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Thoughts About Pride
An affliction of the soul

‘Doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons.’
Teachings:

l) Two kinds of pride: a) carnal and, b) spiritual

• Carnal pride gives me thoughts of exaggerated self-importance and is common to all folks: a self-willed defiance with some self-talk like, ‘just this time’ or ‘I need this more than some one else,’ or ‘I’m worth it….’

• My reference is my own thoughts, desires and passions…not God

• I simply live for myself

• Each thought gets distorted:

I don’t share food,

I lust for other’s affection or things, I seduce someone for my own pleasure,

grasp things without consideration for how much is enough or what other people might need.

Anger is justified. I am above others and put others down.

Devote time to self instead of spiritual practices. Living is simply too much effort.

Effort is deleted from program…so there is the collapse of the training of my thoughts and a return to myself. God’s word isn’t defied as much as it is forgotten and dismissed as ‘not for me.’

• Carnal pride is different from spiritual pride because the self takes precedence over God. Spiritual pride actually places the self ‘AS GOD.’

2) Spiritual pride, sin of the proficient, is turned toward God.

My being is my internal reference point and one acts ‘as if’ God did not exist. Radical defiance.

• Symptoms include: Audacious thoughts against God
Hatred of God, teaching against God and other believers

• Have powers, even spiritual ones and uses confidently in ‘own name’ and for own benefit.

• Have power to condemn, hurt others if they get in the way. I might even be good for them…have power and punish others.

• God can be damned for all I care…hell doesn’t exist and if it does I wouldn’t want to be with a God that creates hell.

• End-stage defiance: same person who renounced former way of life, all the thoughts of former way of life and has all the powers of the practices and training of the mind, and takes his/her thoughts back toward the self and eventually toward evil,S/He equates himself with the Good for all.

• No discernment is necessary since all his/her thoughts are God.

• Where once there was prayer without ceasing, and mindfulness of the presence of God, now there is only self-adoration.

• The ego-self rises up and identifies with the end stage of the thoughts: gluttony, lust, rage, despair, boredom, vainglory, pride

• The defiant one then gets an invitation from the evil entities that promise to deliver double powers and strength. Subtle endstage arrogance replaces any reverence for another’s dignity. The narcissistic self is commander in chief.

• How can vainglory and pride be detected?

Lukewarm spiritual fervor

Renounce their renunciation of former way of life—return to old patterns. Take back earlier ways.

• Rough, not gentle and kindly

• Consider themselves above their peers

• In daily life deny themselves nothing

• Eyes are dead, hearts are dull, affect is flat, socially are takers and not givers

• Restraint is not even an option

• Is impertinent to authority

• Diabolical scorn to superior to whom s/he should be accountable

• Outward gait, loud voice, noisy and excessive mirth is ostentatious

• Bitter silence, unreasonably gloomy mood not checked

• Speaks with authority, answers with rancor

• Too free with tongue, waits not his words, lacks patience and chatty

• Freely insults others but is faint hearted in bearing insults himself

• Troublesome in taking any directions or supervision except when he gets a self-serving order.

• Is unforgiving in receiving admonition.

• Stubborn about yielding to others, always seeking his own ends. Never ready to give up self-will, gives advice freely but not according to the teachings.


How can this affliction of pride be rooted out?

God’s mercy like ‘good thief’ can prevail even at last breath

Start all over on the spiritual life as a novice

Find a good teacher who has mastered the eight thoughts. Rely not on gray hairs, but notice if they have afflictions that are not resolved
Sort out things.

Starting place is good order in things and then in relationships. Confess sins.
Start the practice of humility

Most afflicted ones with pride don’t want to be rid of pride because it feels so good to be so right. Part of the end-stage of pride is feeling sacrosanct: no need of repentance, conversion or change of heart.

One can see that in the light of the affliction of Pride the practice of Humility needs to start early, often and always in the spiritual training.

Humility reverses pride:

Reverent mindfulness of God

Be watchful over our behavior and inner thoughts

Desire to live in harmony with God’s will

Develop a willingness to respond to others’ legitimate desires and commands out of love for God

Accept suffering in life

Resist anger and depression or the desire to run away in the face of difficulties

Acknowledge in our hearts that we are no better, and could very well be worse than others

Live in community without the compulsion to project our unique identity by acting contrary to others

Refrain from speaking on every topic, in every situation

Avoid silly, sarcastic and demeaning laughter
Present oneself simply, gently with a quiet and non-ostentatious bodily demeanor

Pride goes up the same twelve steps you descended by way of Humility:

*Curiosity…let the mind wander where it will go according to its own fancy. No watchfulness of thoughts

*Let my own thoughts be light and make light of everything. No guard of the heart

*Enjoy raucous laughter at people and exploit vulnerabilities

*Boast of accomplishments, or even feats of badness, or brag about humility

*Be singular, carry everything to extreme

*Be self-confident in your holiness that exceeds others (self-conceit)

*ut yourself first before anyone else (presumption)
Justify your faults

*Make hypocritical confession as a way out of difficulties—exaggerate guilt with pious prostrations and showy penance

*Revolt toward legitimate authorities

*Give into sinful desires because for them it really isn’t a sin, it’s good

*Take up the habit, patterns, and lifestyle of ‘the sinful’ life and shore it up with thoughts that something that feels so good can’t be wrong. And it would be wrong if I didn’t do it.

The way out of Pride is to return to the Spiritual Journey after renouncing one’s newly acquired ‘former-way-of-life’.

Use the three guides: teacher, teachings (stored in Scripture and writings) and traditions as lived by others (community) on the way.

Return to the practice of the eight thoughts. We renounce extremes and live a discerned life in the middle way.

Do the practices of: ceaseless prayer, the cell, compunction, discernment, fasting, good zeal, guard of the heart, lectio divina, manifestations of thoughts, manual labor, practice of present awareness of God, recollection, silence, vigils, and watchfulness of thoughts.