This chapter is devoted to the discussion of some prominent modern thinkers, including psychologists whose work provides differing perspectives on the Yogic transformation of consciousness leading to Samādhi. The philosopher Edmund Husserl developed a technique that came close to that of Yoga, but in the end, he abandoned that project. Jean Piaget started with the idea that God is immanent in...
Since Patañjali is known to have followed the conceptual framework of the Sāṁkhya system, this chapter is devoted to explain its basic concepts, including: the goal of Sāṁkhya for the radical removal of suffering, the nature of the Puruṣa, which is the most fundamental concept of Sāṁkhya and Yoga, the dilemma over the equivocation of Puruṣa as single ubiquitous principle as well as that of...
This chapter examines the place that Yoga psychology may or should have within the current context of psychology, particularly in India. Implications of the colonial hangover on psychology in India, which places imported models above indigenous are discussed. The unwitting role of science in the disdain for Yoga psychology is pointed out. The relationship of Yoga psychology with major trends in...
The intellectual tradition of India includes many psychological concepts, theories and techniques that parallel, contrast, contradict or complement Western ideas and theories. Using notions derived from the Upanishads and modern psychology, the paper discusses the nature and states of consciousness, Western metaphors and the Yogic techniques for the systematic control of mental processes to...