--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: >
> I think part of it is the belief in "crazy wisdom" that shows > up in many spiritual traditions and cults. Once a group of > cultists have decided that the teacher or holy guy they fixate > on is "enlightened" or whatever, they *start making excuses > for his or her crazy behavior*. Because, according to the > dogma, a person can't be both enlightened AND crazy. Good topic Barry. I wouldn't subscribe to the last sentence, I think there is a considerable overlap between, what is generally considered crazy by society (and doctors) and enlightenment. Not that both are the same, but the overlap is striking! This is also a major part of the controversy about the Peter Heehs book about Aurobindo: he doesn't say anywhere that Aurobindo was 'crazy' or psychotic, but he alludes to the fact that his Mother had mental problems and was treated I think, and also to the fact that there exists many parallels between what he considers Aurobindos enlightenment, and psychosis. (He just mentions it, while making clear that SA showed an amazing intellectual clarity through his writings, so he takes clear sides that SA was NOT psychotic). In India itself it is just too obvious: Many 'saints', avadhootas, are considered crazy by a majority of local people, they are simply 'out of their mind', there will be devotees, who consider them holy, here in the west, most of them would be closed away in a mental institution and pumped full of drugs.
