DARK NIGHTS of the SOUL : Causes and Purpose -- Advice from LAMA LODRO, Master Meditator (2017)

Like oceanic low tides, DARK NIGHTS of the SOUL are TEMPORARY -- and the way through them is to KEEP DOING your meditations and spiritual exercises. . . . ( Lots More in SHOW MORE )
Dark Nights of the Soul are part of a natural cycle in the ebb and flow of inner energy that occurs during the profound and sometimes painful process of opening more fully to your greater spiritual potential.
When people are working on their spiritual growth, confusing and sometimes obstructive factors WILL arise which MIGHT block further progress and may POTENTIALLY cause a spiritual crisis.
A Dark Night of the Soul can be any spiritual crisis but more specifically describes an intensely-felt spiritual crisis that generates painful levels of self-doubt about the inherent value of both the person in crisis and her or his spiritual or mystical beliefs.
Mystics (for whom spiritual or transcendent experiences might usually arise naturally and spontaneously) may also suffer a spiritual crisis if there are extended, uncontrollable stoppages in mystic occurrences and connections.
Lama Lodro shares advice about Dark Nights of the Soul from his own experiences and those of other Meditation Masters who have worked through their own Dark Nights of the Soul in many contemplative traditions over the centuries, including Buddhism, Christian mysticism, and Western Mystery Schools, among many others.
Classic reference books (noted below) mentioned by Lama Lodro in this talk span different religions, different countries, and different centuries but include details and advice about Dark Nights of the Soul that are remarkably similar in many details.
1. Vipassana Kammattan Progress Insight Manual (aka: 16 Stages of Vipassana Insight Meditation Manual)
2. "The Interior Castle" by Saint Teresa of Avila
3. "Dark Night of the Soul" by Saint John of the Cross
~*~*~*~ May all beings be free from sickness, free from obstacles, free from dangers, and free from suffering. May the merit gained by freely sharing this teaching help other beings to fully attain the awakened state of enlightenment in this very life. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
LAMA Karma Tsundulp LODRO (born in 1945) has received and used over 100 forms of meditation during more than 50 years of meditation study and experience that includes multiple Theravada and Tibetan lineages of Buddhism as well as a wide range of secular (non-religious) subjects learned during decades of world travel including many years in Buddhist monasteries in Thailand, Malaysia, India, Sikkim, Japan, and Singapore.
This public Interactive Dharma Dialogue by Lama Karma Tsundulp Lodro (of Yukon, Canada) was recorded on 12 April 2017 at the Selkirk Vihara in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. This video was produced in Yukon, Canada by Lama Karma Tsundulp Lodro with assistance, research, and writing from Chrys Antaya.