Conceptions of Mind, Self, Suffering, and Transformation in Selected Traditions: Bhagavad Gita, Buddhism, Sufism, and Integral Yoga
Shyam Vishal, Sharma Anita
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) August 15, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22658554 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key findings | Argues that Eastern psychological traditions provide sophisticated, empirically grounded models of mind and consciousness that predate Western academic psychology, and proposes their relevance to contemporary psychology, therapy, and education. |
Abstract
The present paper undertakes a systematic and scholarly examination of psychological thought embedded within four major Eastern philosophical and spiritual systems: the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhism (with particular emphasis on meditation & mental purification), Sufism (the mystical tradition of Islam), and Integral Yoga (as systematised by Sri Aurobindo & further developed by Mirra Alfassa, aka the Mother). Eastern psychological traditions, long predating the formal emergence of Western academic psychology in the nineteenth century, offer sophisticated and empirically grounded models of the mind, consciousness, affect, cognition, and behavioural transformation. These systems have increasingly attracted scholarly attention within transpersonal psychology, positive psychology, and clinical psychology for their theoretical depth and applied relevance. The paper explores the foundational concepts, models of the mind and self, theories of suffering and liberation, transformative practices, and implications for contemporary psychological science in each of these traditions. It further addresses convergences and divergences across traditions, their engagement with concepts such as ego, consciousness, emotion regulation, motivation, and mental health, and their relevance to modern therapeutic and educational contexts.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on buddhism, most cited first.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Zen Meditation for Depression, Anxiety, Pain, and Psychological Distress | 2012 | Review | |
| Measuring mindfulness | 2011 | Review | |
| The Influence of Buddhist Meditation Traditions on the Autonomic System and Attention | 2015 | Review | |
| Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances | 2014 | Review | |
| Positive Psychology and Buddhism | 2023 | Review |