Myth, Magic, and the Eastern Way

Myth, Magic, and the Eastern WayMythology, Ontology and Meaning in Oriental PhilosophyWith Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahayogi

OverviewOur course will examine how meaning plays out in Eastern Philosophy and will focus on the ontology, epistemology, mythology, metaphysics, and moral and ethical practices of the Oriental world in a brief survey of 30 hours. We will give a short glimpse into some of the practices and beliefs of the Eastern world, comparing and contrasting views with those of the West and demonstrating the influence Eastern Philosophy has had on such prominent western scientists as, Oppenheimer, Einstein, Schrodinger, philosophers like Heidegger, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche,as well as poets such as Emerson, Thoreau, and William Blake.

Overview: continuedGain an understanding of how myths have been transformed through myriad cultures throughout timeLearn the relationships among myth, religion, and cultureAcquire the ability to recognize the underlying similarities of human cultures as well as the wide range of variationsRecognize and appreciate that there are many equally valid myths and religions and that there have been throughout historyDemonstrate the principle of Athato brahma jiasa. Now is the time to search for truth: Vedanta Sutra.Science v. MythologyScience explains the physical worldScience doesnt pretend to explain the metaphysical world.Myth explains our place in the universe.Science examines the laws governing physical objects.Myth explores ontology, cosmology, epistemology, and ethics.Science is concerned with ontology insofar as physical events are concerned. No attempt is made to understand the meaning of life.Science and MeaningSince the time of the ancient Greeks Western man has debated the nature of reality. Since the first philosophers appeared, questions on the nature of life, the mind, and the existence off God have remained hotly contested and unresolved. Today, the scientific community has little use for, or interest in, nonphysical forces. Many scientists paint the debate on the nature of life as an issue of religion. They assert that any inquiry into the nonphysical nature of life is the province of theologians. Science deals only with the processes of matter governed by the laws of physics. But this ignores broader issues of understanding reality.Understanding MeaningIs the universe at its core no more than a construct of insensate matter? Or is living being and human mind manifest by a vast, mysterious force unacknowledged by conventional science?If life or the mind is a nonphysical force is it possible to understand the phenomenon of life with the four forces governing physical objects?Or is science an inadequate framework for probing the mysteries of the unknown mind?Material Point of ViewAnswers to simple questions about the meaning of life defy the purely material orientation of conventional science.A deeper reality may lie beyond the immediate physical dimension of matter. How can we expand the framework of our understanding to include an analysis of the nonphysical aspects of biology and the human mind?A purely material theory of life the mind and memory conceals profound internal contradictions and vast unresolved improbabilities.Life Force in Oriental PhilosophyIf life is a mysterious organizing force unacknowledged by conventional science, what are the subtle relationships between this unconscious life force and the operation of our conscious minds.The theory that life is a vital or nonphysical force is evident in the history of Eastern and Western thought, but especially prominent in the analysis of the Vedanta and its extensions in Indian Mythology and wisdom.The balance between consciousness and unconsciousness is sought in philosophies like Buddhism, Zen, and the Tao.Letter to Albert EinsteinJanuary 19, 1936My dear Dr. Einstein,We have brought up the question: Do scientists pray? in our Sunday school class. It began by asking whether we could believe in both science and religion. We are writing to scientists and other important men to try and have our own question answered.We will feel greatly honored if you will answer our question: Do scientists pray, and what do they pray for?We are in the sixth grade, Miss Ellis's class.Respectfully yours,Phyllis

Einsteins response (from book Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein's Letters to and from Children," edited by Alice Calaprice.) January 24, 1936Dear Phyllis,I will attempt to reply to your question as simply as I can. Here is my answer:Scientists believe that every occurrence, including the affairs of human beings, is due to the laws of nature. Therefore a scientist cannot be inclined to believe that the course of events can be influenced by prayer, that is, by a supernaturally manifested wish.However, we must concede that our actual knowledge of these forces is imperfect, so that in the end the belief in the existence of a final, ultimate spirit rests on a kind of faith. Such belief remains widespread even with the current achievements in science.But also, everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that some spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe, one that is vastly superior to that of man. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is surely quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive.With cordial greetings,yours A. Einstein

