(For introduction, see response to text 2.j.1)
The classic Western Christian spiritual path talks of three stages or “ways” of which the first, and foundational one, is the stage of “purgation” or “purification” – the struggle to cultivate a life of virtue prior to entering more fully into the contemplative way. Some see these stages as strictly successive, others as accumulative. My own position is the second. That is to say, that the process of “gradual penitence” is actually a life-long stance although, after a certain level of freedom from ego-centrism is reached, the way to contemplative illumination is more open. What does seem to me to be important is the recognition that there is an intimate connection between being a “good person”, acting well in the everyday world, and contact with the divine. I resonated with the “false” feeling of penitence described in the second paragraph, that leads to depression. The Christian tradition of discernment recognizes this as “temptation under the guise of good”. The result is hopelessness, a loss of assurance, scruples and other spiritually negative perceptions that actually separate the seeker from God.
