CONSCIOUSNESS Explained by Indian Psychology - by R.Manoj Clinical Psychologist Psychotherapist and Counselor Chennai

 

CONSCIOUSNESS

 

One of the major contributions of Indian psychological thoughts is its description of consciousness. Understanding the states of consciousness which has been given high priority in most of the ancient Indian literature. While the western theories has limited its explanation of consciousness to just three states the conscious, the preconscious and the unconscious Indian system talks about the fourth state of super consciousness which is also experienced accidently in some human being and acquired by some through systematic consistent practice of various yogic systems and meditation.

 

According to Upanishad, consciousness (chaitanya) vests not in the body or the mind but in the self. Consciousness is an attribute of the pure self or the ultimate reality. Mandukya Upanishad explains four states of the consciousness,

1.    Visva, the waking state,

2.    Taijasa, the dream state,

3.    Prajria, the state of dreamless sleep

4.    State of spiritual consciousness which is of four types

Ø  The wat or transcendental state

Ø  The hiranyagarbha –the state of consciousness which creates and connects all things. The state that gives life to everything with or without form

Ø  The isvara- a state devoid of desires and bias

Ø  The brahman.- The consciousness of ideal universal self

 

Consciousness is not an attribute of mind but of the self, which illuminates both mind and body. The same consciousness acts at the individual level and is responsible for four marked states of the universe and of individuality. Actually, according to Upanishads, Brahmam is the state of absolute consciousness (cit). The Katha Upanishads declares: "The self conjoined with the sense-organs and mind (manas) is the experience (bhokta). The self is like a person seated in a chariot; the body is the chariot; intellectual (buddhi) is the driver; mind (manas) is the bridle, and the sense organs are the horses.

 

The self acquires consciousness in conjunction with the sense organs. The mind is unconscious but active. The self though omnipresent is conscious and becomes active in conjunction with the manas. The mind acts when the self, guides it.

 

The Carvakas rejected the concept of mind and consciousness and asserted that all our experiences are due to the coming together of the elements of nature. According to Carvakas, consciousness arises out of the combination of material elements. It is a mere product of matter. Consciousness is produced when the four elements earth, water, fire, and air combine in a certain proportion the same way as the red color is produced by the combination of betel leaf, nut, and lime. Consciousness is associated with the functioning of the sense organs and vanishes when the body disintegrates.

 

According to Carvakas thought is a function of tangible material.  There is no evidence of the separate existence of the soul and body. We do not see the self without a body. Consciousness is invariably found in connection with the body. Consciousness is the result of emergent and dialectical evolution. Carvakas do not regard consciousness as the essence of mind or soul; on the contrary, they regard consciousness to be a product of the body. Vedantasara by sadanandha describes four different materialistic schools. One identifies the soul with the gross body (sthula sarira); another with the senses (indriya); another with vital breaths (prana) and the last with the mental organ (manas). Most of the schools agree in regarding the soul as a product of matter.

 

According to Sankaracharya Consciousness constitutes the essential nature of the self. It is natural or essential to the self, and not an adventitious or accidental property of it. Sankara holds that consciousness is neither a substance, nor quality, nor action of the self. The self is mere consciousness. Though there is no difference between the self and consciousness, we still draw the distinction between the two and speak of "consciousness" when we wish to emphasize the relation of the self to objects, and we speak of the 'self simply when we do not want to emphasize that relation.

According to Sankara, Brahman is pure consciousness. Consciousness and Brahman are identical. Atman or self is nothing but Brahman or pure consciousness. Consciousness constitutes the essential nature of the self; it is natural or essential to the self, and not an adventitious or accidental property of it. Sankara holds that consciousness is neither a substance, nor quality, nor action of the self. The self is mere consciousness. Though there is no difference between the self and consciousness yet we draw a distinction between the two and speak of "consciousness" when we wish to emphasize the relation of the self to objects, and we speak of the 'self simply when we do not want to emphasize that relation.

