ENLIGHTENMENT OR MADNESS?

(This article was written by Alsibar, who has studied spiritual guides extensively, and the original text in Portuguese can be read at this link.) 

What is the difference between enlightenment and madness? How can the seeker distinguish one from the other? Why is enlightenment so similar to madness? What does history teach us about this? How can we protect ourselves from the dangers of a demented mind? Let us reflect.

History is undoubtedly a great teacher; it teaches us undeniable truths, facts against which "there are no arguments." And it teaches us that in the past there have been absolutely insane spiritual leaders.

These charismatic leaders follow a very similar script. They generally begin their careers with simplicity and humility, but as they gain power and it takes hold of them, their modus operandi changes. What began with simplicity and humility gradually undergoes profound transformations.

Like a child growing into adulthood, religious movements also evolve. Over time, the organization becomes so powerful that the founder himself loses control over it. He becomes, in a sense, a hostage. At that point, no one recognizes the original organization or its creator anymore.

To meet the demands of any organization, a leader often has to betray their own principles and teachings. Perhaps that's why great spiritual masters like Lahiri Mahasaya and Krishnamurti were so averse to organizations. They were aware of the risks, and as Osho said at the beginning of his guru career, "To organize truth is to kill it." He himself became one of the greatest examples of that truth.

Spiritual leaders founded organizations, communities, and movements that have endured over time. Sometimes for a long time, sometimes as swift as a meteor.

Many of these cases end in tragedy. In others, life is longer. In some cases, the protagonist experiences an internal tragedy, hidden by close advisors and disciples to conceal the fragility of those they venerated as gods.

As examples of inner tragedy, we can cite Sathya Say Baba and Osho.

Sathya Say Baba

Say Baba, despite being venerated as an avatar, was publicly denounced as a prestige seeker, pedophile, and indirectly responsible for several murders that occurred in his ashram.

Osho

Osho was arrested in the United States and deported on various charges, some proven and others not. However, his greatest tragedy was his alleged addiction to nitrous oxide and diazepam, which masked a megalomaniacal and maladjusted personality, culminating in his "suicide." Whether it was voluntary or involuntary, we will never know.

However, there are famous tragedies where the protagonists' behavior leaves no doubt as to their demented nature. These have become classic examples of the chaos a charismatic spiritual leader can wreak in people's lives. Some of these cases are part of the annals of history. And so that no one forgets them, let's recall some of the most famous tragedies that have occurred in the world of contemporary spirituality.

Jim Jones

Jim Jones (1931-1978) was one of the most shocking and scandalous cases. Born in Indiana, USA, he initially appeared to be a kind and humble person. A man of great charisma and influence, his movement expanded rapidly, reaching over 20,000 members. He founded several temples and created an agricultural community called the "People's Temple."

It wasn't long before various accusations arose against the sect, including: physical and moral threats to its members, psychological torture, demands for the transfer of property to the movement and 25% of each member's income to the organization, isolation of children from their parents, Jones' interference in the sexual lives and marriages of its members, etc.

The tragedy began when the organization was accused of kidnapping one of the sons of a former member of the movement named John Victor. John's father, Timothy Stoen, appealed to Congressman Leo Ryan, who, due to the widespread attention the case received, went to the area to investigate these and other accusations against the movement.

After the first day of a warm and friendly reception, Ryan and his entourage of journalists, along with a former member, were brutally murdered by the Red Brigades, Jim Jones' personal guard.

Following this incident, Jim put his mass suicide plan into action. A tragedy in which 918 people died, including 270 children. All of them ingested or injected themselves with poison. Jim Jones also died. His body was found with a single gunshot wound to the head.

David Koresh

David Koresh (1959-1993) was another American messianic leader of the Branch Davidians, a religious group that emerged from a schism in the 1950s from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the 1930s. His trajectory was not very different from that of his compatriot Jim Jones.

David first proclaimed himself a "Prophet" and then "The Christ" foretold in the Book of Revelation. He quickly became embroiled in several scandals involving pedophilia, child abuse, rape, and polygamy, among others.