Intellectual HonestyTo say that ancient mystics got it wrong misses the point. At least the old-school philosophers like Plato tried to understand the metaphysical nature of reality.Modern scientists and philosophers refuse to ask the big questions and call it courage, or intellectual honesty.Jung on MythNo science will ever replace myth, and a myth cannot be made out of any science. For it is not that God is a myth, but that myth is the revelation of a divine life in man. It is not we who invent myth, rather it speaks to us as a word of God.Why Mythology? Defining TermsYour religion is my mythologyMy religion is your mythologyReligion is a perjorative term. By religion I mean to say my spiritual truth.ReligionDefinition ofreligionin English:

religion Syllabification:religionPronunciation:/rilijn

NOUN1 the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods:I deas about the relationship between science and religion1.1a particular system of faith and worship: the worlds great religions1.2a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance: consumerism is the new religion

MythologyNOUN (PLURAL MYTHOLOGIES)1 a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition:Ganesh was the god of wisdom and success in Hindu mythologya book discussing Jewish and Christian mythologiesSYNONYMS1.1a set of stories or beliefs about a particular person, institution, or situation, especially when exaggerated or fictitious:in popular mythology, truckers are kings of the road --OXFORD ENGLISHDiscussion QuestionsWhy is it that Buddhism was rejected in India from whence it originated?Why is it that hundreds of years of proselytizing and preaching Christianity in India have made precious few converts?Given that philosophers and theologians have scientifically demonstrated the superiority of Christianity as a belief system, how is it possible that so few Hindus have converted?If India is such a backward country why is it the greatest source of high tech innovation?If Hinduism represents a dark, fatalistic point of view useful only to those who never been exposed to the message of Christ, why is it that so many philosophers have been fascinated with Vedanta, with ideas about karma, dharma, jnana, bhakti, and Indian mythology?Functions of MythologyMythology may be seen as having a fourfold function within human society.

The Metaphysical FunctionAwakening a sense of awe before the mystery of beingThe absolute mystery of life, or transcendent reality, cannot be captured directly in words or images. Symbols and mythic metaphors on the other hand point outside themselves and into that reality. Their enactment through ritual can give to the participant a sense of that ultimate mystery as an experience. According to Joseph Campbell, "Mythological symbols touch and exhilarate centers of life beyond the reach of reason and coercion.... The first function of mythology is to reconcile waking consciousness to themysterium tremendum et fascinansof this universeas it is."[28]The Cosmological FunctionExplaining the shape of the universeMyth also serves as aproto-science, offering explanations for the physical phenomena that affects our lives: the seasons, the life cycles, sun and moon, stars and cosmos. Myth is not concerned with directly observable truths but with the interplay between the observable and the psychological, bringing the physical world into accord with the metaphysical, as perceived through consciousness. Modern failure to grasp this point signals a conflict between science and religion that is difficult to reconcile.The Sociological Function of MythologyMythology gives a supporting rationale for social orderTo ensure their survival, ancient societies had to conform to an existing social order. They evolved under "pressure" from primitive needs. Mythology confirms social order, as for example in India with the Varnashrama dharma system of social castes and spiritual orders. This is enforced by the stories themselves, often describing how the order arrived from divine intervention. Campbell interpreted "conformity" myths as the"Right Hand Path"of societal conformity with logic, order and linearity. And saw as revolutionary the "Left Hand Path the"Hero's Journey"a more revolutionary way of being, surpassing social norms and morality.[29]Pedagogical FunctionGuides us through the stages of lifeThroughout our lives we face, many challenges. Myth guides us through the different stages of life, just as in the heros journey. Ancient cultures used rites of passage from birth to youth adulthood and finally death, as for example in the Church, the sacraments. If myth is to play a vital role in our modern world, it must be reinterpreted to face the changing realities of contemporary life..Collective UnconsciousAccording to Jung, human beings project onto the external world what is in their inner world. The whole of mythology could be seen as a sort of projection out of the collective unconscious. Just as the constellations were projected into the heavens, similar figures were projected into legends and fairytales.The universality of motifs found in human myths demonstrates the uniformity of psychic events in time and space.. Jung uses the remarkable similarity among myths worldwide to establish a psychic domain beyond the personal: the collective unconscious.Jungs view of MythologyFor Jung myth unfolds through archetypes, by nature unconscious, they express themselves indirectly, through symbols. Symbols explain only part of what an archetypal meaning; each archetype contains a depth of meanings hinted or glimpsed at rather than clearly defined through words or images. Myths have symbolic rather than literal meanings, yet the symbols we use to discover and disclose their meaning are imperfect and inadequate.Jung compares the distinction between the unconscious and the conscious with Kants distinction between the unknowable, and the knowable, and claims that while myth, the primordial language natural to our psychic processes, is the best medium for revealing the unconscious no intellectual formulation comes anywhere near the richness and expressiveness of mythical imagery.Myth conveys meaning to a specific audience, manifesting in a language this audience knows, into a meaning that is their (subjective) meaning. The inner meaning of myth is available only to initiates in the culture of that myth. A myth is not merely a myth in its own right; it is a myth for someone.

