will not use my own past learning as the light to guide me now.“ T-14.XI.6:6-9
So be it!!
ReplyDelete