Don’t make gods into demons
Don’t let spiritual practice become a source of pride, judgment, or superiority over others.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Don’t let spiritual practice become a source of pride, judgment, or superiority over others.
- Why it works: Lojong warns against what Chögyam Trungpa called "spiritual materialism" — using a practice meant to dissolve ego as a new trophy for ego. When practice becomes a source of identity, comparison, or judgment ("I’m more mindful than others"), the compassion mechanism is hijacked. The slogan is a circuit-breaker: does your practice open you toward others or close you in superiority?
- Evidence: Practitioner experience / self-report; no formal study.
- Avoid: Thinking this slogan applies to other practitioners but not to you — it applies precisely to the moments of certainty that it doesn’t.
Why it works
Lojong warns against what Chögyam Trungpa called "spiritual materialism" — using a practice meant to dissolve ego as a new trophy for ego. When practice becomes a source of identity, comparison, or judgment ("I’m more mindful than others"), the compassion mechanism is hijacked. The slogan is a circuit-breaker: does your practice open you toward others or close you in superiority?
How to do it
- 1Periodically check: does your practice make you more patient and kind with others, or more impatient and critical?
- 2Notice when you use spiritual language to judge others or inflate your own status.
- 3If the practice is making you harsher, not gentler, that’s feedback, not a reason to practice harder.
- 4Talk to a teacher or trusted person about whether your practice is opening or closing.
What the evidence says
AnecdotalThis is a traditional Lojong check rather than a studied practice. Psychological research on "spiritual bypass" (using spiritual practice to avoid difficult emotions or relationships) is consistent with the concern the slogan addresses.
Honest caveat: Spiritual bypassing research is limited and largely clinical; the slogan is a traditional wisdom teaching evaluated through practitioner consensus.
Common mistake
Thinking this slogan applies to other practitioners but not to you — it applies precisely to the moments of certainty that it doesn’t.
IX Coach occasionally asks you to evaluate whether your practice habits are opening or closing you toward the people in your life.
Practice this with IX Coach →