Bhante,
I have been contemplating your âDark Weekâ talk from last Friday. In fact, I felt so sick the whole night after the talk, being aware of the immensity of human darkness.
I know I keep making a label, naming, and calling Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov a Narcisist. I felt the tension and resistance in the room when I brought up that term âNarcissistâ for a highly respectable philosopher. From your talk, I am aware he lived a very good and ethical life; he seems to be gentle in his conduct, study and all of his altruistic ideals. It is unfair to call him a narcissist, as in the modern understanding of the word. But please hear me out! He ticked all the boxes of what a spiritual narcissist is. The Humanity Common Task is a huge red flag. It might just be another card on the grandiose scheme of a Narc. The difference between true divinity and human narcissistic nature is The Task! One has done the Path: the Blessed One. And one still yearns for The Task, aka Mister Fyodorov! Ironically, he loathes narcissistic individuals. I wonder if he has ever seen the Narc in himself, because if he truly sees his own Narc, he will have a lot of compassion for the Narc. He hasnât done the Task. 
I appreciate the forum guideline that taught me to attack the idea and not the person. Yet, the scale of harm done from his so-called âHumanity Common Taskâ shook me to my core at how attractive it is for all the later newbie narcissists who are destroying the world with their âvisionâ. And the scale of their vision results in a great deal of death and suffering. Maybe they can now all wait for the chance to be resurrected.
Philosophers can change the world. In the case of Mister Fyodorov, what has he done?
Also, I also wonder why Iâm wrong to say he is a Narc? Sometimes, a label actually works and can be useful. The patterns of human behaviours in history have repeated again and again, which is why we have archetypes. Iâm not just attacking his grandiose idea, I am struggling not to feel aversion toward him. How a person can live his whole life like a Sage, yetâŚhis ideology is the catastrophic blueprint for generations? If Bhante or someone please call me out for my shortcomings, I would really appreciate it.
Things we say behind closed doors: Christianity can be so arrogant (The Chosen One, Star Seeds, Godâs Chosen PeopleâŚetc) dressing up with a gentle smile and kind deeds. All of that peace just to carry out a massive delusion: that we need to save one another. Mahamana!
Last but not least, Iâm grateful for Dark Week and for your meticulous detective work. You are providing us with the opportunity and safe âspaceâ for ideas to be scrutinised.
Sumana, I listened to most of the Q&A. Was this from your first comment/question?
Of course, just listening to the audio, thereâs no way to sense any tension in the room â not really. So, I didnât!
Learning about Fyodorov from Bhante, on the basis of what he said I wouldnât have an issue classifying Fyodorov as a narcissist. That is, as weâre trying to reconcile our preconceived notions of spirituality with narcisstic grandiosity, I find it helpful to to lean on labels to understand broad patterns of human behavior. Narcissism is one of those.
In his talk, I see Bhante establishing Christianity as the seeding of the techbrosâ project. Well, I prefer to call it Pauline Christianity because I think thatâs where the conversion mandate originated. The mandate to convert is inextricably tied up with a quest for everlasting life. It all falls apart otherwise.
Interestingly, now Iâve learned of The Humanity Common Task which, apparently, Russian neocosmists are framing as Fyodorovâs as if he were living in 2026 in Silicon Valley. In this case, there is this mysterious (but not) blending of Russian mysticism, Pauline Christianity, Manifest Destiny, and Wanting to Never Die Through Everlasting Data Backups.
So, we should develop a Buddhist morality of (outer space) because the prevailing one is a narrative borne from the conversion mandate. But people wonât get a big Ted Talk audience here in the US if they talk this way. Because it props up all the American materialism.
For me, anything that clarifies and reduces confusion needs a voice. Including yours.
Thereâs certainly grandiosity to his ideas. But the use of clinical labels, while common in casual conversation, is really meant for people whose dysfunctionality is creating suffering for themselves and the people around them, so that they may be helped. By that standard, it would appear, he isnât narcissistic in a clinical sense. His ideas have turned out harmful, true, but thatâs not really a diagnostic criteria.
