Taming the ego

Pollyanna83

How do I deal with the thought of "I've already figured this out" when it comes to my practice? Despite feeling like I am humble, I seem to have been taken over by a set of ideas that tells me that I'm already doing most things right- practices of compassion, patience, nowness, etc which leads me to shrug of some teachings. How can I see my growth humbly?

Jeffrey

Trungpa Rinpoche wrote a book called 'Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism'

lobster

Please describe in detail your right-practices. Particularly interested in your evidential humility? What compassion have you shown towards those ignorant of your virtue? Please be patient with my questions . . . but what on earth are you exhibiting if not ignorance?

Please be kind because I could be kinder but maybe some of us are unready to hear about others 'virtues'?

:scratch:

taiyaki

See this "I".

That's what you should investigate.

Pollyanna83

I don't think it's ignorance if I'm aware of the thought patterns. Thoughts are thoughts. I'm simply investigating why they are there.

Zero

Pollyanna83 said:

How do I deal with the thought of "I've already figured this out" when it comes to my practice?

Maybe you have already figured it out - still, even if you're doing it right, there is still the next moment and the one after that...

lobster

Oh yes it is ignorance

oh no it's not

etc
We have this conversation as part of UK pantomime . . .
http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/Pantomimes/.aspx

These thoughts just maybe . . . just maybe . . . are there because someone (mentioning no names, to protect the innocent) is thinking them.
It might be I, it may be ye

We all does it, we all attach ourselves to it
and when someone says, 'who be doing this nefarious thinking',
We say, 'twas not I sire',

There are levels of humility
levels of I
and when levelled
What qualities then?

Expose the old villain

misecmisc1

if you have the thought that - 'you' have figured it out, then see it as just a thought which arises and passess away on its own. try to see if you can locate that thing which thinks the above thought and makes you feel happy on having that thought - if you can locate that thing, then let us know - if you cannot locate that thing, then it will be just a thought.