Inquirer re the topic of Enlightenment Sickness: “It seems pretty common. If you had a student like this, what would you prescribe as a corrective? Or would you just let it sort itself out?”
James: I get them regularly. Here is a copy of an email I sent out today to a Vedanta teacher.
Listening, the basic stage of Vedanta, is difficult, but reflecting on what you have heard is more difficult. Had you heard Kena Upanishad, particularly Chapter 2, and done proper reflection (manana) you would not have reacted so strongly to the idea that you had Enlightenment Sickness. Everyone gets Enlightenment Sickness (ES). That’s why there is an Upanishad on the topic.
Even the people who won’t claim their identity as the Self (claiming is explained in Chapter 1 of the Kena Upanishad) for fear of ES have it because ironically you need to claim that you are the Self (to yourself) to transfer your identity to the Self, not proclaim it to others. If you proclaim it to those who have properly completed the three stages of Vedanta practice (sravana, manana and nididyasana) they will probably find it amusing because what else could you be? There is only one Self. Non-dual means no second thing.
But if you proclaim your identity as the Self to entry-level people who are not ready to see a teacher as anything other than the body speaking in front of them, you will only confuse them. This is why the Bhagavad Gita says, “Let not the wise unsettle the minds of the ignorant.” Because we are all born in duality, meaning ignorant of our unborn whole and complete nature, the duality filter persists until death in most people. It is absurd to think that novice seekers (or even more more advanced inquirers) are going to get a complete understanding of the topic.
It won’t sort itself out. The claiming ego has too much invested in it, particularly if they are ambitious and attract people. Somebody who has assimilated the Upanishad, which is just common-sense knowledge, needs to inform them.
