An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, abiding naturally, the Oneness, the Nothingness, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
As for Maharaj, you will find here some of his early pointers for beginners but some of his later pointers that are for seekers father along the "path." During his last years, he said of I AM THAT: "That book and whatever was expounded at that time was only relevant for that period. I am speaking differently today" and am "emphasizing different aspects." What he offered later differed considerably from his earlier talks, making clear that the pointers in I AM THAT will take you to the midpoint of "the race" but that his final talks point the way to "the finish line."
F.: Some ask why so much attention is paid to personality by Advaitins and why the enneagram is taught here. A simple understanding of the results of being driven by the unconscious and hidden motivators rooted in personality should make clear the answer.
Innate in all humans is an inner sense of Self. Because personality develops early on, a sense of self (and, eventually, selves) blocks the awareness of the essence, of the True Self, of the unicity.
If Advaita pointers are to lead to a Realization of the Self, then they must first eliminate that which blocks the "path" and blocks that innate sense of Self, namely, a sense of self and selves ... a sense that personality / personalities are real ... a sense that personas are of some benefit rather than one of the forces that generate chaos throughout the relative existence.
Per the Direct Path Method offered here, the final personality-purging-process happens at the third of seven steps on the "journey" from the false "I" or "I's" to Realization of the essence, the Self, the Oneness. It is there that all false identities must be eliminated - including the roles of "The Religious One, " "The Spiritual Giant," and even "The Seeker."
Liberation refers to the process by which persons are liberated from the effects of false personas which, in turn, liberates them from the desires and fears that are rooted in personality and that produce so much relative chaos.
Which personality types have been driving you? To what degree? Do you even know? In what order should they be focused on to remove the most detrimental blockers of seeing Truth and then allow functioning to happen throughout the relative existence with stability rather than instability?
Which specific desire and fear of each type is most adversely impacting your relative existence and contributing to your misery and suffering? What personality disorders are manifesting alongside the personality types that are driving you? Do you even know?
Because personality sets the stage for the manifestation of personality disorders, if personality disorders are not recognized and diagnosed, then more relative instability and chaos are assured.
To know the degree to which each of the nine basic personality types are showing up is to have an opportunity to know which personality disorders might also be manifesting and driving chaotic thoughts and words and deeds. The link between type - and the types of disorders that often manifest with each type - include the following:
In Personality Type Ones, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
** the Depressive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Twos, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Histrionic Personality Disorder
** the Factitious Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Threes, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Narcissistic Personality Disorder
** the God-Complex Personality Disorder
** the Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Fours, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Narcissistic Personality Disorder
** the Depressive Personality Disorder
** the Avoidant Personality Disorder
** the Cyclothymic Personality Disorder
[Note: The form of narcissism experienced by the Type Three differs from the narcissism that shows up with Type Fours: the Three's narcissism drives the person to focus in an outward manner, seeking admiration and applause from crowds while behaving as an extrovert; the form of narcissism experienced by the Type Four drives the Four inward into self-focus and self-absorption as an introvert]
In Personality Type Fives, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Schizoid Avoidant Personality Disorder
** the Schizotypal Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Sixes, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder
** the Paranoid Personality Disorder
** the Dependent Personality Disorder
** the Paranoid Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Sevens, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Manic-Depressive (Bi-Polar) Personality Disorder
** the Histrionic Personality Disorder
** the Addictive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Eights, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Antisocial Personality Disorder
** the Sociopathic Personality Disorder
** the Narcissistic Personality Disorder
** the God-Complex Personality Disorder
** the Sadistic Personality Disorder
** the Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Nines, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Schizoid Personality Disorder
** the Dependent Personality Disorder
** the Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder
Additionally, all personality types produce emotional intoxication and emotional instability, and in some cases another disorder manifests, a disorder known as the Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder.
When that now-more-commonplace-than-ever disorder is driving thoughts and words and actions, then persons will find it difficult to distinguish between reality and their own misperceptions of the world and their surrounding environment.
They will be trapped in a state of emotional intoxication that is as debilitating as it is among those who are physically intoxicated and staggering about in a stupor while thinking they are actually fully aware and totally in control.
One core problem with persons who suffer from this disorder is their difficulty with expressing appropriate feelings (and their inability to be totally "available") to significant people in their lives. Eventually, as the disorder progresses, there can be a shift beyond being driven by emotional intoxication and becoming enraged, distrustful, and fearful.
