jcs
04-24-2006, 02:46 PM
Tangent from this archived thread (http://bbs.anus.com/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=8&t=000437)
Self-hatred will neither extinquish destructive passion, nor will it truly be a denial of the self, for the hatred bred will consume the individual.
'Hatred' is perhaps the wrong word, but something approximating anger toward self is often necessary to spur one on to do something worthwhile. And, after all, there are things about oneself that one might do well to hate. I didn't mean to suggest that one ought to hate the entirity of oneself.
self denial, then, is an entirely different endeavor: that of seeing the self as being no other than an outlet or manifestation of the Self (Divine Person, Truth, God, etc.).
I think this is the ultimate aim of self-denial, but such an attitude could lead to a false sense of pride quite easily if one assumes from the beginning that one is the same as God.
Which is why I like the Christian mystic's attitude toward spirituality: the self is, ultimately, being, or the Divine Spark, which is certainly divine in nature, but is conferred to man's soul by Yahweh (Being itself: I Am He Who AM, or I Am He Who Causes to Become, or I Am Whatever I need to Become--that last one is the most interesting). Yahweh, as Godhead, is of course impersonal, though this gift of being is performed through the person of God-the-Father. The message here is humbling: your being, man, does not belong to you; and though you are divine, your divinity is not your own, and you are not God.
Pride, I think, is the most important thing which man must deny himself.
Lorenzo Scupoli (a Counter-Reformation thinker) outlined some basic principles of self-denial in his most well-known work, Spiritual Combat. Here are a few ideas--Scupoli calls them 'weapons--I find relevant:
1. Distrust yourself:
-a. "Meditate upon and recognize your own vileness and nothingness, and the fact that, of yourself, you can do no good thing whereby to deserve entrance into the heavenly kingdom."
-b. "Seek from the Lord with fervent and humble prayers this self-distrust, seeing that it is His gift... [Y]ou must acknowledge that you are destitute of it... [and] are wholly unable of yourself to gain it. [Of] His goodness, He will grant your request. Endure the delay... [of] Providence and persevere."
-c. "Live in continual fear of yourself, of your own judgment, of your great proneness to sin..."
-d. "As soon as you have had any fall, enter at once more deeply and more consciously into the consideration of your own feebleness. It was for this purpose that God permitted you to fall... He permits man to fall more or less in proportion to his pride and self-esteem."
2. Trust God.
-a. self-distrust is necessary, but insufficient, as with self-distrust alone, we would flee from our spiritual enemies or be overcome by them. Therefore, we must fill ourselves with confidence--not our own, but God's.
-b. "Beseech God to grant this trust."
-c. "Keep the eye of faith fixed on the immense power and infinite wisdom of God," who is infinite in goodness and power.
-d. "When anything has to be done, or some struggle with self has to be met, and you desire to overcome yourself, before you propose or make any resolution, consider first your own weakness; then, full of self-distrust, turn to the divine power..."
-e. "Discern whether you distrust yourself and trust God." A presumptuous person, when he falls, will despair and complain that he has made no progress--for he does not distrust himself and trust in God. He who does, instead, is unsurprised of his fall and does not despair, though he feels sorrow for offending God and repents, and "at once resumes his efforts and pursues his enemies with new resolution and energy even to the death."
-f. "Distrust yourself, but don't be timid." "Many persons fall into this error," thinking "the fearfulness and restlessness that follow upon sin a virtuous feeling (for it is accompanied by a certain dissatisfaction with oneself) and do not see taht it springs from a secret pride and presumption, which are based on self-trust..." Thus when he falls, the presumptuous man feels timid in discovering that he lacks strength. The humble man, placing no reliance on his own powers, is sorry, but not disquieted, knowing that his fall was the result of his own weakness.
The remaining chapters of the book (I summarized and highlighted the main points of the first three), Scupoli goes on to discuss trustworthy spiritual methods (basically, how to defeat particular types of sin), the necessity of prayer, how to rely on the eucharist, and how to persevere in spiritual combat in the most desperate of situations.
When I first read the book, I of course found it far too 'Christian'--that is, I thought the attitude in which it held man was terribly negative. Further reflection reveals that Scupoli is kind of right.
