Ramakrishna, enlightenment and mental illness
Sri Ramakrisha is one of my spiritual heroes. But I can’t help but wonder, if he was around today - and especially if he lived in the Western world - how would society receive him? I am bipolar and have suffered manic episodes in my life and I can certainly see parallels between some of his actions and the kinds of actions and thoughts I have when unwell. (Don’t think that I’m comparing myself to him - I would never.)
I just wonder about some of his more extreme behaviours, his constantly hearing God’s voice in his head, his fits, his falling into spells of depression, and I can’t help but think that he would be misunderstood today. Perhaps he would have been diagnosed as mentally ill. It’s a shame, because he was absolutely ahead of his time and clearly a brilliant soul.
I do often wonder about the blurred line between spiritual awakening and mental instability… What are your thoughts on this?