But thereâs definitely, in ordinary language terms, a narcissism to his grandiosity, which draws on the singularism found in the whole Abrahamaic tradition. That has definitely caused incredible harm ever since it was adopted.
Maybe, I was really just talking about Fyodorovâs own perception of his Christianity, which of course is Russian Orthodox, about which I know little.
I have limited time with mental health nursing practitioners, psychotherapists, social workers.
In their opinion and experience, oftentimes it can be the case that if a diagnostic label is applied, and which one(s), depends heavily on the experience and opinions of small groups of senior conultants along with the use of the diagnostic manual.
Some ideas, sometimes, in some contexts when expressed to treating proffessionals can easily be assessed as being a diagnostic criteria indicative of an underlying mental health condition.
With respect I disagree slightly; having strange, and potentially harmful ideas, plus the way they are expressed, have the very real potential to be considered a diagnostic criteria or a part thereof.
Sahdu
I think I was the 2nd or 3th person who asked the question that night.
Thank you, Beth! I really appreciate it! Your kind words eased my agony.
Thank you so much for your clarification, Bhante.
So there is a huge limitation in the field of abnormal human psychology. A psychiatrist has to be both clinically and spiritually astute, and thatâs a lot to ask for.
Right! And I find it ironic that those who managed to survive narcissistic abuse are deemed to be the ones who would recognise the âpatternâ very quickly. Yet they donât have the qualifications to back their lived experiences.
With reflection, my previous response did not adequetly apply to the contexts in the thread. I can see that my concluding categorical statement misses the mark.
Sorry!!
Oh well thanks for apologizing.
I think the point here is that things may be symptoms, just as âtirednessâ might be a symptom. But sometimes you just need some sleep! Medical experts take stock of all relevant symptoms in the context of the personâs life. In this particular case, while Fyodorov did indeed have a very eccentric life, he was also astonishingly well-regarded, and universally praised for his humility and kindness.
He was a librarian, and it was said that when an expert arrived to do deep research in his own field, Fyodorov was able to locate obscure references that even the expert did not know. He had apparently read all the books in his library!
Anyway, while weâre on the topic, a good article in the Guardian today:
This could be a trait of his desire and obsession. I remembered in one of your Dhamma talks, you said: âWe built empires upon empires with our 5 hindrancesâ.
Itâs not a difficult task to read all the books in the library if one were obsessive about something. Perhaps, we could see having blinkers on a racing horse is similar to having the âCommon Taskâ ahead. So no, I am not impressed by him reading all the books in his library nor his humility nor his high-regard âimageâ.
We are so conditioned in a culture that celebrates knowledge and expertise. Sometimes, we lose track of what is really important. A little bit like Elon Musk, one canât deny he is strong will and he leaves no lag time between project and ambition.
A personal story: My younger half-brother was a huge fan of Elon Musk. So my father bought him a Tesla car when Tesla electric cars were very new on the market. When I visited my brother in LA, he was very happy driving me around in his new car. For me, it was a fun and new experience until I saw the âHAL-9000â Easter Egg interface in his car. I was completely spooked when I saw that âHAL-9000â eye. I thought to myself: âWho was the idiot that would put a symbol of âmachine killing humanâ into a car?â I became an Elon Musk sceptic ever since. No one would listen to my intuition about Elon Musk because he is just so brilliant. But I know some of my Dhamma friends would!
Maybe we can listen to this song again.
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do!
Iâm half crazy, all for the love of you!
It wonât be a stylish marriage,
I canât afford a carriage,
But youâll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
Perhaps this is more relevant.
Excellent article. Greed, hatred and delusion is a lot!
Apparently the new lot of satellites Musk wants to launch will only be visible at dawn and dusk. I donât know if this is really a consolation. Ruining one of earthâs most beautiful times.
I like living on Earth. Itâs comfy.
If we aimed to be just half as good
as one of the earthâs mistakes,
we could turn so much around.
Our living would be seed, the future would have roots.
We would cast nothing from the garden of itself.
and we would make the thorns proud.
-Andrea Gibson
