TODAY’S CONSIDERATIONS
There is, of course, no record of when the earlier instance occurred of a human having sensed the Oneness and been conscious of and awake to and aware of the duality / non-duality distinction. Likely at that point, there was no language, no vocabulary, no writings, and - therefore - no ability to read or write or make a record of anything.
It is known that the teachings were systematized and consolidated and set forth as the “doctrine” of Advaita Vedanta in the 8th century; thus, for at least 1200 years or so, certain sages had advised seekers to abandon all personal / personality identifications.
The key questions, however, are these: Has it been enough to advise seekers to cast aside all personality? Was it enough for Maharaj to advise seekers to allow the inner Guru to destroy the perverted personality?
Obviously not since he initially predicted that “only 1 in 100,000 will ever reach this understanding”; later modified to “only 1 in 1,000,000”; and eventually changed to a final guesstimate of “only 1 in 10,000,000.”
With such poor odds in place, merely to suggest that persons should be free of the influence of personality / personalities or they should simply stop being driven by the subconscious agendas of personalities which control and govern and affect and ultimately determine unconsciously every thought that is thought and every word that is spoken and every action that is taken of humans can be seen to have most assuredly not been enough.
Again, if one does not understand the way that personality is never an “asset”; and if one does not understand that personality leads in every case to the manifestation of personality disorders and that personality disorders lead to neuroses and psychoses and insane thoughts and insane talk and insane behaviors; and if one does not understand exactly what the specific consequences are of each personality disorder, then why would one even consider (much less act upon) the sages' advice regarding personality or Maharaj’s advice regarding personality?
Obviously, most have never heard and will never hear such advice, and based in Maharaj’s guesstimates, even those who do hear the advice have not acted upon it in any significant numbers.
Here, therefore, more information about personality and its consequences is shared in order to provide facts about why personality must be discarded if realization (simply meaning “being freed form ignorance,” according to Maharaj) is to happen. So, to continue:
Today’s post is excerpted from CHAPTER FIFTEEN of the book "The Child Ignorance Stage" or "The Child No-Knowing State," that chapter entitled, “The Bi-Polar (Manic-Depressive) Personality Disorder, the Antisocial or Sociopathic or Pathological Personality Disorder, the Cyclothymic Personality Disorder, the Dissociative Personality Disorder, the Dependent Personality Disorder, and the Self-Defeating Personality Disorder”:
To support the request by Realized teachers for seekers to return to "The Child Ignorance Stage" or the "Child No-Knowing State," a discussion of some of the most common personality disorders that manifest among those who have not returned to "The Child Ignorance Stage" or the "Child No-Knowing State" is being offered.
These personality disorders are being discussed in order to (a) understand the role that personality plays in all of the relative "issues and problems and conflicts" that arise and to (b) show why sages for thousands of years have invited all to be free of personality assumption. So, what are some of the other common disorders that manifest among those who have not returned to "The Child Ignorance Stage" or the "Child No-Knowing State"?
THE BI-POLAR (MANIC-DEPRESSIVE) PERSONALITY DISORDER
The Bi-Polar (formerly Manic-Depressive) Personality Disorder is a disorder characterized by dramatic mood swings. The mood swings can alternate from major depression or clinical depression to mania or extreme elation. In the mania phase, there can be sleeplessness - sometimes for days - along with hallucinations, psychosis, grandiose delusions, and / or paranoid rage; thus, distortions of perception and impairment in social functioning manifest.
Both the Bi-Polar Personality Disorder and the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder often manifest along with the Addictive Personality Disorder, but the most popular treatment options for addiction never really address any of those three disorders which are actually at the root of addiction.
THE ANTISOCIAL OR SOCIOPATHIC OR PATHOLOGICAL PERSONALITY DISORDER
Sociopaths are just one of the many unnatural results of personality assumption in the relative existence. The Antisocial or Sociopathic or Pathological Personality Disorder inspires a disregard for the law, for the rights of others, and for the feelings of others; results in people being controlling, brutal, and even pathological and drives persons with this personality disorder to be unstable - able to rage one moment and appear to be charming the next (depending on what suits their purpose).
Most display criminal tendencies of one degree or another without remorse for their victims. In many cultures that focus on financial gain and that applaud economic status, sociopaths can be the captains of industry and can be well-respected.
Most significantly, the majority of sociopaths are out and about and functioning every day in their societies. Most persons have contact with many sociopaths every day without even knowing that they are dealing with sociopaths who are strapped with what is called here, "malignant narcissism."
THE CYCLOTHYMIC PERSONALITY DISORDER
The Cyclothymic Personality Disorder is akin to - but milder than - the Bipolar Personality Disorder. Sufferers are very unstable in terms of moods; very unpredictable; and exhibit regular mood swings (hourly, daily, monthly). Also, their mood swings often over a period of years can shift from mild depression to mild elation or to exhilaration or even to a sense of euphoria.
The disorder often appears in families along with major depression and the Bipolar Personality Disorder, at least suggesting that these mood disorders might share similar causes and that the causes might be related to what is referred to on this site as "domestication" alongside family-and-community-of-origin programming and conditioning and - therefore - acculturation; the disorder has been seen in a significant number of cases to eventually develop into full-blown Bipolar Personality Disorder.
THE DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
Dissociative Identity Disorder (previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder) is a fairly common effect of severe trauma during early childhood, marked by usually extreme and repetitive physical, sexual, and / or emotional abuse. Unlike mild dissociation - such as daydreaming - this is a more severe disorder which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity.
In such cases, the person literally dissociates himself / herself from a situation or experience that is too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate consciously. Persons with this disorder often never developed coping skills or the ability to process psychologically.
THE DEPENDENT PERSONALITY DISORDER
The Dependent Personality Disorder can manifest as a psychological or emotional or financial dependence on others and an excessive need to be taken care of. It is often accompanied by a sense of arrogance and entitlement, egotistically believing that they are so special that they deserve to be taken care of by another or others.
To be taken care of, they can exhibit submissiveness and manipulation. They can cling to others and can display feelings of helplessness when alone. They can become preoccupied with fears of being abandoned and can appear to be loyal to caretakers, but that is about assuring a continuation of care so they do not have to work and provide for themselves. They often exhibit many of the same traits of those with the Addictive Personality Disorder.
SELF-DEFEATING PERSONALITY DISORDER
Those with the Self-Defeating Personality Disorder engage regularly in behaviors that undermine their own best interests.
THE KEY POINT
It might seem that if one were to understand the actual relative toll of the personalities that are assigned by family and cultures, persons would not rest until they had found freedom from living under the influence of personality. It might also seems that if one were to understand the relative toll of living under the influence of personalities they have assumed that, again, they would not rest until they had found freedom from living under the influence of personality.
Yet most will never understand the link between personality and all of the (relatively speaking) negative effects being shared herein. Most will never understand the link between the personality disorders that manifest alongside personality assumption; hence, the vast majority of persons around the globe will continue to suffer and be miserable as a result of their disorders and will also play a role in spreading suffering and misery, relatively speaking.
When persons are told that whatever ails them (including personality-generated disorders) can be healed by being more religious or by being more spiritual, then they will never receive the proper treatment for what really ails them. Maharaj came to understand that, and that is why he abandoned the use of a religious / non-dual version of the Ultimate Medicine and why he abandoned the use of a spiritual / non-dual version of the Ultimate Medicine and focused in the end on addressing the psychological / mind / mental roots of the Sickness.
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
[NOTE: The four most recent posts will follow. You may access all of the posts in this series and in the previous series and several thousand other posts as well by clicking on the links in the "Recent Posts and Archives" section.]
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