The US justice system became involved, shutting down the sect's operations. The community was soon surrounded by police amidst gunfire. In the end, David Koresh and 76 other members died, burned or shot. There is considerable controversy over who started the fire and the shootings, whether it was the members themselves or FBI agents.  

Marshal Applewhite

There is also another, more recent case: that of U.S. Marshal Applewhite and the Heaven's Gate cult. They believed that the planet was undergoing a kind of "recycling" (spiritual cleansing) and that to survive they would have to leave Earth. To do so, they would have to ride on the tail of Comet Hale-Bopp at its brightest.

They believed suicide was the path to reaching the "Next Dimension" or "The Next Step." The sect left a tragic toll of 39 deaths by suicide.

_ _ _

There is a curious element in the history of spiritual leaders: almost all of them consider themselves a kind of new messiah or savior.

Upon arriving in the United States, Osho solemnly declared, "I am the messiah America has been waiting for." Sathya Sai Baba was venerated as an avatar, the incarnation of God himself. Jim Jones was no less revered, considering himself the embodiment of various enlightened figures from the past, such as Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi. In Brazil, we have Inri Cristo, who proclaims himself the incarnation of Christ.

This messianic sentiment is a common element among almost all charismatic spiritual leaders. This sentiment is the root of all tragedy because, by considering themselves gods, they place themselves above good and evil. Such a person will do anything to satisfy their desires for power and dominion and will absolutely refuse to be contradicted, even if it means deceiving, killing, or dying.

Examples of messianic religious leaders are countless. But why do the vast majority of charismatic religious leaders proclaim themselves to be the reincarnation of God, Buddha, or some other spiritual leader from the past?

Perhaps an explanation lies in the apparent proximity between madness and enlightenment.

What is the line that separates madness from enlightenment?

The vast majority of enlightened beings were considered mad. Some suffered persecution and paid with their lives. Others were celebrated for their "divine madness," like the sage Ramakrishna, known as the "Madman of God."

The enlightened sometimes seem to lose touch with immediate reality, connecting with a broader, more expansive reality. The madman lives apart from society, isolated in his own private, personal inner world.

Some enlightened beings also lived isolated from the outside world, totally absorbed in their inner selves, to such an extent that they lost the notion of self and of "mine", as in the case of Ramana Maharish.

As you can see, madness and enlightenment have very similar elements, but what would be the main difference between a madman and an enlightened being?

There are two fundamental points that characterize an enlightened being: inner tranquility and the absence of ego (a feeling of separation).

According to the Bhagavad-Gita, the enlightened one is the one who has attained complete mental equanimity. That is, while an ordinary psychotic is driven by the fluctuations of an unstable mind, the enlightened one lives in a state of total relaxation and mental stability.

We could say that what distinguishes a wise person from a neurotic or a psychotic is their level of stress. While in the former, anxiety and restlessness are at negative levels, in the latter they are at reasonable and socially acceptable levels; in the latter, the levels are extremely high, even causing delusions and hallucinations.

Therefore, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the greater the level of anxiety and stress, the greater the madness. And the deeper the inner tranquility, the wiser and more spiritually mature we become. The main characteristic of the enlightened is stillness; that of the psychotic and neurotic, restlessness.

One of the causes of anxiety is a strong and powerful ego. The enlightened person doesn't kill the ego, but rather "tames" it, using it as an instrument. Megalomaniacs are completely dominated by the ego. That's why they have an uncontrollable drive for power, control, and fame. Perhaps this explains why they never consider themselves reincarnations of someone humble and unknown, but always of famous and renowned people.             

However, not all spiritual leaders publicly declare themselves to be the incarnation of a prophet or higher power. But their attitudes and obsession with power reveal in their actions what they never admit in words.

This is another fundamental difference between enlightenment and madness: while an enlightened person desires nothing for themselves, living inwardly happy and content, a psychotic person is always dissatisfied. Their actions always seek expansion, which is why these movements are so proselytizing and propagandizing. While the enlightened person is usually solitary and shuns the spotlight, the psychotic person seeks attention precisely because it is through it that they increase their power and expand their business.