Archetypes are a form of psychic organ present in all of us. Myths and the archetypes beyond as fashioned out of a worldwide human unconscious which explains the similarity (identity) of myths all over the world and through human history.Origin of Myth: JungAlthough every society creates myths on its own, every society inherits myths. Not that myths or their contents are inherited, but that humans have an inborn disposition, a psychic structure for producing similar thought-formulations which he later calls the archetypes of the suprapersonal or collective unconscious.Myths can arise autochthonously and yet be identical because they are fashioned out of the same worldwide human unconscious, whose contents are infinitely less variable than are races and individuals.Over the whole of the psychic realm we encounter certain motifs, certain typical figures, which seem to be built into the very structure of mans unconscious. We could see them as blue-prints of human experience; Jung calls them archetypes.He sees the human psyche not as a self-contained and wholly individual phenomenon, but also as a collective one.The collective part of the psyche, the collective unconscious in Jungs terms, informs the individual psyche. Its content is conveyed through archetypal images which seek to express themselves in consciousness through symbols.

For Freud, human experiences give rise to the creation of myths. Jung on the other hand believed that myths are part of the human condition; humans do not invent myths to fulfill a need. How could they, from where would the human psyche draw the capacity to adopt a standpoint outside sense perception?

With this in mind the ability to create myths must be a peculiar and intrinsic quality of living matter, an innate way the human psyche expresses itself. Myth devolves not from the external reality of the material world, but from the internal experience of the self. This internal experience of conscious reality has parallels across social, racial and sexual stratum for Jung.For Jung, human experience provides the occasion for the expression of already existing, available mythical material.

Myths represent typical psychic phenomena that reveal the nature of the soul. Projected onto outer sense experiences they connect inner, psychic events to the reality we perceive as outside, making this reality easier to assimilate. The unconscious (drama of the psyche) becomes accessible to mans consciousness by way of projection; mirrored in the events of natureAt first the concept of the unconscious was limited to denoting the state of repressed or forgotten contents. Freud, who thought the unconscious to be of an exclusively personal nature, was aware of its archaic and mythological thought forms. Jung however sees the personal unconscious as a superficial layer that rest upon a deeper layer, which does not derive from personal experience but is inborn. The collective unconscious is identical in all men and thus constitutes a common psychic substrate of a suprapersonal nature which is present in all of us.The contents of the personal unconscious are chiefly the feeling-toned complexes; they constitute the personal and private side of psychic life. The contents of the collective unconscious on the other hand are known as archetypes. We are dealing with archaic or primordial types, that is, with universal images that have existed since the remotest times. So, where myths for Freud originate in (personal) experience, for Jung they surface out of the collective unconscious. The archetypes strive to express themselves and manifest through projection into the material world (step e., myth as the projection of the collective unconscious).Jung claims that there is no way humans could consciously have invented the idea of for instance divinity or heroism, so they invented the myths expressing divinity and heroism. Myths merely articulate the archetypal experience of the phenomenological reality as divine or heroic (noumenal).In that sense the archetypal experience shapes our human experience of the material world, not the other way around.Archetypes are in Jungs view grounded in the peculiarities of the living organism itself and are therefore direct expressions of life, deposits so to say of ever-repeated and ingrained typical experiences of our species.Where Freud depreciates the unconscious and claims that myth prevents psychological development (because the Freudian personal unconscious is seen as a product of the repression of unacceptable sexual impulses), Jung believes myth encourages growth by expressing deeper dimensions of the unconscious for the development of consciousness. Jung claims that archetypes possess a numinous quality, a feeling value that has great creative potential.It is important to note that for Jung the dissociation between conscious and unconscious was seen as a separation of ego from the source of all life. In other words: for Jung the connection and co-operation between conscious and unconscious, unconscious and conscious, is spiritual, essential and life-giving. Jung rejects Freuds focus on sexual instinct and their repression (to interpret products from the unconscious) as too narrow. Freud, in his view, tries to reduce myth motifs to personal psychology, and fails to consider the whole of the human psyche; the personal and the collective psyche beyond. Although a myth is a consciously created story, the archetype which is the motif or image in the story, is the unconscious raw material of this myth. (step f.)The archetype itself does not proceed from a physical fact; it is projected onto the world to give man an impression of a unconscious psychic happening, a vision of how the psyche experiences physical fact.The function of myth.Myth for Jung serves multiple functions. The most important is a psychological one: to reveal the collective unconscious to the conscious mind. For Jung, the unconscious seeks to communicate its presence to consciousness as clearly as possible. It does not, as Freud claims, elude detection.Because the unconscious speaks in another kind of language than the conscious, myth serves as an intermediary: a means for the unconscious to communicate its symbolic meaning. Jung writes, herein lay the vital importance of myths: they explained to the bewildered human being what was going on in his unconscious and why he was held fast (by the drama of it). The myths told him: this is not you, but the gods, so turn back to your human avocations, holding the gods in fear and respect.With myth, the external world and its functioning becomes personified and with that shift in perspective it gains meaning and relevance. With a mythical dimension reality is experienced to operate responsively and has purpose (the purpose of gods or our souls).Myth in that sense not only provides information about the unconscious, but also gives humans a means to look beyond the confines of the conscious, and invites them to connect to the greater psyche beyond. This is the second function of myth Segal mentions (b.); the encountering of the unconscious.Myth introduces a numinous side to ones own personality, a transpersonal dimension to our world, that our rational mind cannot perceive with mere words and concepts. Myths and fairytales re-establish the connection between conscious and unconscious.A symbol, functioning as a supra-ordinate third level or tertium, can express in a living-truth way the processes of the psyche thus re-uniting the two psychic halves by reconciling their conceptual polarity through its form and their emotional polarity through its numinosity. Jungs concept of numinosity refers to unusual, non-ordinary or heightened modes of psychological awareness (a feeling-value) and is essential to the dynamic change and growth within his model of the Self.The myth, or more specific the archetype it harbors, is the underlying organizing principle which renders constellations of collective unconscious impulses into recognizable and meaningful gestalts. It manifests through the ability to organize images and ideas in a way that may take the form of the numinous, which is in Jungs vision enriching and expanding the Egos perception (later in this essay I daringly refer to this kind of myth as a psychological myth).