Innate in all humans is an inner sense of Self. Because personality develops early on, a sense of self (and, eventually, selves) blocks the awareness of the essence, of the True Self, of the unicity.
If Advaita pointers are to lead to a Realization of the Self, then they must first eliminate that which blocks the "path" and blocks that innate sense of Self, namely, a sense of self and selves ... a sense that personality / personalities are real ... a sense that personas are of some benefit rather than one of the forces that generate chaos throughout the relative existence.
Per the Direct Path Method offered here, the final personality-purging-process happens at the third of seven steps on the "journey" from the false "I" or "I's" to Realization of the essence, the Self, the Oneness. It is there that all false identities must be eliminated - including the roles of "The Religious One, " "The Spiritual Giant," and even "The Seeker."
Liberation refers to the process by which persons are liberated from the effects of false personas which, in turn, liberates them from the desires and fears that are rooted in personality and that produce so much relative chaos.
Which personality types have been driving you? To what degree? Do you even know? In what order should they be focused on to remove the most detrimental blockers of seeing Truth and then allow functioning to happen throughout the relative existence with stability rather than instability?
Which specific desire and fear of each type is most adversely impacting your relative existence and contributing to your misery and suffering? What personality disorders are manifesting alongside the personality types that are driving you? Do you even know?
Because personality sets the stage for the manifestation of personality disorders, if personality disorders are not recognized and diagnosed, then more relative instability and chaos are assured.
To know the degree to which each of the nine basic personality types are showing up is to have an opportunity to know which personality disorders might also be manifesting and driving chaotic thoughts and words and deeds. The link between type - and the types of disorders that often manifest with each type - include the following:
In Personality Type Ones, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
** the Depressive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Twos, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Histrionic Personality Disorder
** the Factitious Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Threes, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Narcissistic Personality Disorder
** the God-Complex Personality Disorder
** the Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Fours, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Narcissistic Personality Disorder
** the Depressive Personality Disorder
** the Avoidant Personality Disorder
** the Cyclothymic Personality Disorder
[Note: The form of narcissism experienced by the Type Three differs from the narcissism that shows up with Type Fours: the Three's narcissism drives the person to focus in an outward manner, seeking admiration and applause from crowds while behaving as an extrovert; the form of narcissism experienced by the Type Four drives the Four inward into self-focus and self-absorption as an introvert]
In Personality Type Fives, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Schizoid Avoidant Personality Disorder
** the Schizotypal Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Sixes, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder
** the Paranoid Personality Disorder
** the Dependent Personality Disorder
** the Paranoid Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Sevens, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Manic-Depressive (Bi-Polar) Personality Disorder
** the Histrionic Personality Disorder
** the Addictive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Eights, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Antisocial Personality Disorder
** the Sociopathic Personality Disorder
** the Narcissistic Personality Disorder
** the God-Complex Personality Disorder
** the Sadistic Personality Disorder
** the Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
In Personality Type Nines, the following disorders often manifest:
** the Schizoid Personality Disorder
** the Dependent Personality Disorder
** the Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder
Additionally, all personality types produce emotional intoxication and emotional instability, and in some cases another disorder manifests, a disorder known as the Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder.
When that now-more-commonplace-than-ever disorder is driving thoughts and words and actions, then persons will find it difficult to distinguish between reality and their own misperceptions of the world and their surrounding environment.
They will be trapped in a state of emotional intoxication that is as debilitating as it is among those who are physically intoxicated and staggering about in a stupor while thinking they are actually fully aware and totally in control.
One core problem with persons who suffer from this disorder is their difficulty with expressing appropriate feelings (and their inability to be totally "available") to significant people in their lives. Eventually, as the disorder progresses, there can be a shift beyond being driven by emotional intoxication and becoming enraged, distrustful, and fearful.
The "goal" of Advaita is always to move persons to a state of independence. That can never happen as long as personality is driving them.
The teachings might temporarily offer some degree of "emotion regulation" as the seeker moves along the path, but in the end, belief in and attachment to ego-states - to false personalities which generate emotional intoxication - must be eliminated.
As long as personas are assumed to be real, then all of the negative effects of personality disorders (relatively speaking) will manifest and will assure an existence dominated by fluctuations and chaos.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
