The paper is the third article in the Pali-Psycho series. It compares the Pali Canon with the Desert Fathers, Rhineland Mysticism, Carmelite Mysticism, and Ignatian Spirituality. The analysis uses the convergence-type schema developed in the preceding integrative article and distinguishes empirical, structural-phenomenological, conceptual, and no-parallel relations. The central result is...
Shiksha SamvadJune 5, 2026Shruti Singh, Prof. Arun Kumar
Intention as a concept is being studied in metaphysics, psychology, and now in the field of AI.It is considered the driving force behind human behavior.It is roughly translated to Sankalpa in Vedic traditions.Sankalpa refers to the sole determination through which a person attains their desires through action.Another spiritual or metaphysical concept or principle that has been gaining...
Abstract This article discusses the reception and adaptation of Swedish visionary Emanuel Swedenborg’s thought in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Japan. It situates this reception in the context of Japanese esoteric thought during the Meiji era. Japanese intellectuals called Swedenborg the world’s greatest theologian, even the Buddha of the North. Yet his importance to Meiji-era...
Of all of the major figures in the Western philosophical tradition, none was more influential on Simone Weil or more ubiquitous in her writings than Plato. Weil uses Plato's thought to frame her considerations of matters ranging from science and mathematics to divine creation and the relationship of human beings to what is greater than us. Yet Weil makes no attempt to read Plato objectively or...
This paper examines the relationship between the socio-political ethics of Emperor Ashoka and the meditative traditions of Ancient India through the lens of traditional Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). While classical traditions such as Yoga and Buddhism developed internal techniques for mental regulation through Dhyana (meditation), Ashoka’s Edicts established an external ethical framework...
In the contemporary era of hyper-connectivity and relentless professional competition, mental health preservation has emerged as a critical global challenge. While modern psychological frameworks provide essential interventions, there is increasing academic interest in the longitudinal wisdom of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS). This paper explores the therapeutic potential of two specific...
Purpose: The Ashtavakra Gita, an ancient Sanskrit dialogue between Sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka of Mithila, represents one of the most uncompromising articulations of non-dual philosophy in the history of Indian thought. Unlike the majority of classical Indian spiritual texts that prescribe gradual paths of discipline, ritual observance, and ethical refinement, the Ashtavakra Gita posits an...
Abstract According to many philosophers, something possesses intrinsic value if it is good in and of itself, without any external justifications. In contemporary scholarship, notable thinkers like Thomas Nagel (1979), William Frankena (1973), Charles Siewert (1998), and Walter Glannon (2016) argue that phenomenal consciousness—the subjective aspect or “what it’s likeness” of experience—holds...
This chapter is an excerpt from a larger book project on the phenomenon traditionally described as the “Dark Night of the Soul” in the writings of John of the Cross. It combines historical, phenomenological, psychological, and contemplative perspectives in order to reinterpret this classical mystical concept for a contemporary audience. While remaining grounded in the Catholic and monastic...
The Trans-Himalayan Synthesis refers to the blending of ideas and practices from different cultures, particularly those from the Himalayas and the East and South-East Asian continent. One of the most important texts in this synthesis is the Yoga Sutras derived from Buddhism (as per Indological historians), a collection of teachings on yoga and meditation written by the sage Patanjali, which is...