 

Advaita Vedanta follows the Upanishads in enumerating four states of consciousness,

Ø  The wakeful (jagrat),

Ø  The dream state (svapna)

Ø  The sleep (sosopti)

Ø  The super consciousness (turiya).

If we combine dream and sleep into one and identify the same with the sub-consciousness state, there remain three distinct states viz., sub-consciousness, conscious, and super-conscious. The superconscious is the highest state, the state of self-realization, identification of self and Brahman, the state of Absolute consciousness.

 

Sankaracharya's Advaita also classified consciousness into three kinds:

Ø  Content consciousness (visaya caitanya), i.e., the consciousness defined by the concrete object such as the pot.

Ø  Cognitive consciousness (pramana caitanya), i.e., the consciousness defined by perceptual factors patterns of the internal organ (antahkarana - vrttyavacchinna).

Ø  Cognizer consciousness (pramatr caitanya), i.e., the consciousness defined by psycho-physiological factors associated with an individual.

 

According to Ramanuja, consciousness is not a substance and is independent of sense-object contact. Consciousness is continuous and eternal. It is present in the present perception, reasoning, and memory. Consciousness is inseparable and is always present in the subject in all his cognitive activities. Ramanuja regards consciousness as an act of cognizing the object by the subject. For him, consciousness is a function of the subject, whether soul or Isvara. He maintains that consciousness is a quality (visesana) of the self or Isvara. For Ramanuja, the essential nature of consciousness consists in its manifesting itself at a present moment through its own being to its substrate, or in being instrumental in proving its own object by its own being.

 

Buddhist recognizes six varieties of consciousness: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile and purely mental. Buddha explains various levels of consciousness.

Ø  Sub-liminal consciousness is the subconsciousness,

Ø  Kima-citta is the normal consciousness

Ø  Mahaggata Citta is the super conscious state.

The subliminal consciousness is the sub-consciousness below the threshold of consciousness, while the super-liminal is above it. Kima-citta is the consciousness confined to the ordinary world. It is a normal consciousness. The supernormal consciousness, higher than this level has three phases. Roopa citta is the consciousness concerned with visible objects, Arupa with invisible, and Lokottara is the transcendental, over and above both. Rupa citta roughly corresponds to Dhyana, and Lokottara to samadhi of yoga.

 

According to Jainism, consciousness is the essence of the soul or jiva but it is not the essence of mind. The mind is only the internal sense organ, which is composed of a group of atoms. The Jainas regard the soul as the subject of consciousness and maintains that consciousness is present only in the body. So, consciousness cannot be present without the body.

 

According to Sankhya, consciousness is the essence of Purusa, the universal self but not the essence of mind or manas. Purusa is itself the pure and transcendental consciousness. Consciousness is self's very essence and not a mere quality of it. For Sankhya, the self or Purusa is not the brain, nor mind (manas) nor ego (ahamkara) nor intellect (buddhi) nor the aggregate of conscious states. It is a conscious spirit, which is the knower, the subject. The self is not a substance whose attribute is consciousness, but it is the pure consciousness as such.

 

The Sankhya regards the self to be the subject of consciousness. The self is a stable persistent consciousness in which there is neither any change nor activity. All change and activity, all pleasure and pains belong really to Prakirti or matter and its products like the body, mind, and intellect. Sankhya philosophers are of the opinion that consciousness is an independent entity that arises out of the interaction between Purusa and Prakirti. The Sankhya regards the self as a conscious spirit and an inactive knower. Only Prakirti is active. The interaction of Purusa with Prakirti makes the conscious Purusa active.

 

Yoga system follows the same order of the states of consciousness as mentioned in the Upanisads and Sankhya. The states of consciousness are - The wakeful state, the dream state, the deep sleep, and the superconscious state. The first three states are regarded as normal states for every human being. The fourth, the superconscious or Samadhi state is the privilege of the yogin only. In other words, the yoga recognizes conscious, subconscious, unconscious, and super consciousness.

