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“CRITICIZING OTHERS = SELF-DECEPTION”

When we criticize others—no matter how justified it may seem—we must recognize that this is, in fact, a form of self-deception by the “mind” (the “I,” thought, the ego). It is a cunning maneuver designed to ensure the survival of this false self—this “I.” We need to remain as pure witnesses, observing these internal movements while carefully seeing through what unconscious elements lie hidden beneath them.

This is because criticizing others is essentially a form of self-hypnosis as deception by the mind—a way of telling itself, “I am someone,” “I have nothing to do with this problem,” or “Unlike them, I am doing things the right way.” When we remain unaware of this self-hypnosis, it easily devolves into an indulgence—a comfortable settling into ignorance.

Furthermore, this blindness—this (re)act of rejecting some behavior by criticism—after all, actually rejecting the very “I,” which is the projection of a past narrative of “I” that is a doer. Ultimately, it becomes a perpetual rejection of the “I”that is incapable of acting as it should—the “I” that awareness mistakenly believes itself to be. This creates a vicious cycle: the one who ends up wounded is none other than the “I” itself. Paradoxically, this very process ensures that awareness remains unable to recognize this identification, keeping the cycle in place indefinitely.

“As within, so without.”

The perception of others as separate or divisive entities implies the existence of an aspect of the “I” that one does not wish to confront. By criticizing others—onto whom this unwanted “I” has been projected—one attempts to sever it from beingness, retreating into the illusion that the problem lies elsewhere, not with itself.

In the non-duality of truth, both the person being criticized and the person one might seek to defend are merely manifested of the same “Self.” “The Self” is not limited to just one aspect—for instance, what the “mind” (the “I,” thoughts, the ego) might deem “good.”

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Through an unfathomable array of causes and conditions as dependent origination, individuals undergo a vast spectrum of experiences.

Contemplating, for example, you are criticizing others. It is impossible for anyone else to truly know the reasons behind that person’s behavior—the specific causes and contributing conditions that led to it—because no two people can ever experience the exact same environment or circumstances. If, despite this, one chooses to simply criticize and dismiss the behavior as having nothing to do with oneself, it is merely an expression of the ego’s arrogance (unconsciousness) by not knowing oneself through self-observation and self-inquiry at all. Furthermore, it reveals an unconscious attachment to unacknowledged, unresolved pain—pain with which awareness has become identified.

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Whether or not a person experiences a spiritual awakening “now” depends on several factors. It requires a pure curiosity about existence—a childlike interest—confront the “I” one would rather not see, and to explore its very source by the joy of exploring the unknown, even when doing so brings intense physical or emotional pain. It also requires the complete acceptance of the fact that the “I” is actually ignorant. This means letting go of all attempts of the “I” to achieve something or to grasp the ultimate truth, it is to truly recognize the fruitless of the “I’s” efforts, which is surrender. Through such openness, awareness can dive completely into the unknown—to learn from scratch and to come to be aware of new realizations and insights.

Naturally, timing plays a role.

Moreover, it is only when a variety of other conditions align that the realization of “The Self” becomes possible.

This does not imply any hierarchy or superiority—as if spiritual awakening early were somehow “better.” Rather, however the current state of any other person seems is simply one of expression of The Self within the process as moving beyond the “I” to realize the “I AM”—The true Self. Therefore, to make sweeping, one-sided judgments—such as asserting that “everyone ought to awaken,” labeling another as a “fool who does not know the truth,” or insisting that “since we are all one, everyone should act rightly”—and to then pursue a sense of “correctness” based on these judgments, is a manifestation of ignorance rooted in identifying existence with the narrative of an “I.” It is an expression of an egoistic, self-righteous, and dogmatic attitude.

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The first step is to look squarely at the fact as awareness and seeing through that “I’s” own critical words and (re)actions stem neither from “The Self” nor from transcendent pure love.

Awareness sincerely needs to see through that beneath the excuses concocted by the mind—the “I,” thoughts, the ego—to justify such criticism, there lies an unconscious dimension. With humility, which is naturally manifested because of absence of the “I,” awareness needs to let the spiritual awakening of others leave them, while focusing on seeing through the source of its own unconscious—continuing to direct attention toward the deepening of its own spiritual awakening.

For this is, in truth, the very thing that each of us needs to be doing at all times. (OM 🙏)