Apparent Madness & Hidden Wisdom
At the end of the preceding chapter we alluded to certain rather extraordinary ways of acting that, depending on the case, can proceed from the most diverse causes. It is true that in general they always imply that the outer action in envisaged otherwise than it is by the majority of men, and that the action in and of itself is then not accorded the importance that would usually be attributed to it; but this requires a number of further distinctions. First of all, let us make clear that detachment regarding action (of which we spoke in connection with 'non-action') is above all a perfect indifference to the results one might obtain thereby, since, whatever these results may be, they can no longer really affect the being that has reached the center of the 'cosmic wheel'. Moreover, it is evident that such a being will never act out of a need to act, and if for any reason he must act-all the while fully conscious that his action has a merely contingent appearance, illusory as such from his own point of view, though not of course from that of its witnesses-he will necessarily not accomplish it in a way that differs outwardly from that of other men, unless there be particular motives for doing so in certain determinate cases. We can easily understand that this is entirely different from the attitude of Quietists and other 'irregular' mystics, who claim that action is unimportant (even though they are nowhere near the point where it appears as purely illusory) and therein discover a pretext for doing anything at all indiscriminately, following the impulses of the instinctive or 'subconscious' part of their being. Obviously, this risks leading to all kinds of abuses, disorders, and deviations, which at the very least pose the grave danger
of allowing inferior possibilities to develop freely and without control, for the effort to overcome them is incompatible with the extreme passivity characteristic of this type of mystic.
One could also ask to what extent the indifference displayed in such cases is indeed genuine (and whether it can really be so for someone who has not reached the center, and been effectively freed by that fact from all 'peripheral' contingencies), for we sometimes see these same mystics given to perfectly deliberate extravagances; thus the Quietists properly speaking, namely those of the late seventeenth century, formed an association called 'Holy Childhood', in which they diligently imitated childish behavior and speech, their intention being to implement as literally as possible the Gospel precept of 'becoming like little children.' This is truly the 'letter that killeth', and it is surprising that a man like Fénelon was not reluctant to lend himself to such a parody-one is hardly able to describe it in any other way, as this imitation of children by adults is inevitably artificial and strained, and therefore something of a caricature. In any case, this simulation (for such it was) could hardly be reconciled with the quietest conception according to which it is necessary to keep consciousness separate from action, and therefore never prefer one mode of action to another. We do not mean to deny that a certain simulation, even of madness (which after all does not differ overmuch in appearance from the follies of childhood), may sometimes be justified, even in simple mystics; but this justification is possible only on the condition that one adopts a point of view completely different from that of quietism. We are thinking especially of certain cases frequently encountered in Eastern forms of Christianity where, it is worth noting, mysticism itself has not quite the same meaning as in the West. Indeed, 'Eastern hagiography' has some strange and unusual paths to sanctification, like that of the 'fools in Christ', whose extravagant acts are meant to hide their spiritual gifts from the eyes of onlookers under the shocking appearance of madness; or, rather, are meant to free them from the bonds of this world in their most intimate and most spiritually troublesome expression, that of the 'social ego.' [1] This appearance of
madness can be an effective means, although not the only one, of escaping all indiscreet curiosity as well as any social obligations not really compatible with spiritual development; but it is important to note that this involves assuming an attitude toward the outer world that constitutes a kind of 'defense' against the latter, and not, as with the Quietists, a means that by itself leads to the acquisition of certain inner states. We must add that such a simulation is rather dangerous, for it can easily progress step by step toward genuine madness, especially in the mystic, who by definition is never entirely the master of his states; moreover, between mere simulation and actual madness there can be numerous degrees of rather marked disequilibrium, and any disequilibrium is necessarily an obstacle which, as long as it continues to exist, oppresses the harmonious and complete development of the higher possibilities of the being.
