You Are Not Book.indb - Stephen H. Wolinsky Ph. D.

CHApTER 18
“states of Consciousness”
Philosophical Concepts
and the Virtue Trap
Few people, if any, in “spiritual” circles could deny the
implicit and often times explicit wish and promise to
“attain,” “get,” “access,” “resource,” or in some way have a
blissful state that contains not only the belief in a permanent
state, which are deemed spiritual or as higher states possessing
what they call “spiritual virtues or qualities” like love,
peace, joy, etc. These virtues, which include love, compassion,
forgiveness, kindness, and justice are certainly “admirable,”
“holy,” and “virtuous” states. However, these questions remain
unexamined: 1) Are these states really ‘spiritual’? 2) Are they
necessary to live a spiritual life? 3) Will this in some way lead
me to Nirvana (here defined as heaven)? 4) Does it play any
part in finding out who I am? 5) Does a permanent “state”
exist? 6) What “I” is seeking this permanent state? and 7)
Why does an “I” want to get or have this state?
The answer to all of these is NO. But before we throw too
much water on “your” understanding, or burst the “spiritual”
bubble, let us first define what we mean by “spiritual,” and second,
what we mean by a “state” or a “virtue” or a “quality.”
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