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Jo-self
USA
225 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 12:20:54 AM
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I had a thought a few months ago. I was thinking that maybe the strange behavior and stories about these great gurus and sages were really about people who were just suffering from mental illness, dementia, and other maladies. Meher Baba used to tend to people he called "Musts", those so far into unity that they were non-functioning. Maybe they were just nuts, too much yogic effort. The culture just interpreted them in a certain way.
If you ever spend time visiting people at nursing homes you see familiar behavior and even see some "positive" qualities like living in the Now. Yea, some live in the Now alright, they don't remember anything! Some contort and others talk to invisible people or are like babies. Sounds like tales of the esoteric forest.
Ah, just a dumb thought. Forget it. Obviously some were plain ole disturbed and partially. But, they used quirky behavior to show the truth.
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1553 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2010 : 03:22:40 AM
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Well, the whole point is to be out of your mind !! 
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Jo-self
USA
225 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 6:20:54 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by SeySorciere
Well, the whole point is to be out of your mind !!
Then we have many many many modern sages already!  |
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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2010 : 9:50:23 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Jo-self
I had a thought a few months ago. I was thinking that maybe the strange behavior and stories about these great gurus and sages were really about people who were just suffering from mental illness, dementia, and other maladies. Meher Baba used to tend to people he called "Musts", those so far into unity that they were non-functioning. Maybe they were just nuts, too much yogic effort. The culture just interpreted them in a certain way.
If you ever spend time visiting people at nursing homes you see familiar behavior and even see some "positive" qualities like living in the Now. Yea, some live in the Now alright, they don't remember anything! Some contort and others talk to invisible people or are like babies. Sounds like tales of the esoteric forest.
Ah, just a dumb thought. Forget it. Obviously some were plain ole disturbed and partially. But, they used quirky behavior to show the truth.
Ultimately, I guess it depends who you're talking about, sage-wise.
For instance, sages like Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharshi both did and said some strange things, especially by today's standard / "Western" standards (strangeness is 100% in the eye of the beholder/ eye of the culture) ... but ... like some of the "also-strange" Christian Mystics .. when you read their statements about consciousness/realization ... many of them are utterly lucid, clear and clearly speaking from experience.
And so, "just FYI". (A good benchmark is, I would say "world-rocking clarity in expositing realized consciousness" ... is probably a decent indicator of not being "just nuts" ... even if one's behavior is a bit ... unconventional ... at times.
Wholeheartedly,
Kirtanman
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Edited by - Kirtanman on May 10 2010 9:51:13 PM |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2010 : 06:56:05 AM
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When you are inside a room looking out it appears light. When you are outside a room looking in it appears dark.
Neither the room or you have changed, yet something changes. |
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Jo-self
USA
225 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2010 : 10:53:41 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Kirtanman
Ultimately, I guess it depends who you're talking about, sage-wise.
....
And so, "just FYI". (A good benchmark is, I would say "world-rocking clarity in expositing realized consciousness" ... is probably a decent indicator of not being "just nuts" ... even if one's behavior is a bit ... unconventional ... at times.
I see what you mean. I was thinking though more radically. Some sages acted strange, like living on piles of excrement "as teaching device", and I thought, maybe this is just the extreme case of a type of mental illness that is usually kept in check or, since lifespan was so short before, rarely seen. It could even be viral or a prion disease. Maybe Shakipat is just like passing the flu. Only one in a million are susceptible.
I know this is not the case. It would make a cool novel.
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Jo-self
USA
225 Posts |
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Were most sages really just nuts?
