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>From: pvr@doc.ic.ac.uk (Venkat P. Reddy)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,sci.philosophy.meta
Subject: On Study of Human Experiences and Introduction to Raja Yoga
Keywords: Human experiences, Human personality, Sceince, religions, consciousness, personality,
 soul, God
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Date: 18 Jun 92 17:28:53 GMT
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ON STUDY OF HUMAN EXPERIENCES AND  INTRODUCTION TO RAJA YOGA 

	The gamut of human experiences is a great wonder, which we have been
attempting to understand for the betterment of our lives. But, due to historical 
reasons, we have come to separate our human experiences into the categories: 
1. Physical domain and 2. Spiritual domain. Accordingly, we have the disciplines
of science and the disciplines of spirituality ( mainly religious ). In  modern 
times, without much questioning, we have been readily accepting  such separation 
of the disciplines,  in spite of   both categories of experiences belonging to the 
same human personality. However, it seems that, we have a long way to go before we 
can provide ourselves with a single frame work in which we can understand and deal 
with all our experiences of  both domains. 

	Often, many practioners of science feel that they have nothing to do with 
the disciplines of spirituality for these do not comply with their paradigms of 
scientific thinking. On the other hand, there are  adherents of religion (not 
necessarily  every other discipline of spirituality ) complain that the scientific 
thought does not recognise their very beliefs in soul, God, etc. There exists a 
disparity between these two groups with regard to which of the two views is valid. 
This has lead to a separation between the orthodox followers of science and the 
spirituality into two different camps. Interestingly, our age old religions have 
not expressed  concepts like soul, God, etc. in the  terminology of scientific 
disciplines.  There has often been a tendency to use these words in explanation 
of and even in demand of moral and ethical codes. The meanings of these terms 
have been assumed to be known to  the followers. Similarly, those of the 
disciplines of science have always assumed to be right as to have  understanding of    
``the observer'' of the phenomena which are under their study. Thus, they have 
for a long time failed  to address  questions about  human consciousness, 
creativity and intelligence. 

 	Only in  recent times,  has there  been a considerable amount of 
scientific interest in these issues. It would be of great further interest if  
scientists could provide a basic model of  human personality that explains the 
position of scientific and spiritual practice pertaining respectively to our 
physical and spiritual experiences.  So far, scientific discussion in the field 
of neurology, or Rbrain scienceS, is unsettled. There exists, for example, an 
observation that even if half the human brain is removed, consciousness continues 
to be exhibited. There are even some quietly shelved cases of total deteration of 
the brain that still permitted full mental faculties to be expressed! This suggests 
that there the theory that human personality, if this be part of the consciousness, 
is not necessarily a function of the brain. In  literature on the philosophy of 
mind, there are also views expressed that human thought could be 
of a non-physical source. So far there are no controlled  verifications that negate this 
view, as far as the writer is aware. 

	In this context, I would like to bring to the notice of readers aspects of 
the study of Raja Yoga. RY is a mental discipline which provides a view of human 
personality based on the familiar concepts of soul and Supreme Soul (God).  It 
clearly defines these concepts in terms of their form, anatomy and features in a 
distinct  way. It also provides us the laws of interaction between souls and between 
souls and the Supreme Soul. This, in turn, provides us with a basis for the understanding 
of human personality. RY  views souls ( including the Supreme Soul ) as metaphysical 
elements  functioning according to their component parts such as consciousness, mind, 
intellect and memories.  RY goes on to provide us with  a single and holistic view 
of human personality in which the understandings of all our scientific and spiritual 
experiences  fit together in a single frame work.  

 	Hence, RY could be a subject of casual interest to those who have an 
interest in any one of the related disciplines like the Philosophy of Mind, 
Foundations of Human and Artificial Intelligence, Human Behaviourism, Cognitive 
and Neuro Sciences. 

	Secondly, RY could also be a subject of great interest to those concerned 
with comparative religion since facets of each religion are reflected in its 
holistic nature. It is itself not Ra religionS but an education. The concepts of soul 
and God, though intrinsic to its study, demand no worship. Religions change over time, 
bifurcating like the branches of a tree, into multiple, mini-disciplines. But, RY appears 
to be timeless, as valuable to us now as it was five thousand years ago. Before, I 
conclude,   a few things about RY,  which could be of interest to the readers, are 
mentioned below.

WHAT IS RY & WHAT IS IT FOR ?

	It is a practical discipline for positive thinking. It is used  to improve  
the powers of concentration but also the powers of relaxation. It is also  practised 
to acquire easiness, zeal, enthusiasm and other positive qualities to face our daily 
life situations. It  provides various creative techniques to counter the various 
negative tendencies, like laziness, negativity, tiredness, etc.

TECHNIQUE:

	 RY  does not involve any guru, ritual, chanting or  physical exercises.
	
	 RY has two main components: 1. Theory and 2. Practice. The first aspect of  
theory  covers, in simple terms,  the form, anatomy, qualities and the laws of the 
souls and the Supreme Soul; thus covering a basis for the understanding of human 
personality. The second aspect of the theory covers  details about the human world, 
cosmos and the relationship between these and human souls and the Supreme soul. The 
practice of RY is based on  thought exercises relating to the theory.

	Further details on RY can be obtained from the following centres of Brahma 
Kumaris World Spiritual University. The university is a voluntary social organisation
and offers all its courses free of charge at all of its centres. It has no affiliation 
to any religious and political group. 
	
	AUSTRALIA: 	The Brahma Kumaris
			256 Brunswick Street		Tele: 03 417 4883
			Fitzroy VIC 3065

	BRAZIL:		The Brahma Kumaris
			Rua Dr Estevam de Almelda 53	Tele: 11 864 3694
			Sao-Paulo SP 05014
			
	FRANCE:   	The Brahma Kumaris		Tele: 43 48 44 27
		        34, Rue Orfila, Paris 75020

	GERMANY:   	The Brahma Kumaris		Tele: 49 54 64
		       	Bornheimer Land Strasse 27
		       	Frankfurt/Main 6000

	INDIA:		The Brahma Kumaris
			25 New Rothak Road			Tele: 11 523 516
			Pandav Bhavan
			New Delhi 110005

	U.K:		The Brahma Kumaris		Tele: 081- 459 1400
			Global Co-operation House
			65, Pound Lane
			London NW10 2HH

	USA:   		The Brahma Kumaris		Tele: 565 5133
			41-30 Forley Street, Elmhurst
			NY 11373