 

According to Nyaya, consciousness is a stream of awareness. Consciousness is an accidental property of the soul. The individual soul is the substratum of the quality of consciousness and hence it is not an essential property of the soul. Here Nyaya differs from the other system s of Indian Philosophy. Nyaya regards the soul as a real knower, a real enjoyer, a real active agent and an eternal substance. But the soul is not transcendental consciousness. Nyaya admits that through the self's connection with the mind and body that consciousness results, still Consciousness is an attribute of the self which happens inadvertently.

 

According to Vaishegika, consciousness is 'awareness' found in all animate beings, consciousness has no independent existence of its own. The Vaishegika regards the self as the subject of consciousness. Hence consciousness cannot be a property of the body, sense organs, or the manas. Consciousness is sustained by the Atman, though it is not essential, it is an inseparable characteristic of it. Consciousness is not the essence of the soul. It is not even an inseparable quality of the self. Consciousness is an adventitious (aupadhika) quality of the soul. But Vaishegika does not regard the mind to be the subject of consciousness, although the mind is regarded as a dravya or substance. The Vaishegika philosophers are in the opinion that the soul is an external and all-pervading substance and it is the substratum of the phenomenon of consciousness.

 

Saivism enumerates the characteristics of consciousness. The five sheaths or limitations of consciousness, being time (kaala), space (niyati), selectivity (raga), awareness (vidya), creativity (kala), selfforgetting (maya), which are in correlation with the five principles of the universal experience, which are the universal experience (sad-vidya, ´suddha-vidya), identification of the universal (ıshvara), the principle of being (sad¯akhya), the principle of negation and potentization (´sakti), and pure awareness by itself (´siva).

 

Aurobindo regards consciousness to be a force or power. Consciousness force is inherent in the matter and therefore it can ascend and transform into higher forms of reality. According to him there are many grades of consciousness higher than the mind. The mind is the lowest principle of consciousness. The higher grades of consciousness gradually dispel ignorance and provide knowledge. Aurobindo holds that the consciousness of mind passes towards infinite consciousness through a higher mind, illumined mind, and intuition, and over the mind.

 

According to Dr.Radhakrishnan, consciousness emerges from life just as life emerges from matter. He finds a difference between consciousness and the material body. He also believes in the gradation of consciousness. For him, plants are unconscious; in animals and child we observe lower consciousness, and in man, self-consciousness is observed. Self-consciousness is the higher principle of consciousness, which is characterized by reflective and discursive knowledge and capacity for invention. Dr.Radhakrishnan rightly observes: "The reflective capacity of the human mind and its power of free invention are not a mere complication of lower instincts. It is the essence of self-conscious intelligence to look before and after and vary actions according to circumstances."

 

Our exposition of the concept of consciousness in the Indian perspective has made it clear that Indian philosophers have deeply emphasized the problem and tried to offer every possible solution to the same. Except for the Carvaka, all the system s of Indian philosophy agree in various points regarding the nature of consciousness and have given a thoughtful appreciation of the concept of consciousness.

 

In short, Indian philosophers are not lagging in comparison with the western psychologist when it comes to the most exceptional problem of mind and consciousness.

 

CONTRIBUTIONS OF ANCIENT TAMIL LITERATURE TO INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY by R.Manoj Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Counselor Chennai

 

The contributions ancient Tamil culture which has its roots in the Dravidian culture has also made a significant contribution to Indian psychological thoughts by their descriptions related to individual and social behavior, Emotionality, thought process, etc. The methods to be adopted for the betterment through changes in lifestyle, Thought process, behavioral changes, and adapting to social norms have been described in detail in various ancient Tamil literature. The indigenous Siddha system of medicine also talks about the role of mental wellbeing, Disciplined living in health, Mental illnesses, treatments through medicines and other lifestyle based therapeutic approaches

 

One of the vital literature which has contributed to various sub-fields of psychology is Thirukural. Titukkural more than 2000 years old scripture in the Classical language' Tamil. Thirukural consists of three major sections: Arathuppal (Dharma), Porutpal (Wealth) and Inbathupal (Love/desire) which has contributed a lot to the development of life skills, learning, social psychology, and effective interpersonal relationship

