Message #17032

[Jitendra Hydonus]

As I was saying... often we witness this in others and can understand and describe the mental turmoil they are subject to. Mental illness can often be found in spiritual aspirants as well. Perhaps this is because states of altered awareness are common in spiritual as well as mental derangement. Experiences of this nature may not coincide with the spiritual maturity to integrate these experiences into social life.

As a result we witness bipolar states, substance abuse, boderline personality disorder, passive aggressive behavior, obsessive compulsive expressions and sometimes various forms of psychosis. Often these people live in various degrees of sheltered existance so they are found in spiritual groups and around spiritual aspirants. It is important to recognize this if you are involved in meditation groups and monastic settings because it may go unnoticed until you are faced with various quirks arising from interpersonal relationships that manifest when stress is a factor in decision making and cooperation with others.

People who would like to help and serve spiritually speaking will ultimately face this issue and may find they are a magnet for people who have psychological challenges. Being a healer can also bring fall-outs in personal relationships when expectations are not met in the minds of those suffering such turmoil. At these critical junctures in relationships you find that suddenly someone will break-off a relationship or react in very parculiar ways because of the mental attitudes i have described.

Also it is not easy to always assess to what degree we can help without taking on some of the darkness that surrounds those who are suffering. I say this because I have encountered many people who recognize the importance of spiritual life but nevertheless are mentally not prepared to face stressful challenges that face their lives. Being ill-equipped to face the world and interpersonal challenges; their reactions manifest as various forms of mental illness despite the fact they have a basic understanding of spiritual principles. The ability to have introspection and find viable solutions seems at times non existent or severely limited.

During the 'Dark Ages' terms like evil spirits were used to describe such states. Nowadays you here of people using the word 'darkness' in people who have 'issues'. Psychologists use demystifying descriptions and use labels that describe various behavioral manifestations that are reactions to environmental stimuli.The point is to recognize what is going on with others and to realize that often it has little or nothing to do with our own mental balance except perhaps to gain understanding and compassion for what we see happening in the world around us. We also can gain glimpses into ourselves by our own responses to these people and situations.