Any connection/communication with the unconscious means an extension of man beyond his limited ego-self. For Jung this is definitely a step in the direction of individualization; the conscious dialectic relationship between ego (center of the conscious personality) and Self (the ordering and unifying center of the total psyche). A myth can be seen as a symbolic expression of this Ego-Self relationship (axis).Here of course is also the link to spirituality, the relationship between man and (his) Self, the central source of life, or in other words God.I think Jung recognized that myths are in a way mans gateway to his divine nature, the wholeness we seek to become conscious of. Primitive man unconsciously projected his inner world onto his external word. This doesnt work for more conscious, knowledgeable moderns. They need to re-discover their divinity by consciously experiencing their inner psyche in what they project into their outer world. In that sense modern man is not nave enough anymore to accept myth as reality and needs to learn instead to accept the archetypal qualities in himself and the world around him. The spiritual connection between man and his gods has changed; man can no longer project his inner psychic world into the heavens; he needs to integrate his inner psychic world into consciousness by accepting it as part of who he is. Spirituality has become about the human psyche, we now realize it is about how man relates to his Self. This makes the function of myth more than explanatory, it becomes existential. Myth served to connect human beings to the external world. It made humans feel at home in the universe; an essential, meaningful part of a greater whole (function c. making life meaningful). Still mythological ideas with their extraordinary symbolism reach far into the human psyche and strike a true answering chord in our inner intuitive being even when our reason may not understand it. Although modern myths still provide meaning, Jung notices that the external world lost most of its projected meaning as a result of de-deification, which renders it impersonal and mechanical. Meaning now seems to lie almost entirely within humans and their ability to intuit the meaningfulness that is (in Jungs view) inherent in the world. Jung and Wolfgang Pauli introduced the concept of synchronicity to describe this latent meaning which is independent of our consciousness. Synchronicity is the experience of the world as meaningful, myth an account of that experience. Jung suggests the study of mythology is useful in the interpretation of dreams and fantasies, especially for psycho-therapists (function d. Abetting therapy). The attempt at an identification of archetypes expressed by particular symbols in the products of a persons unconscious mind gives this client a broader view of his confused situation and helps him to integrate the strange contents of his dreams, associations or fantasies into his conscious life. In therapy it is often of particular importance to be able to transform a disturbing actual, non-changeable situation by transforming the way a client looks at it. Myths offer an perspective from a sphere of irrational experience that is known to make sense and proven to be useful. Myths and dreams. Jung takes dreams as the analogue to myths; both myths and dreams arise from the collective unconscious, connect unconscious to conscious and encourage us to pay attention to what arises. Jung considers dreams a more pristine manifestation of the unconscious (coming from the personal unconscious, not ordered and generally unintelligible and irrational) and therefore their interpretation requires less reconstruction than the interpretation of myths. Only archetypal dreams, identified by their mythical content, originate from the collective unconscious as myths do. Myths however are closer to the unconscious than dreams. Kinds of myths.