 

Another important contributor to Indian psychology is early classical Tamil literature (c. 1 00 B.C.-250 A.D.) called Sanga Ilakkiyam  which consists of Ettu-t-togai (Eight Anthologies) and Pattu-p-pattu (Ten Songs). This literature which is believed to be Composed by more than 473 poets and comprises of 2381 lyrics varying in length from 3 to over 800 lines. These poems vividly sketch the love-stricken emotions and feelings of gentlewomen as well as the adventurous, dynamic, and compassionate conducts of heroic men. The literature aesthetically portrays the ever-existing emotions and excitements of human beings under two-fold divisions known as akam (interior feelings) and puram (exterior actions).

 

The Saiva Siddhanta system, which had been an essence of ancient Tamil culture, is another important contributor to Indian psychology. It excels all other systems in two respects; (a) there is complete harmony effected between the Innovent and the Transcendental theories of God (b) great prominence is attached to the impurities inherent in the mind and various methods are provided either to eradicate the impurities or to keep it strictly within bounds.

 

The distinctive merit of the Saiva Siddhanta school of thought in this respect is its approach which provides scientific diagnosis of Nature.  There are five guiding principles in Saiva Siddhanta. of the five three are the fundamentals related to the capabilities of knowing, doing and feeling based on which the roots of nature (Mulaprakirthi) develops. The other two focusses on limiting the enjoyment, experience of finite intelligence and directing the reaction of thoughts and doings on their agents in due time. These two are in simple terms are called Time and Fate.

 

The siddha system of medicine is an integral part of Tamil culture. It explains describes in detail the psychophysiological aspects of human emotions. Tholkappiam- one of the oldest literature that deals with customs, habits, polity, and grammar of the olden days. Sage Agathiyar the chief of the Siddha School, who was also a celebrated philosopher, grammarian, and physician has given a detailed description of psychotic, emotional, and behavioral disturbances in his book the 'Kirigainool" (diseases of mind-types and treatment). He has classified the clinical variety of mental illness based on the status of being disturbed, excited, deteriorated, or severely mentally ill. Stress-related disorders (Neurotic disorders) have been described in detail by Yugi Siddhar in his book the Yugi Chitamani 800. This book deals elaborately with both physical and mental illnesses and describes functional psychoses, neurosis, somatoform disorders, toxic psychosis etc.

 

THE SHOOLS OF INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY - By R.Manoj Clinical Psychologist Psychotherapist and counselor Chennai

 

The schools of Indian Psychological thoughts has its roots in the Indian philosophy. The various philosophical thoughts which came in to existence at different periods few complimenting the existing ones, few improvisations and few other which questioned the core belief of these thoughts have all contributed in understanding human beings, the cause of distress, the solutions and also the path of development which can lead to everlasting contentment and happiness.

 

Indian schools of psychological thoughts can be distinguished into two major classes. The astika and nastika. The astika systems include the Vedas, the Upanishads, Sankhya, Yoga, Vedanta, Mimamsa, Nyaya, and Vaisheshika. The nastika systems reject Vedic thought. They are Jainism, Buddhism, and Lokayata.

 

The Vedas held that the universe has evolved out of One. This first principle of "that One‟ (tad ekam) cannot be characterized. It is without qualities or attributes, neither positive nor negative. It holds that continuity (Avyaya Bhava) and complementarity in various forms or manifestations of reality. It leads one to perceive unity in diversity and seeing no contradiction between the opposites.

 

In the Upanishads the interest shifted from objective to the subjective, from the outside world to self. It believed that only in the infinite depths of self the universe is reflected in its entirety. The Upanishads described the path of the inner development, the focused on the inward journey towards ultimate reality. The Upanishads stretched the principles of spirituality to the utmost bounds of human existence. The diversity of ideas, concepts, and visions summarized in the verses of the Upanishads has been a great source of knowledge for generations of thinkers and has laid the foundations of Indian psychology.

