SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY

- A CANVAS OF CONCERNS-

Himanshu Vaidya
hvindia@gmail.com
 THE STRUCTURE OF THE
PRESENTATION
DEFINITION

THE PARADIGMS

THE GOAL

THE PROBLEMS

THE PROCESS

SPIRITUAL SOCIETIES

SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY
-A CANVAS OF CONCERNS-
DEFINITION
 DEFINITIONS
 Definition -The Problem - The Process -The Goal

 Science Nature, Process, Purpose

 Philosophy
 Psychology
 Spirituality What is spirituality?
 Religion
THE PARADIGM
 THE SPIRITUAL PARADIGMS
• Nature of existence Vedic, Buddhist,
• The human potential Abrahamanical
• The potential of the world Existential
• The purpose of man Charvaka, Hedonistic
• The purpose of the world Materialist (Marxist?)

• How to live? Flows out of it

• What to do? Flows out of it
• Tools flow out of it
 THE AXIOMATIC INTERFACE
Paradigm Interface
• Science and Spirituality
• Philosophy and Spirituality
• Psychology and Spirituality
• Sociology and Spirituality

Issues in Interface
• Social Ideals and Spiritual Ideals
• The problem of the negative and harmony?
• Abstinence vs. Experience
• Personal Liberation vs. collective transformation
GOAL
 THE GOAL
• Spirituality
• Self Knowing
• Self Transformation (Mind, Body, Nature?)

• End States, Rare Experiences, Rare States, Rare journey of life

• Inner Stillness and Peace
• Nirvana
• Samadhi
• Sthit Pragna
• Supramental All rare experiences are not spiritual

• State of no thought, awareness, bliss

• Living Journey - Avdhoot to Spiritual Master to a Warrior of truth

• World knowing
• Spirituality, Religion, Psychology, Science
• Mysticism - Occult, Alchemy
• World transformation
• Politics
• Ideology
PROBLEMS
 THE PROBLEMS
• Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Material, Historic, Karmic

• The hold of desires

• The hold of habits
• The hold of social conformity
• The hold of pathology
• The obstacle of hold of human groups on the mind
• The hold of Karma

• The wrong path taken

• Limitations of techniques
• Inadequate guidance
• Hard luck
THE PROCESS
 THE ELEMENTALS AND METHODS
• The constituents of the human integer (the system),
• Physical Body Hath yoga, Yoga, Rolfing
• Energy Pranayama Reiki, Pranic Healing, Tai Chi
• Emotions Bhakti, Psychoanalysis
• Thoughts Jnana, CT
• Karma Service, Living through, Will

• Self Awareness, Self Understanding, Self Change

• The encyclopedia of approaches

• Shiva – Vigyan Bhairava Tantra
• 114 generic approaches, 112, 108
 REFLECTION ON METHODS
• Each has its strength and limitations
• How best to combo over an individuals’ development
process?
• Can we accelerate as much as we wish individually
or collectively?

• Soul/System derives essence from experiences both

pleasant and unpleasant, outer self and inner self
• Individual governed by his own constitution,
dynamics and by nature, historical evolution
 THE ESSENTIAL PSYCHIC PROCESS
• Motivations
• Higher
• Central
• Lower

• The strength of the motivation

• Individual and Nature ---- Kant, Hegel and Indian Ideas

• The individual motivation and programme of life linkage

• The individual motivation and plan of nature linkage

• The Psychic Event

Motivation – Psychic Process – Subject ---
Action/Complex ----Satisfaction or
Dissatisfaction/Complex- learning- new system state --
 THE EQUATIONS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

• The exponential equations of consciousness

• The last mile, grace and accident
• Preparing for the last mile
• Understanding every step towards enlightenment
• The Process of enlightenment

• The psychology of the enlightened

• Goals, Relationships, Use of thought, Creativity, Helping
others
 SPIRITUAL SCHOOLS
• Do it yourself is one source
• Schools are second source for teaching spirituality

• Spirituality is work, time, motivation, guidance, luxury

and luck
• Spirituality, till we have instant scientific solution for it,
will remain a long drawn affair spread over years and
schools have to anchor this journey
• Esoteric schools fused with scientific spirit, best
reference is Parapsychology that has kept openness of
spirituality and the evidence based working of science
SPIRITUAL SOCIETIES
 SPIRITUAL SOCIETIES
• Spiritual societies
• Sri Aurobindo
• Osho commune
• Vedic society

• Spiritual living in a conventional society

• Leader based living
• Leaderless groups

• Collective evaluation of varied formats of living

SPIRITUALITY PSYCHOLOGY
-A CANVAS OF CONCERNS-
 SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY –THE CANVAS-

• Historical and Cotemporary Survey of Spirituality

• Philosophy
• Science
• Culture

• Comprehensive theory
• Scientific evaluation of techniques
• Scientific innovation in techniques
• Holistic healing on a global scale
• Study of spiritual societies
 SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY –
STUDY OF TOOLS
• Yoga
• Pranayama
• Reiki
• Pranic Healing
• Tai chi
• Meditations
• Active, Passive
• Individual, Social
• Awareness
• Mantra
• Alchemy
• Occult Sciences
• Idol worship
 FOUNDATIONS OF SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY

• Spiritual problems and psychological solutions

• Psychological problems and spiritual solutions

• Spirituality and Psychology in training of respective

professionals

• Paradigms of Psychology and paradigms of spirituality

• Psychological evaluation of spiritual societies

 SPIRITUAL ECONOMY
• Spiritual Economy

• Tools – Innovation
• Substances
• Digital Technology
• Virtual Reality

• Buddhaonline

• How to create new Meditations?

• Spiritual Economy will change the world perhaps more than

any ideology
THANK YOU