For Carl Jung, Archetypes form units of meaning that can be apprehended intuitively. Psychology, as one of the many expressions of psychic life, operates with ideas which in their turn are derived from archetypal structures and generate a somewhat more abstract kind of myth. A myth thus created is a living and lived myth, satisfying and indeed beneficial to a person of a corresponding temperament (in so far as they have been cut off from their psychic origins by neurotic dissociation). This kind of myth typically represents the relation between Ego and the unconscious: the possible synthesis of the conscious and unconscious elements of knowledge and action and the possibility of a shifting of the center of personality from the ego to the Self.

Another kind of myth is the personal myth (or private myth); the individual myth, distinct from the group myth. As Jung describes the psychological development in terms of the changing relation between Ego and Self, themes of myths in personal dreams (and other manifestations of the individual psyche) give us a source of information as to where a person stands in his/her individuation process. The creation myth could be considered another kind of myth. They convey mans need to explain his world with its natural phenomena. Also his concern for the basic things of his own existence and of the existence of the whole cosmos. Myth is (primitive) mans way to make the external world all right, or at least inhabitable. In that sense the creation myths are/were the deepest and most important of all myths. They are more abstract and impersonal in style than other myths and carry a certain solemnity for they describe the creation/birth of the whole world, universe even, and not merely of an individual. Wherever known reality stops, where we touch the unknown, there we project an archetypal image and eventually create a myth. The creation myth is an example of such a projection.We could call this kind of myth an explanatory myth or even an existential myth.In Jungs vision however, the creation of the world also symbolizes the creation of ego consciousness, making a creation myth fit into our former category of psychological myths.For Jung all myths are psychological; many religious myths, for instance the Christian myth about Jesus, are about mans life-long quest for individuation.He is concerned about the rupture between faith and knowledge, a symptom of the spit consciousness of modern man. A myth dies if the living truth it contains ceases to be an object of belief. It needs a new interpretation.Jung claims that it is his practical experience that psychological understanding immediately revivifies the essential Christian ideas and fills them with the breath of life. In this way our scientific knowledge and understanding coincides with the symbolic statement of the myth and bridges the gulf between knowing and believing.Actually, this is my personal experience too. I grew up with little belief in the Christian myth, but started to appreciate it when I learned to perceive its symbolic meanings and recognize its archetypal patterns. Myth is a historical document. It serves as a picture of the universe which, while it may be completely removed from our experienced physical reality, corresponds exactly to mans subjective or metaphysical reality. Mythology and its functionsMyths and primitives.Mythological thinking of ancient man can be compared to similar thinking in children. At birth for instance, humans are entirely unconscious; the consciousness of the distinction between oneself and the external world only slowly emerges.Primitive man did not yet distinguish himself from the world; he projected himself onto it and with that created myths about a world of gods.Jung says that primitives experience myths rather than invent them. If we see our small children experience their mythical worlds this could well be true. I admit that I experience the mythic worlds of my dreams, only in retrospect realizing that I invented them myself.

Primitive man impresses us strongly with his knowledge of nature which is essentially the language and outer dress of his own unconscious psychic processes.The human psyche contains all the images that have ever given rise to myths. Our unconscious is an acting and suffering subject with an inner drama which our primitive forefathers rediscovered by means of analogy in the processes of nature, both great and small. We moderns need to rediscover the unconscious by allowing ourselves to consciously listen to what it tries to convey to us. In order to find our way back to our true nature, and to nature in general, we need to consciously revive our traditional myths as living myths (dream them onwards) or create altogether new ones.