 

Of the astika Schools, Sankhya appears to be the oldest. It was a dualist view based on two fundamentally different modes of being: the purusha (unconditioned universal self ) and prakriti (nature, physical and environmental which comprises of matter, energy, and agency). Prakriti was the cause of the material world, but purusha had no cause and does not change, till it starts interacting with the prakriti, but remains observer and enjoyer the ever-changing objects of prakriti

 

One important addition to Sankhya was the practice of yoga: the cessation of all mental functions. The correct practice of yoga included eight things:

1.    Yama: Social Discipline restraint from violence, lying, theft, or avarice.

2.    Niyama: Self-discipline building good habits like contentment, purity, Vedic study, and meditation on God.

3.    Asana: Balanced posture involving the mind-body coordination

4.    Pranayama: breath control.

5.    Pratyahara: withdrawal from sensory stimulations the pleasure and pain

6.    Dharana: focused attention on an object.

7.    Dhyana: meditation.

8.    Samadhi: Deep Concentration by which self-awareness is lost.

Yoga when practiced successfully can lead to a full realization by bridging of the gulf between purusha and prakriti, and therefore liberating an individual from suffering.

 

Mimamsa describes two kinds of knowledge: direct and indirect. Direct knowledge is acquired when one of the senses perceives something, and the sense organ is functioning correctly. But this tells us only that the object is present, not what it is. To know what the object is, we must interpret this using direct knowledge. For this, one has to take into consideration their past experience and make a logical inference to determine the class to which the object belongs, the qualities it has, and so on. Other than perception, Mimamsa describes five other sources of knowledge

1.    Inference- a conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning

2.    Comparison - noticing that two things have similarities

3.    Testimony -formal written or spoken statement by eminent scholars

4.    Postulation -a suggestion or assumption of the existence or fact, or truth of something which becomes the basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief.

5.    Non-perception

Mismasa propagated that we gain knowledge when some phenomenon can be explained by postulating a certain explanatory hypothesis (arthapatti).."

 

Nyaya school's chief concern was epistemology or evidence-based knowledge. Nyaya school advocated the thought that only when we know the answers to the questions What is correct thinking? how can we come to know reality? we can achieve liberation. Nyaya describes four valid sources of knowledge — perception, inference, comparison, and testimony. It also proposes four sources of invalid knowledge: memory, doubt (when there are no clear indicators that would distinguish the truth from illusion), error (false certainty), and hypothetical argument.

 

Vaisheshika agreed with most of the theories propagated by Nyaya school related to the evidence-based approach. But it recognized only two sources of knowledge, perception, and inference. Vaishegika emphasizes on six dimensions or padartha of knowledge, which is substance, quality, activity, generality, particularity, and inherence. Vaisheshika describes that a substance is a material in which a quality or action can exist. The nine primary substances according to Vaisheshika thought are earth, water, light, air, ether, time, space, soul, and mind.

 

The most well-known schools of Vedanta are  Advaita Vedanta, Vishishtadvaita, and Dvaita.  These schools arose during the Medieval period. The central doctrine of ancient Vedanta was Brahman or the ideal self: the eternal, uncaused, transcendent, Ultimate Reality which is the base of all being. God (Ishvara) was also an important component in Vedanta, though the different Vedanta schools disagreed on whether God was Brahman, or God was related to Brahman in some way or other. They also disagreed as to whether the self was identical to or part of Brahman, or separate from Brahman, or — somehow — both identical and separate from Brahman. The goal of Vedanta was to discover the Real Self (unity, in some way, with Brahman) by controlling the "lower self" and its impulses through study and meditation. According to vedantha, only this realization could stop the cycle of rebirth and all its misery.

