Self Beyond Psychology

Swami Paramananda

Description

Swami Paramananda, an enlightened mystic, has once more met the challenge of bridging the gap between science and spirituality. In his 30th book, The Self Beyond Psychology, he has not only brilliantly exposed the limitations of psychology, but also revealed the true nature of the self, which so far has proved to be beyond its scope. As he so rightly states, "Psychology, which boasts of being a science of human behaviour, has, like mainstream science, failed to understand the fundamental nature of man." The reader will be marvelled to travel in the inner universe, far beyond the limits of contemporary psychology, to probe into the mystery of the self, skilfully revealed by the light of wisdom of Swamiji. From this novel standpoint, humanity will no doubt be empowered with the precious knowledge it so badly needs to free itself from the quagmire of confusion and ignorance in which it is presently enmeshed. This laudable endeavour of Swami Paramananda indeed provides a true holistic understanding of human nature in contrast with the fragmentary and partial understanding of mainstream science and psychology.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• Psychology

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 juin 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528966313
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Self Beyond Psychology
Swami Paramananda
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-06-30
The Self Beyond Psychology About The Author Copyright Information © Acknowledgements Introduction The Most Fundamental Question: “Who Am I?” The Concept of Self in Psychology and Science The Social Self Freud’s Definition of Self The Concept of Self of Jung and James Self-Actualisation and Self-Realisation The Concept of Self in Major Religions Christianity Islam Judaism Buddhism Hinduism Ekoham Bahusyam, when the One becomes many The Five Sheaths or Panch Koshas Annamaya Kosha (Food Sheath) Pranmaya Kosha (Vital Air Sheath) Manomaya Kosha (Mental Sheath) Vijnanamaya Kosha (Intellectual Sheath) Anandamaya Kosha (Bliss Sheath) The Atma – Beyond the Five Koshas My Vision of the Self The Self as a Process From Tabula Rasa to Nirvana Zorba-Buddha and Caesar-Jesus Multiple Selves or Personalities Human Self, Shadow Self and Divine Self Does the Self Have Free Will? The Gifts of Free Will and Freedom The Seven Diseases of the Human Mind Subjectivity, Objectivity and Beyond Self-Love: The Beginning of a Cosmic Love Affair From Narcissism to Cosmic Self List of books authored by Swami Paramananda
About The Author


