How can you be sure enlightenment isn't just a mental illness?

[Chives99]

Our entire perception of reality is determined by the brain, if we encounter brain damage, then we can't function properly,people with disorders such as dissociative identity disorder have an alternate perception of reality , they think that what they are is many personalities all living in their head. How can we be sure that no identity isn't just a brain disorder and that what we are supposed to be is the identity that we associate with?

Edited April 12, 2018 by Chives99

[robdl]

Have you seen teachers like Adyashanti or Mooji interact with others?  They're completely sane, intelligent, sensible people -- no indication whatsoever of disorder despite having transcended their egoic identity.

[YaNanNallari]

Some ego still remains. It's like reduced ego and becoming aware of it

[Joseph Maynor]

You’ll learn about this best by just walking the path and having shifts yourself.  The proof is in the pudding with enlightenment.  Without the experiences, it’s easy to cast doubt on enlightenment.  You gotta see for yourself.

[Ether]

Yes, I havent awakened but i do feel crazy...

 

calm.

[Key Elements]

This is actually a very good question. They say that in enlightenment, everything is "you," and everything is one. When you walk past a homeless person, do you feel like helping him in some way? Most ppl will answer yes. But, why? Can you understand this in a very deep way? Why are you and the homeless person "one?" This is the difference between mental illness and enlightenment. If the person is not mentally ill, he is still aware of the present moment (the maya). In enlightenment, the "oneness," the "Absolute Infinity," still goes back to the ego ("self"), and not get stuck in some other dimension (illusion).

[Prabhaker]

On 4/13/2018 at 4:32 AM, Chives99 said:

How can you be sure enlightenment isn't just a mental illness?

It is better to be mad in a divine way than to be sane in a human way.

[Leo Gura]

On 4/12/2018 at 1:02 PM, Chives99 said:

Our entire perception of reality is determined by the brain

If that's true, how can you be sure you're not insane right now?

Have you forgotten that THIS experience of reality you're having right now is determined by the brain? What if your brain is functioning ignorantly RIGHT NOW!?

Hint: It is! You are mentally ill and you don't even know it. Your mental illness is otherwise known as materialism. Of course the whole trick with being afflicted with this illness is that you deny that you have it

So take your own advice. The problem isn't that you're being too skeptical here, but that you're not being skeptical enough! You are blindly accepting your default level of consciousness. Which is a massive epistemic blunder.

[Guest Quanty]

There are 2:

1. Natural Way or the so called enlightenment.

2. The other 99% of people around (sane and insane).

 

So to respond to your affirmation: Sane in this society is a controlled and accepted mental illness. The so called mental illnesses in society are blockages within the body/mind to a different degree as the accepted "sane". Enlightenment is realizing the blockages and growing backwards, from a atrophied state of body/mind to a natural flow. 

 

 

 

<3

[Erlend K]

Dissociation/depersonalization is often called the evil twin of enlightenment. In more traditional Buddhist terminology you could call it the near enemy of liberation. It is a risk that anyone on this path should take very seriously, and a topic that is much discussed on the buddhist forums I frequent. If you want to learn more about this just do a quick google search for "depersonalization + enlighenment".

[Faceless]

Enlightened being implies order/harmony. 

You will know. Unless there is disorder/disharmony. 

[Bobby]

Cause the insights u have r very logical.

[tsuki]

@Chives99 Mental illness is a social institution. Mentally ill people are ones that have no way of expressing their worldview that is translatable to other people's experience. Things that are completely normal now would get you killed not as long as 200 years ago. Things that will get you killed now will be perfectly normal in 200 years.

Mental illness is a socially regulated way of trimming irregularities among consciousness of different people. Sanity is a limiting factor of your growth.

On 13.04.2018 at 1:02 AM, Chives99 said:

people with disorders such as dissociative identity disorder have an alternate perception of reality , they think that what they are is many personalities all living in their head

If you become aware enough, you will be able to tell that any personality is a mashup of different people treating you in a certain way in your past. Insanity of people with multiple personalities is not originated in construction of their psyche, but their inability to cope with social norm of being unified. They are insane because they are honest about their experience and expect understanding of dishonest/unaware people. 

There is a reason why gurus don't talk about their deep experiences on late-night shows on TV. They are sane because they understand that they will not be understood.

Edited April 16, 2018 by tsuki