 

Suffering was the core focus of Buddhism school. According to Buddhism, everything has a cause, and the cause of suffering is the desire for worldly things. This desire is the cause of rebirth by which we are born again and again and also experience suffering again and again in each birth. If we realize that worldly desires cause suffering, we would not hold on to these desires. But we are ignorant. Buddha's teaching focused on liberation from suffering. He postulated that it can be achieved through an awareness of these truths and abstinence from worldly desire. The Buddhism propagated an "eight-fold noble path", for liberation and consisted of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

 

Jainism emphasized that it was through the perception, we know of the material world. According to Jainism, we can also know the soul through inner perception, just as we perceive pain and pleasure by inner perception. We understand that consciousness cannot be material through inference, because without consciousness matter alone could exist like living bodies. According to Jainism sensual desires can be overcome by right conduct. Right conduct consisted of abstinence from injury to life, from lying, from stealing, from sensual indulgence, and attachment to earthly objects. The soul may attain infinite knowledge, power, and bliss only when it is liberated from its desires

 

Lokayata held that perception is the only valid source of knowledge, and all other sources like testimony and inference are unreliable. Perception reveals that the material world is made of only the four elements: air, fire, water, and earth. Minds and consciousness were also products of matter. Souls, gods, and the afterlife could not be perceived, and thus could not be said to exist. Thus according to lokayata, the only purpose of life was to enjoy pleasure and avoid pain. Some Lokayata scholars believed in accidentalism. They thought the world was ruled by chance and there was no fixed cause-effect relationship. The source and cause of the same happenings may be different during different times and in different situations. But most Lokayata believers were naturalists. Their fundamental principle was nature (svabhava).They believed things moved and transformed because of their inherent nature and according to lawful necessity.

                        

THE CONCEPTUAL ROOTS OF INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY - by R.MANOJ Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Counselor Chennai

 

INTRODUCTION

One of the most valuable contributions of India to the world is the in-depth research, detailed exploration, systematic analysis and elaborate recording of the different dimensions of human existence and nature, their relationship with the environment and with consciousness. Indian psychology is psychological system derived from indigenous thought Indian psychology is based on ideas and practices that developed over thousands of years within the Indian sub-continent. The sources of Indian psychology are the ancient scriptures and systems developed in various parts of the sub-continent

 

THEORETICAL ROOTS OF INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY

The conceptual roots of Indian psychology are available in the scriptures dating back thousands of years. These concepts extensively dealt with the analysis of states of consciousness and the contents of mental activities. The core feature of Indian psychology has been to relate to oneself experientially and explore oneself through introspection and self-verification. The ancient Indian scriptures have never created a distinction between religion, spirituality, philosophy, and psychology. The brand image of religion for the philosophical thoughts which included psychological perspectives was given by the western cultures. These western cultures had associated many of the practices which were used to maintain the physical and psychological health of individuals more as traditional practices of Hinduism, Buddhism or any other religion which was prevalent in the eastern world some of which were also termed as superstitious. The prime focus of the eastern systems was to guide individuals in the direction of self-realization. The path to self-realization was understood to provide solutions to the distress people undergo at different phases of their life.

 

The Indian psychological approach presumed that the source of all psychological problems was within the person. The emphasis was on exploring the 'world within', to find solutions to the problems at the same time provide methods for a systematic development of individuals. Indian psychological approach believed that this can be achieved by creating a harmony between spirit, mind, and body which can result in everlasting happiness. It was in this pursuit that the yoga system evolved. The yoga system brought in graded mind-control techniques from simple to complex approach – the one that can be pursued by anyone according to their capacity.

 

The roots of newly emerging developments in the field of psychology have been found in traditional Indian thought and practices. As stated in the Pondicherry Manifesto (2002), "Rich in content, sophisticated in its methods and valuable in its applied aspects, Indian psychology is pregnant with possibilities for the birth of new models in psychology that would have relevance not only for India but also to psychology in general." The plurality of Indian tradition and philosophy of accommodating diverse thought systems have been providing extensive Knowledge for creatively building a new and effective system of approach for the field of psychology and psychological practices. Despite all diversity and distinctiveness between the Indian and western approaches in the field of psychology, there are some features common across all systems and schools of western psychology which is relevant to Indian psychology.