This leads us to consider another case, outwardly quite similar to the previous one even though it differs greatly from it in several fundamental respects: this is the case of the majàdhib, who indeed present themselves under an extravagant aspect very reminiscent of the just mentioned 'fools in Christ', but here it is no longer a case of simulation, or of mysticism, although it can very easily give the illusion of such to an outside observer. The majdhiub normally belongs to a tariqah, and consequently has followed an initiatic path, at least through its early stages (and such a path, as we have often remarked, is incompatible with mysticism); at a certain moment however he is overwhelmed from the spiritual side by an 'attraction' (jadlib, whence the name majdhiub), which, for lack of adequate preparation and a sufficiently 'active' attitude, causes a disequilibrium, a sort of 'scission' as it were, among the different elements of his being. The higher part, instead of carrying the lower part with it, so that the latter might participate insofar as possible in its development, on the contrary detaches itself and leaves the latter behind, [2] so to speak, which can only result in a fragmentary and somewhat disjointed realization. Indeed, from the point of view of a complete
and normal realization, no element of the being is really unimportant, not even those which, belonging to a lower order, must thereby be considered to have a lesser reality (though not as having no reality at all); one need only know how to keep each thing in its proper place at all times within the hierarchy of the degrees of existence, something equally true of outward action, which is only the activity proper to certain of these elements. Through the failure to 'unify' his being, the majdhüb 'loses his footing' and becomes as if 'outside himself'; this is so because he is no longer the master of his states, which is the only respect in which he can be compared to the mystic; and though he may in reality be neither madman nor shammer (this latter term not necessarily having a pejorative sense here, as should already be evident from the preceding), he nonetheless often presents the appearance of madness. [3] In regard to the initiatic path, all of this is unquestionably a deviation, as is also the case, though of a somewhat different type, with those who produce more or less extraordinary 'phenomena', such as those one encounters notably in India; and, in addition to the fact that these cases have in common that spiritual development can never reach its perfection in them, we will presently discover still another reason for comparing them.
Our preceding remarks naturally apply to the true majädhib, but there may also be false majädhib, who intentionally take on the appearance of the former without really being so, which is why there is good reason to give the utmost attention to recognizing the essential distinctions involved, for this simulation can be of two entirely opposite kinds. On the one hand, there are the common shammers, whom one could also call 'counterfeiters', who profit in passing themselves off as majädhib in order to lead a sort of 'parasitic' existence; these are obviously not of the slightest interest, being simple beggars who, like all false cripples and other simulators of this kind, show a certain special skill in the plying of their trade. On the other hand, it can also happen that a man who has attained a high degree of spiritual development conceals himself among the majädhib; this he does for various reasons, but above all to pass
unn noticed and unrecognized by the crowd for what he truly is; even a walt [a Sufi saint], in his relations with the outer world (relations whose nature and motives necessarily escape the appreciation of ordinary men), may sometimes also take on the appearance of a mifdhib. Nonetheless, except for their intention to remain hidden, such persons cannot be compared to the 'fools in Christ', who have not reached such a state and are only mystics of a particular type; and it goes without saying that the dangers we have stressed in this regard do not in the least exist here, since it is a case of beings whose real state can no longer be affected by these outward manifestations.
We must now point out that the same thing occurs with those producers of 'phenomena' to whom we alluded above, which leads directly to the case of 'jugglers', whose behavior has so often served in all traditional forms as a 'disguise' for initiates of high rank, especially when they had to fulfill some special worldly 'mission'. By 'juggler' we must not understand only a kind of 'conjurer', in accord with the very restricted meaning given this word by moderns, for from our vantage point the man who exhibits the most authentic psychic 'phenomena' belongs to exactly the same category, the juggler being one who amuses a crowd by accomplishing remarkable things, or even by simply affecting extravagant behavior. [4] This is how he was understood in the Middle Ages, when the juggler was thereby identified with the jester; moreover, we know that the jester was also called 'mad' (though he was not), which shows the rather close linkages among the various cases we have just described. If we should add that the juggler, as well as the majdhüb, is usually a 'wanderer', it becomes easy to understand the advantages offered by this role when for reasons of simple expediency, or for other much more profound reasons, one wishes to escape the attention of the profane or to divert it from that of which they should remain ignorant. [5] Indeed, madness-as the extreme opposite of wisdom-is
one of the most impenetrable masks with which this latter can cover itself; that is why, in Taoism, when the 'Immortals' manifest themselves in our world, they are always described under a somewhat extravagant and even ridiculous aspect, not free even from a certain 'vulgarity'; but this last trait relates to yet another aspect of the matter.