Swami Paramananda is a unique meditation master with an unparalleled track record. Having reached the peak of human consciousness or Nirvana in his early twenties, he has dedicated his life for the uplift of humanity through mind transformation. With the base for a better society being the individual, Swamiji lays emphasis on individual transformation.
An excellent guide to spiritual seekers of all walks of life, Swamiji has given a new dimension to the science of meditation. His profound and perennial call to humanity is ‘Know Thyself’ – a nearly impossible task without the guidance of an enlightened master. Thousands of seekers in different parts of the world have benefitted from his meditation techniques, therapies, discourses, meditation sessions, writings and speeches at conferences.
Swami Paramananda uses his prolific writing skill to reach out to seekers throughout the world and share his teachings, insights and mystical experiences. He has authored 32 books on a wide range of subjects and participated in several international conferences.
Copyright Information ©
Swami Paramananda (2020)
The right of Swami Paramananda to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This book is for general information purposes and nothing contained in it is, or is intended to be construed as advice. It does not take into account your individual health, medical, physical or emotional situation or needs. It is not a substitute for medical attention, treatment, examination, advice, treatment of existing conditions or diagnosis and is not intended to provide a clinical diagnosis nor take the place of proper medical advice from a fully qualified medical practitioner.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528930437 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528966313 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgements
Thanks to:
The whole Austin Macaulay team for their kind consideration and trusting me to publish this book.
My disciples who have edited and contributed in one way or the other, and
My beloved wife Laleeta, for her support and love.
Introduction
T oday’s society is a consequence of self-ignorance. Who we are, why we are, whither we come, where we are heading − these are the most fundamental questions of life. Great thinkers have pondered much on them, but most of them have got only words. Words are words, they are not answers. In each era, only a few individuals have been able to solve this mysterious puzzle called a human being. Yes, I call a man a puzzle. He is a puzzle unto himself; he is self-ignorant.
In the past centuries, humans have gained exponentially in knowledge in the scientific domain. Science has almost done miracles. Here I am thinking of the developments in technology, artificial intelligence, medicine and space exploration amongst others. We have landed on the moon and are planning to go to Mars. We have a vast amount of knowledge in a wide range of fields and about the universe. We have even cloned animals and are in the way to clone people if we have not already done so by the time I am writing this book. Who knows?
The biomedical science has made giant leaps in neurology, surgery, anatomy, healthcare and other spheres, yet with a brain like ours, we have not been able to answer the above-mentioned questions, nor have we been able to solve the conflicts and confusions prevailing in our so-called modern society. Psychology, which boasts of being a science of human behaviour, has, like mainstream science, failed to understand the fundamental nature of man.
Modern society is mostly a product of the western mind, which is incomplete, essentially male and a product of the left brain. It lacks the features of the female or the capability of the right brain. The western mind is materialistic, scientific and philosophical. It has missed pure religion or spirituality. Masculinity has always dominated the world, while femininity has been considered a weakness. Not only the right brain has been deprived of prominence, but it also has not been given an opportunity to develop.
Though things are changing, we are still very far from delving into the fundamental questions of life. Only religion can do that. However, I should quickly add that by religion, I do not mean what people commonly call religions − these are distorted versions of true religion. For me, true religion is pure art and science, not philosophy, belief systems or blind practices.
Femininity has been exploited, oppressed, dominated and repressed; so has religion. When Aragon said, “The future of man is the woman,” he pointed to something tremendously beautiful and great, but not in the sense understood by most people. He was consciously or unconsciously referring to femininity, not merely to women. Only religion represents true femininity, whose qualities are love, worship, prayer, meditation, poetry, dance and music.
For science, human life starts with the meeting of the sperm and the ovum and ends at death. This is a fundamental error. Humans are reduced to a pack of chemicals, a material body, a genetic programme meant to multiply and propagate. Psychology, the science dealing with the concept of the self, has a very shallow and materialist approach. Fortunately, we have the science of spirituality to prove that human beings are infinitely much more than a physical body with a brain that decides everything.
This book delves into the concept of the self based on experience and research in the fields of science, psychology and religion. It explores topics such as the psyche, the soul, the different layers of our being, the mind, psychology’s concept of self, the perspectives of different religions, my own experience and that of past buddhas.
I invite you to the journey into life’s greatest adventure of self-discovery from a spiritual perspective. “Know that by knowing which all else gets known!” proclaim the Upanishads.
The Most Fundamental Question: “Who Am I?”
S ociety is a vast conglomeration of people, each unique in many respects. We have men, women and children, young and old, rich and poor, healthy and sick, religious and non-religious, illiterate and educated, scientists and laypeople, and so on. Each individual in each group has a specific behaviour based on various factors such as character, the perception of life, upbringing, environment and socio-economic conditions. All these are very much visible in our society.
Not much intelligence and observation is required to see that we live in an extremely mad, sick, barbarous and dangerous society. The human being is as if seated on a branch which he is himself cutting. Both will eventually fall. The person may get seriously injured or even die, yet he is hell-bent on cutting the branch. Is our society not going towards annihilation with climate change, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, drugs, wars, violence, pollution, the disparity between rich and poor, and the destruction of our green spaces?
What kind of creature are we? Or should I rather ask: what kind of selves are we? Man is the only creature that destroys his own habitat. And do you, dear reader, know the origin of this crazy behaviour of ours? Self-ignorance. Yes, self-ignorance, and not only that but also our limited and blurred perception of reality.
Curious by nature, human beings ask many questions, some out of mere curiosity, others for knowledge. Only a few ask questions to then experience the answer, not for mere knowledge. Among the hosts of questions that arise in us, there is one which I consider to be most fundamental: who am I? I think this question must have come to almost every one of us at least once during the course of our life.
Such a question is considered philosophical and has even given birth to various concepts. However, it is more than a curiosity or philosophical matter. It is a deep thirst for self-knowledge. It is part of existence in search of itself. Unfortunately, in today’s society, we have no school that deals with such a fundamental question. In fact, our environment does not encourage us to search for an answer.
Materialists and psychologi