 

Indian psychology can be deemed as universal. Indian psychology deals with the perennial issues of human existence which are not bound by any geographical region or time. The scholars and  thinkers of ancient India were raising the same questions and dealing with the same problems that are prevalant today.  In this sense, Indian psychology is both ancient and contemporary at the same time. Most of these theories are propounded as trans-historical, dealing with the essential human nature and ways to harness human potential.

 

Another important feature of Indian psychology is that it primarily deals with the inner state of a person, taking consciousness as the primary subject matter of study. It however should not be misinterpreted that Indian psychology is not concerned about human conditions of poverty, injustice, and pain. Indian psychology does not dismiss the empirical research in these areas but provides a broader perspective within which their findings should make sense, not just be data in numbers. The theories and practices of Ayurveda are the fine examples of how everyday practices can be providing a healing effect on both physical and psychological problems

 

Indian psychology is spiritual in its orientation. Spiritual does not mean it is associated with a world that is different and un-conceivable, nor does it have any relationship with religion or rigid inflexible systems of practice. Spirituality here implies various aspects associated with the whole range of human progression, without making a distinction between natural and supernatural. It suggests developing faith in the existence of higher powers. A person who can relate to these higher powers would be able to seek the higher-order truth of life. Spirituality has given way to the development of broader theories related to human existence, understand paranormal powers, creativity, and intuitive thinking, which generally many people exhibit in their normal course of life. Though spirituality is at the core of most of the Indian theories it is not bound by any particular faith or ism and serves to provide a secular account of human nature.

 

Indian psychology has been dealing with many areas in which contemporary western psychologists are interested in. At the same time, it also has something unique which could be added to many of the contemporary thoughts. It also has many commonalities with western psychology based on the contributions it can make in the different fields related to psychology. For example, if we take up the structure of the personality then we find that the Indian system talks about ahaṁkāra, which stands somewhere in between the Western concepts of ego and self-concept. But besides this ego, which belongs to the ordinary waking consciousness, the Indian system further gives a detailed nomenclature for many other, more subtle states and levels of consciousness. It has even worked out, how consciousness can exist without any specific center whatsoever. The Indian traditional psychological theories have found how below the surface of our waking consciousness, not only the unconscious' that western psychology has explored, but a whole range of subtle kośas or layers of consciousness exists, each of which has its unique characteristic and nature.

 

Indian psychological thoughts have even worked out many different ways of 'realizing' through one's sense of being and experience which is transcendent beyond all nature. It has found that all these inner layers, types, and centers of conscious existence have their influences on the manifested personality. With sufficient training, an individual can understand these layers of personality, which can enable a sense of freedom, peace, joy, compassion, and understanding beyond what is possible in the normal waking state.

 

Indian psychology is based on realistic practicable methods. Methods of observation and experimentation are evolved to study the inner functioning of a person. In these methods of self-observation, no distinction is made between experience and observation. The true knowledge is not considered as abstract and impersonal but as the realization of one's being. There are methods of direct observation of self (e.g., intuition) is in contrast to the methods which rely on sensory and mental mediation. The methods of direct observation of self, rely on blending the understanding based on the experiences of the individual with the perspectives of others. When these two perspectives are taken together it provides personal, subjective, non-relational verification and in-group inter-subjective validity.

 

Indian psychology is applied. Indian Psychological systems does not focus only on testing the existing theories and developing generalizable propositions. It deals more importantly, about the practices that can be used for the transformation of human conditions towards perfection. That is the transformation of the person to higher levels of achievement and well-being. The goal of Indian psychology is to help the person shift from a conditional state (mechanical and habitual thinking) to an unconditional state of freedom and liberation. This transformation, in simple terms, implies becoming more objective, discretionary, balanced, and knowing about the sources of distortion. Indian psychology extensively deals with ways to deal with human suffering and lead a person in the path of personal growth.

