Can someone with NPD (Narcissistic personality disorder) become enlightened?

[Mongu9719]

@Leo Gura My mom is someone who has narcissistic personality disorder. Characteristics of someone with this psychological condition include grandiosity, obsession with controlling others, inability to handle criticism, extreme rage, and lack of boundaries. They will engage in devilry at every turn, because they are the living embodiment of the devil. NPD is usually a result of a lack of self-love. Someone with NPD is actually self-loathing deep down which manifests as self-obsession. Upon learning about enlightenment I initially came to the conclusion that someone with NPD is just someone with an extremely dense ego. I always thought that the mirror of someone with NPD was an enlightened individual. That the ego and the egoless self appear identical but are actually opposites. Yet, there is nothing that precludes someone who has NPD to become enlightened. Additionally it seems like many spiritual gurus end up abusing their followers, so becoming enlightened does not prevent egoic behaviours. This has made me question awakening and it’s relationship to the ego. It doesn’t seem so clear cut as I had previously assumed.  Leo always said that those who are more concious are generally better people, but the shadow of a spiritual guru can still remain which leads to abuse. The problem with someone that has NPD is that there is nothing but pure ego. The shadow is just as large as the ego, because the narcissist will deny EVERY single instance of abuse and justify it with a lie instantaneously. There is no remorse. Their ego is so dense and their delusion so thick that they actually believe their own lies! It is both incredible and terrifying to witness in person.  Their ego is million times more dense than a normal individual. They are the antithesis of Truth. Awakening is an impossibility for them on a practical level. Does that mean someone with NPD could never awaken,theoretically, because they would be too scared to detach from their ego? Or would their narcissistic behaviour still persist even if they did become enlightened, because the shadow (which is as large as their ego), would still remain?

Edited February 29, 2020 by Mongu9719

[Gili Trawangan]

I fell for an NPD woman at a certain point and the lies, the gaslighting and the abuse got to a point of destroying my (strong) ego. It was the beginning of my 'return to God', so to speak, and I'm so thankful for that.

I remember thinking about whether she would ever find this peace, and ultimately there are no rules and anything is possible, but it must be a hell of a challenge precisely because truth doesn't mean much to someone like this. I used to blame her, but now I have a lot of compassion for her, there's probably a lot of suffering going on.

Who knows, right?

[Mongu9719]

@Gili Trawangan wow. I had the same experience. I got mentally obliterated and psychologically broken down by my narcissist. The only way out of the suffering was spirituality. That’s how I discovered Leo and this forum. I used to hold a lot of hatred for her but now I see how sad and petty her life is. Yet I will feel great relief when she is gone. The strange part about my narcissist is that she is obsessed with Sadhguru, who is a pretty enlightened individual. It’s weird because she is the complete opposite of someone like him. I’ve also come to the conclusion that she could never become enlightened or if she did, she would go crazy. It seems like everything a narcissist stands for opposes The Truth. They are the living embodiment of the devil. It is deep in the marrow of who they are. 

[wavydude]

No, no person can ever become enlightened. Enlightenment is seeing through the person.