Thus, although some similarities exist, the distance between a psychotic and an enlightened being is light-years. The enlightened being is fully aware of their inner and outer world. The psychotic, on the other hand, has little or no awareness of themselves or others. They are often extremely egocentric and resistant to criticism.

While the enlightened being is attuned to the Light of Consciousness that liberates from all bondage and illusion, the psychotic lives in a world of illusions that he insists on protecting. It is useless to try to dissuade him from his beliefs and convictions, which are often absurd and unreal. The enlightened being perceives all levels of reality as part of the Absolute. The psychotic sees only his own reality and nothing else. And that is why excesses, radicalism, and abuses generally culminate in tragedy or failure.

Obviously, this is not a scientific article on madness and enlightenment; these are merely reflections that may help clarify this complex topic. However, it is known that there are various levels, degrees, and types of psychosis. And our science is still in its infancy in this area.

The problem isn't being "crazy," because, as the saying goes, who isn't? The problem arises when a madman destroys lives and leaves a trail of destruction and death with his insane and dangerous ideas. People like Hitler, Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Marshall Applewhite wreaked havoc not only on themselves but also on all those who believed their words and followed them.

Perhaps that's why terms like "follow" and "believe" have become obscene in modern spiritualist circles. Without "believe" and "follow," history would likely have been different, without so many negative outcomes of death and suicide.

The seeker of the New Millennium must replace "believe" and "follow" with "see and experience." Perhaps, in this way, we can prevent further tragedies and deaths related to "demented and enlightened" individuals. Unfortunately, these men are quite intelligent and charismatic, which makes them extremely complex, seductive, and dangerous. 

As we have seen, Madness and Enlightenment certainly share many similar traits. It is up to the seeker to be discerning and perceive the difference between the two. Therefore, never entrust your life, intelligence, and will to a supposed guru. He may simply be a madman who speaks eloquently. Nothing more than that. When in doubt, it is best not to take the risk.

You've been warned!

OBSERVATION

Some people who are said to have achieved enlightenment acted in a crazy way (it is said that they were "intoxicated by God"), but I have not heard of any of them causing harm to others; which I believe must be because an enlightened being loses the notion of separation and therefore harming others is also harming oneself.

But the "spiritual guides" that Alsibar mentioned above were not enlightened at all; those individuals only pretended to be so to impress their followers, but through their actions they showed that in reality they were charlatans who were becoming increasingly psychopathic.

COMMENT

Caatinga:  Wow, great article! What I see is a type capable of being swept away by something greater. In the case of this category of "messianic psychotics," they end up being swept away by the powerful atmosphere of their ego, fame, power, and deification. Whereas a truly enlightened being can be swept away by the Universe.

Both possess this tendency. When an "enlightened" being goes through afflictions, these are adaptations and stages in the total death of the ego. To be swept along without any certainty, to be transformed into a channel for something gigantic, must be tremendously terrifying! Imagine! Our egos are so deeply rooted in us that there will be pure pain and imbalance when we disrupt them.

I imagine that every psychotic person "has one foot in the afterlife." When a young indigenous man began seeing jaguars and spirits in the shadows, the shaman would take him in. The "psychotic" young man was then initiated into a new dimension where there was room for his "symptoms," and he was cured (even though he was different from all the other members of the tribe). A perfect adaptation.

Today we no longer have shamans. We're left with psychiatrists, which is sad. Not all cases of psychosis resulted in shamans; there are several types of psychosis. What I see is that practically all schizophrenic patients believe in and experience contact with the dead and other realities.

Medication, with all its drawbacks, can close this bridge. Well, I'm tempted to think so, from what I've seen.

Cid's note: Caatinga is talking about another topic that is somewhat related to the main topic but is different; he is referring to people who have a little of their clairvoyance awakened and who begin to see astral forms, but who do not know what is happening to them and think they are going crazy.

There are many people who are delusional and believe they see dead people, angels, etc., when in reality they are only imagining it. But there are those who truly see.

And in all cases the secret to not falling into madness is to develop discernment.