Mythology is the most archaic and profound record we have of mankind's essential spirit and nature. As far back as we are able to trace the origins of our species, we find myth and myth-making as the fundamental language through which man relates to life's mystery and fashions meaning from his experiences. The world of myth has its own laws and its own reality. Instead of concepts and facts that make logical sense, we find patterns of irrational imagery whose meaning must be discerned or experienced by the participant-observer. Discovering these patterns of meaning is what Jung meant by thesymbolicapproach to religion, myth, and dream.The mythic image is not to be taken literally and concretely, nor is it to be dismissed as 'mere illusion,' as often happens in scientific circles. Instead, we must approach myth symbolically as revealed eternal 'truths' about mankind's psychic existence about the reality of the psyche. 'Once upon a time' does not mean 'once' in history but refers to events that occur in eternal time, always and everywhere. Any myth is very much alive today. Every night in sleep we sink back into that source of all mythological imagery, the unconscious psyche the origin of dreams. Many of our games have their roots in mythology and much of contemporary art, literature, and film is shot through with mythological themes.In defense of mythologyCarl JungJoseph CampbellCris VoglerModern Uses of MythologyMythology in every day life

Ancient China: The TaoThe Tao that can be said is not the true tao.From India to China and beyond: BuddhismBuddhas life4 noble truths8 noble practicesBuddhism today6 philosophies of IndiaAtomism: Kapila, Atoms and the voidSankhya: MaterialismYoga: PatanjaliKarma and Varnashram DharmaVedantaBhakti4 VedasVedanta SutraUpanishadsPuranasMahabharataMahabharataShruti and SmritiCommentary on VedasGreat Epic Poem of IndiaContains Bhagavad-GitaBasic understanding of Castes and Social OrdersGeneral Idea of Hindu MythologyBhagavad-gitaTimeThe SoulGodKarmaThe UniverseKarmaJnanaBhaktiThe Puranas18 PuranasExtensions of the VedasStories and Mythologies Spiritual InstructionNatural commentary on the Vedanta Sutra

Hindu Mythology in PuranasContains Allegory and Metaphor for RealityMore subtle and inclusive than Christian or Greek MythologyPhilosophicalCause and effect, karmic reactions,MetaphysicsOntology, Epistemology, Morality and Ethics

Story and InterpretationSome are expert in story-tellingOthers in Interpretation of MythologyOthers excel as living, practical examples of life-styles and philosophies mentioned in the Puranas.Those who are great story-tellers, who can interpret the meaning of the stories on a deep level or who are living examples of the truth through their words and deeds can be gurus or spiritual teachers.India and other faithsIndia has never been converted to Christianity successfully.Parts of India were subjugated by Islamic Empire and forced to convert to Islam.India originated Buddhism and then rejected it.Puranic Mythology has shown itself subtle enough to withstand 250 years of concentrated theological and philosophical attack from the best minds of the West.Great Western philosophers from Schopenhauer to Wittgenstein to Carl Jung have been influenced by Indian schools of thought.Patanjalis yoga systemAsanasPranayamaPratyaharaMeditationChakrasMystic powersDeath and dyingOnenessKarma, jana, and bhaktiThree paths to the truthDiscussed in Bhagavad-gitaReal Structure of Indian social and spiritual lifeKarmaDharma and social dutySociety ConsciousnessVarna and ashramaSociety consciousness versus God ConsciousnessDharma and divinity

EpistemologyMeaning and epistemomology in Vedic philosophyPuranic mythology and vedic epistemologyWhy Vedic knowledge?How is real knowledge attainedImportance of guruWho is guru?How to find a guruBogus gurus, false prophets, and cheaters

JnanaSpiritual understandingAtma-jnanaParamatma-jnanaVedantaShankaracharyaPuranic Mythology and ShankaracharyaBuddhism and Shanakaracharyas Vedantic Version

Vedic OntologyAtma, Paramatma, and BhagavanJiva: conditioned and freePurusha and PrakritiSubjective evolutionSpiritual and material worlds, God, time, karma, soul, worldDeath, and afterlife

Three paths to the truthKarmaJanaBhakti

Purusha and PrakritiBrahma and SaraswatiShiva and ParvatiParamatma and JivaVishnu and LakshmiRadha and KrishnaReality is a thing plus its potentialMythology of IndiaRamayanaMahabharataPuranasFolkloreRegional drama and cultureMythology, Ontology, Epistemology, Spirituality realization and practice, guidance from guru, dedication in devotion, krishna bhakti

Krishna BhaktiHISTORY: Sampradaya, Chaitanya, Goswamis, Babas, Bhaktivinode, BhaktisiddhantaPrabupada, Swami MaharajaChaitanya Saraswat ConceptionShridhar Maharaja to today.PracticeSadhana bhakti and Raga-margaRupanuga bhakti and pujjala ragapath gaurava bhange.