REFLECTIONS on ADVAITA: PART 8 – GUEST WRITER: LOUISE STERLING

Using the Enneagram as a Tool to Uncover What You Do Not Know ... So You Can Go Beyond

Yesterday, this pointer was offered by Nisargadatta Maharaj:

Remember, you cannot abandon what you do not know.
To go beyond yourself, you must know yourself.

For most seekers, the influence of personality is largely unconscious and unseen. For this reason, the ego personas are difficult to identify; and as Maharaj points out, you cannot abandon what you cannot see. If it was so easy to slip off the cloak of personality, all seekers would transition the third degree of separation without effort. So, why are the ego personas so difficult to spot? In the absence of True Understanding, ego personas often feel “natural”, “normal”, and “right” – like a pair of comfortable jeans. Remember, personality is formed in the very early years so most persons have lived within the “skin” of these personas for most of their lives. Since personality is created largely in response to environmental factors, personality “works” for the person in that its mechanisms serve to “protect” the personas from harm. The fact that many of the mechanisms employed are destructive and out of touch with reality are seldom observed when a persona is under threat. Like Pavlov’s dog, the persona simply acts out unconsciously in its programmed way. This is why Advaitans sometimes describe the Non-Realized as “programmed robots.” Persons live their lives reacting on the basis of their programmed tapes – while ironically believing they are free.

The enneagram was mentioned yesterday, since this is a diagnostic tool offered via “floyd” to assist the seeker to uncover the unseen influences of personality. The ennegram assessment – if the full diagnostic tool is used and competently interpreted by an expert – results in a completely fascinating deconstruction of the supposedly “special” and “unique” individual. For many Advaitan seekers, Advaita is a final “path” after relentless years of searching – which if nothing else, often results in some degree of detachment and the ability to observe and enquire into the nature of the self without “taking it personally”. This is essential with the diagnostic result of the enneagram assessment – since, when analysed with dispassion and detachment, it proves to be a piece of computer code – a printout of the programming that “makes you who you are”. With insight, the behaviours, actions and so-called “choices” made by the seemingly separate individual over a lifetime are seen to be “programmed behaviours” – there was no other choice.

(Note: This description refers to the detailed enneagram assessment that identifies the primary personality type as well as the relative influences of the other types as tempering or healthy/unhealthy influences. Dualistic terms – the “seeker” entranced by personality is trapped in dualism.)

For example, when the diagnostic assessment was taken here, a high inverted NINE (Peacemaker) score was found in the personality analysis. In the relative life history of “louise”, she had always felt quite proud to be a peaceful and peace-loving person; positive qualities usually affirmed by this society, and especially affirmed amongst the spiritual movements. What’s the problem with being peaceful You might ask? Absolutely nothing – when this occurs naturally and spontaneously. However, what might this mean when a Peaceful Persona is at play? The high score in this area is a result of environmental shaping of personality in the early years – growing up in a household in which conflict was avoided, healthy anger was not encouraged or expressed, and children were encouraged to “be nice” to “keep the peace”. So plenty of peace and love and kindness in the childhood home, but also lots of putting up with unacceptable BS from those driven by less peaceful drivers in the external world. It is not difficult to see how when under the sway of personality as an adult, “louise” may have made choices to “keep the peace” resulting in … exploitation in the workplace, difficulty setting boundaries with a child, and reacting passively when a natural and spontaneous response would likely have been active and assertive. Can You see how a Peaceful persona can fit “just so perfectly” within the context of the spiritual path – but in fact is a personality flavouring that blocks Realization? Note: this is just one strand of dominant influence in the enneagram analysis; it is not even the primary type – yet notice the effect. It is likely the dominant Type FOUR with a high FIVE wing that has enabled this type of impersonal deconstruction.

Note too, the Advaitan Teacher does not invite You to “fix” the personality. (Although in some cases – for example extreme depression, personality disorder, etc, this may be a wise route before embarking on the Advaitan “path”.) The Adviatan Teacher invites You to eliminate personality altogether. The purpose of the deconstruction offered above, is not to encourage seekers to delve into their personality quirks for years, “fixing”, “understanding”, “healing” and “obsessing”. No. The purpose of the deconstruction is to suggest that by understanding the personality, the seeker is able to see with clear sight. Instead of seeing qualities like being helpful, peaceful, assertive, loyal, enthusiastic etc as “natural” and “normal” descriptions of “who you are” – be open to the possibility that they may be conditioned additions / attributes that block Realization. Prepare Yourself – since the ego personas under threat react strongly to having these “positive qualities” pinpointed; it is far more comfortable to assume they are the result of spiritual practice.

Identifying and eliminating the personas does not mean the qualities enjoyed disappear. As “floyd” explains again and again – helping can happen, being peaceful can happen, enthusiasm can happen – naturally and spontaneously – without the forced programmed response of only being able to choose from a limited and pre-selected range of colours from the palette. Post realization, Maharaj explains that a touch of personality may remain. Post-Realization, would “louise” spontaneously challenge, confront and make loud, conflictual noises under threat? Unlikely. The deer’s response to conflict would probably be similar to the touch of personality present. However, the potential to enjoy a full range of responses that are free, natural and spontaneous would be available – rather than only having the “choice” to “keep the peace”.

Let’s revisit Maharaj’s words that began this post:

Remember, you cannot abandon what you do not know.
To go beyond yourself, you must know yourself.

The ebooks and etools offered on this site could be called ethorns – offered by the Advaitan teacher to remove the false understanding of Who You Are. You are already the Absolute Reality – but the enculturated conditioning of an insane society has “polluted” Your consciousness so the view is no longer clear. Imagine standing on the summit of a mountain with a paperbag over your head with two tiny peepholes offering limited vision – this is how the polluted consciousness sees. How to be free of the effects of personality? Do the research – uncover the flavour of the personality at play – what is seen in the clear light can be abandoned.

(See the ebook: Liberation: An Advaita Approach to Being Free of Personality; or for the “programme code” and interpretation offered via the full personality enneagram assessment see: http://www.floydhenderson.com/services.php)

Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

Comments / clarifications may be sent to louise.advaita@gmail.com – a temporary email address available for the duration of these guest postings.