Triveni Journal

1927 | 11,233,916 words

Triveni is a journal dedicated to ancient Indian culture, history, philosophy, art, spirituality, music and all sorts of literature. Triveni was founded at Madras in 1927 and since that time various authors have donated their creativity in the form of articles, covering many aspects of public life....

Triple Stream

I. V. Chalapati Rao

ARE RELIGION AND PSYCHO-THERAPY ON THE
SAME WAVE LENGTH?

Sri Aurobindo says “Yoga is nothing but practical psychology”. Yoga is both science and art. It is a science because it knows by experience what man is inwardly beneath the surface. It is an art because it can apply that knowledge to change man’s nature and his inner being. Yoga discovers the nature of our real self as consciousness. It is here that Yoga and Psychology meet. Many people are under the mistaken impression that religion/spirituality and psychotherapy are mutually exclusive. We find that the fundamental questions and issues of metaphysics and meta-psychology are similar. Today we cannot dismiss mystical or spiritual experience as an illusion or figment of fevered imagination. There is ample evidence to support the view that it can be the brain’s perception of an actual reality. Psychotherapy and religion are deeply concerned with the underlying realities and experiences of life. Both are to some extent engaged in the service of suffering humanity.

There is a fear that Psychotherapy will dissect and analyse all our human ideals and values, dubbing them as ‘complexes’ and ‘phobias’. The truth is that Psychotherapy will only try to remove the superstitions and the infantile aspects of such beliefs and superstitions. Just as we are not justified in condemning all religion, because of a few ritualists, fanatics and ‘Jihadis’, we cannot find fault with psychiatry because of the imposters and charlatans who practise in its name. Dynamic psychology called psycho-synthesis has great possibilities for bringing about a satisfactory solution to the crisis in which humanity often finds itself. This is done by its ‘Conquest of the inner space’. The crisis is often caused by lack of balance between abilities and aspirations, realities and high pitched ambitions. Today modern hygiene and disinfection have saved many lives but exposure to psychological toxins has been causing colossal damage. Religion should be judged in terms of its ethical principles and practices which stand the test of reason and human welfare. Psychiatry should not be regarded as its rival. Its rationality and objectivity will help in removing emotional upsets, guilt complexes, depression and self-disapproval. This applies more to western religion which says that man is born in sin. But Hinduism says that human beings are the children of immortality. Vivekananda says that the purpose of religion is to manifest the divinity which is already within man and to make patent and potent what is latent.

Obviously psychiatry has no answer to the eternal questions that arise in the mind of man - Who am I! What is the meaning of life? Has it any justifiable purpose? What happens after death? Is there reincarnation? What is the secret of happiness and peace? Religion and religion alone can soothe the mind and bring peace and serenity through Yoga and meditation. Pleasure is a sensation or sensory feeling. Happiness is a condition of the mind. Peace is an experience of the soul. That is why we say at the end of every meeting ‘Santhi, Santhi, Santhi’. Today Psychology does not sufficiently investigate the field of spiritual realities and the foundation of creativity, inspiration, imagination and the products of genius, under the misconception that they are outside scientific research.

Psychology and religion are similar though not synonymous or identical. Psychology and its branches are admittedly concerned with the limited and finite aspects of human existence while religion strikes the universal note, probes the eternal and can give awareness and a glimpse into the rich significance of life. However, the insights and lab techniques of psychology can give to modern religion a new wisdom about the laws of individual well – being and social health in ways that the common man can understand. Particularly its discoveries in the areas of human resource development, communication (communicology) and interpersonal relations will be very useful.

The brains of mystics like Ramakrishna and Sai Baba of Shiridi are not the brains of those who are mentally deranged. When a person remembers the incidents of the previous birth or when he sees in a dream what is going to happen in the future, we cannot dismiss it as mere coincidence or freak. Pythagorus, Plato, Goethe, Emerson Plotinus, Giardono Bruno, Shopenheur, Walt Whitman and Vivekananda supported the concept of reincarnation. To know more about the subject we should read ‘Many Mansions’, ‘Many Lives and Many Loves’ and ‘The World Within’ by Gina Cerminara with an introduction by H. L. Cayce, one of the greatest hypnotic healers of the time. Originally Cayce was shocked by his first vision of previous birth and rejected it at first. But when again and again ‘readings’ of subjects uncovered past lives (which presented the cues for the present experiences), he finally accepted the concept of reincarnation on the strength of the available evidence. 2,500 cases of Cayce’s Psychic readings are the basis for the book. Ian Stevenson’s essay ‘Twenty cases suggestive of Reincarnation’ is another investigative report. In our own country, there is the case of Shanti Devi, a girl born in Delhi remembering her past life with minute details. This sensational case was reported world wide in print and electronic media. A committee of 15 members appointed by Mahatma Gandhi, Lonnestrand (a skeptical critic from Sweden) and even Dr. Ian Stevenson, the leading authority on reincarnation admitted the genuineness of the case! It is necessary to integrate experiential wisdom with psycho-therapic wisdom. True, there is spirituality in psychology and psychology in spirituality. The purpose of Yoga or religion is not to escape from life but to live life fully and intelligently. Eastern and Western Psychologies can be integrated using spiritual meta-psychology. This view is supported by Sri. Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga.

Researches are being made to explore the interface between meditation, yoga and psychotherapy. Freud, Jung, Rolland and others have recognised the relationship between mysticism and psycho-analysis on the basis of their investigations. Freud felt that the so-called illusion (Maya) of religion can be reinterpreted as a developmentally necessary need for humans to find meaning and creative connections among them.

Dynamic faith dissolves ‘ego’. Positive thinking is the key to God – realisation (self-realisation?). Let us switch off our red lights (negative qualities) and turn on our green lights (positive thinking). This is where religion and psychology meet.

One question will arise: Can human beings acquire the power of looking into their past lives and foresee the future? With the power of his billion-celled brain man has controlled nature, conquered space and vanquished matter. Is it impossible for man to expand his sense perception, experience awareness beyond the normal range of his faculties and attain super consciousness by practicing Yoga?

Here is the meeting ground between the East and West modern psychology and ancient spirituality - leading to the emergence of a new art of living.

The editor’s desire to write on this subject was triggered by his study of Dr. Michael Miovic’s well-written and fascinating paper. ‘Towards a Spiritual Psychology Bridging Psycho-dynamic Psycho-therapy with Integral Yoga’



If you sow a thought, you will reap an action
If you sow an action, you will reap a habit
If you sow a habit, you will reap a character,
If you sow a character, you will reap a destiny
The whole thing starts with a thought

“Yad bhavam tad bhavathi”

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: