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Now, you see, if you understand what I'm saying, with your intelligence, and then take the next step and say 'But I understood it now, but I didn't feel it.' Then, next I raise the question: Why do you want to feel it? You say: 'I want something more', because that's again that spiritual greed. And you could only say that because you didn't understand it.

Alan Watts#12

EgoSpiritualityFeelingGreedUnderstanding

About this quote

What does it mean?
Wanting to feel a spiritual insight rather than just understanding it is called spiritual greed and indicates incomplete understanding.
In plain terms
If you want to feel what you understand, you are being greedy for a bigger spiritual experience.
What can you take from it?
True understanding does not require chasing feelings; seeking them shows you missed the point.

Where it applies

  • discussing meditation
  • critiquing spiritual seeking
  • addressing ego

Putting it to work

  • focus on understanding
  • avoid chasing feelings
  • recognize spiritual greed

Questions to consider

  • Why do you want to feel it?
  • Is feeling necessary for truth?

Another view

It invalidates the natural human desire to embody insights emotionally.

More from Alan Watts

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  3. Running away from fear is fear; fighting pain is pain; trying to be brave is being scared. If the mind is in pain, the mind is pain. The thinker has no other f…

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