 

Indian psychology is research-oriented. While the methodology of western psychology focuses on the study of the "other‟ person, Indian psychology (as other eastern psychologies) focuses on the study of "own-self‟. The effective changes can be brought about in human society only if understanding and approaches of both the individual self and the understanding by others of events and experiences are taken for research. The methods used in Indian psychology are perception or observation (Pratyaksha) and inductive and deductive inferential reasoning (Anumana). It also recognizes various other sources of valid knowledge such as literature by scholars or testimony by the competent authority (Sabda or Apthavachanam), Traditional knowledge (Aitihya), analogy or comparison (Upamana), implication (Arthapatti), of events (Sambhava ). Further, in addition to pure empirical observation, several other non- empirical approaches such as Intuition (Pratibha-Jnana), intuition based awareness propagated by learned people (Arsajnana), unobservable perception (Siddhadarsana ), yogic perception (Yogi-pratyaksha) are also used as the sources for developing and updating the knowledge base.

 

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY - by R.Manoj Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Counselor Chennai

 

Indian psychology has a strong framework on which all the theories and postulates have developed. Nearly all the scriptures and teachings has its source in these guiding principles which have been circulating around the concept of self, consciousness, self-development with the goal of self-realization. Some of these guiding principle are

Ø  Psychology is the study of the person (jiva)

Ø  The person is embodied with consciousness

Ø  Consciousness is distinct from material objects, including the brain and the mind

Ø  The mind is different from consciousness as well as the body/brain-machine.

Ø  Unlike consciousness, the mind is a subtle material, even though it is not obvious.

Ø  Unlike the brain, the mind has non-local characteristics.

Ø  The mind is not constrained by time and space variables, as gross material objects are.

Ø  The mind is the facilitating instrument that interfaces consciousness at one end and the brain processes at the other

Ø  It is the stage "The inner theatre" on which the processed sensory characters make their appearance.

Ø  It is the inner observer as the mind tends to validate as its own, what is displayed on its stage set up by its ego function and illumined by consciousness

Ø  This leads the person to misinterpret the ego aspects of the mind as consciousness.

Ø  Such a misinterpretation is promoted by primeval ignorance (avidya) that is promoted by the congenital condition of human existence that depends on sensory information and takes it as the ultimate truth

Ø  When a person is bestowed with consciousness, mind and body, the person is capable of learning by processing the information received through sense organs (śravanṅa) using the brain, Understanding it mediated by the mind (manana) and access realization through consciousness (nididhyāsana)

Ø  Consciousness embodied in the person is restricted, conditioned, and clouded by a stream of forces generated by the mind-body connection.

Ø  Consequently, the conditioned person becomes an isolated instrument of individualized thought, passion, and action.

Ø  From individuation arise, on the one hand, subjectivity, rational thinking, relativity of truth, and values.

Ø  On the other hand, from individuation arises the ego as the organizing principle

Ø  With the ego, come attachment and craving, which in turn lead the person to experience anxiety, insecurity, stress, distress, disease, and consequent suffering.

Ø  Situated in such an existential predicament of ignorance and suffering, the goal of the person is self-realization.

Ø  Self-realization consists in achieving a state of freedom and liberation (mokṣa) by a process of deconditioning training and the subsequent transformation of the person.

Ø  This transformation is achieved by controlling the mind, eliminating the ego, and realizing consciousness as such in transcognitive states.

Ø  Yoga is a method of liberation via the realization of transcognitive states.

Ø  Realization can be achieved through different paths according to the different nature of the seekers. They are

ü  The  knowledge-focused jñāna yoga or intense focused exploration and attainment of true Knowledge,

ü  The devotion-filled bhakti yoga which involves one's passionate nature to develop unconditional universal love

ü  The action-oriented karma yoga for those dominated by the tendency to function actively.

ü  The process of following strict discipline and practice of Rajayoga is the fourth route which is dominated by the systematic practice of Asanas and Pranayama

Ø  Thus wisdom, worship, Strict discipline with Practice and work are three distinct routes for self-realization.