Self-hatred will neither extinquish destructive passion, nor will it truly be a denial of the self, for the hatred bred will consume the individual.
'Hatred' is perhaps the wrong word, but something approximating anger toward self is often necessary to spur one on to do something worthwhile. And, after all, there are things about oneself that one might do well to hate. I didn't mean to suggest that one ought to hate the entirity of oneself.
self denial, then, is an entirely different endeavor: that of seeing the self as being no other than an outlet or manifestation of the Self (Divine Person, Truth, God, etc.).
I think this is the ultimate aim of self-denial, but such an attitude could lead to a false sense of pride quite easily if one assumes from the beginning that one is the same as God.
Which is why I like the Christian mystic's attitude toward spirituality: the self is, ultimately, being, or the Divine Spark, which is certainly divine in nature, but is conferred to man's soul by Yahweh (Being itself: I Am He Who AM, or I Am He Who Causes to Become, or I Am Whatever I need to Become--that last one is the most interesting). Yahweh, as Godhead, is of course impersonal, though this gift of being is performed through the person of God-the-Father. The message here is humbling: your being, man, does not belong to you; and though you are divine, your divinity is not your own, and you are not God.
Pride, I think, is the most important thing which man must deny himself.
Lorenzo Scupoli (a Counter-Reformation thinker) outlined some basic principles of self-denial in his most well-known work, Spiritual Combat. Here are a few ideas--Scupoli calls them 'weapons--I find relevant:
1. Distrust yourself:
-a. "Meditate upon and recognize your own vileness and nothingness, and the fact that, of yourself, you can do no good thing whereby to deserve entrance into the heavenly kingdom."
-b. "Seek from the Lord with fervent and humble prayers this self-distrust, seeing that it is His gift... [Y]ou must acknowledge that you are destitute of it... [and] are wholly unable of yourself to gain it. [Of] His goodness, He will grant your request. Endure the delay... [of] Providence and persevere."
-c. "Live in continual fear of yourself, of your own judgment, of your great proneness to sin..."
-d. "As soon as you have had any fall, enter at once more deeply and more consciously into the consideration of your own feebleness. It was for this purpose that God permitted you to fall... He permits man to fall more or less in proportion to his pride and self-esteem."
2. Trust God.
-a. self-distrust is necessary, but insufficient, as with self-distrust alone, we would flee from our spiritual enemies or be overcome by them. Therefore, we must fill ourselves with confidence--not our own, but God's.
-b. "Beseech God to grant this trust."
-c. "Keep the eye of faith fixed on the immense power and infinite wisdom of God," who is infinite in goodness and power.
-d. "When anything has to be done, or some struggle with self has to be met, and you desire to overcome yourself, before you propose or make any resolution, consider first your own weakness; then, full of self-distrust, turn to the divine power..."
-e. "Discern whether you distrust yourself and trust God." A presumptuous person, when he falls, will despair and complain that he has made no progress--for he does not distrust himself and trust in God. He who does, instead, is unsurprised of his fall and does not despair, though he feels sorrow for offending God and repents, and "at once resumes his efforts and pursues his enemies with new resolution and energy even to the death."
-f. "Distrust yourself, but don't be timid." "Many persons fall into this error," thinking "the fearfulness and restlessness that follow upon sin a virtuous feeling (for it is accompanied by a certain dissatisfaction with oneself) and do not see taht it springs from a secret pride and presumption, which are based on self-trust..." Thus when he falls, the presumptuous man feels timid in discovering that he lacks strength. The humble man, placing no reliance on his own powers, is sorry, but not disquieted, knowing that his fall was the result of his own weakness.
The remaining chapters of the book (I summarized and highlighted the main points of the first three), Scupoli goes on to discuss trustworthy spiritual methods (basically, how to defeat particular types of sin), the necessity of prayer, how to rely on the eucharist, and how to persevere in spiritual combat in the most desperate of situations.
When I first read the book, I of course found it far too 'Christian'--that is, I thought the attitude in which it held man was terribly negative. Further reflection reveals that Scupoli is kind of right.