Product Description

The best and most accessible sampling of the psychological writings of one of the most brilliant and influential modern teachers of Eastern thought.

"When it comes to a 'greater psychology'-one which includes body, mind, soul, and spirit-Aurobindo has much to teach us, as is clearly and beautifully documented in the book you now hold in your hands... This book is surely the finest overview of Aurobindo's psychological thought now available." -from the foreword by Ken Wilber

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #885254 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-15
• Released on: 2000-12-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From Library Journal
"Consciousness is a reality inherent in existence," taught the Hindu mystic Aurobindo (1872-1950). He rejected Western psychology, which begins with individual conscious personalities viewing and reacting to phenomena external to themselves. Human minds participate in a continuum of Mind, of which the practice of "Integral Yoga" can make one aware. On the other hand, Aurobindo stressed conscious reality's involvement in all things material, and rejected claims that the material world is mere illusion. This dynamic Reality, which transcends we who are individual instances of it, this "greater psychology," is the topic of this systematically arranged anthology drawn from the 30 volumes of Aurobindo's writings. Dalal (Hidden Forces of Life, Growing Within), a clinical psychologist connected with Aurobindo's ashram, supplements the anthology with seven essays on the teacher's psychological thought and a useful, concise glossary. While Aurobindo's more popular texts (The Life Divine, Letters on Yoga) are widely available, this anthology offers a clearly organized introduction to his views and their relation to yoga practice. It offers a profound antidote to the individualistic psychology of the West.DSteve Young, Montclair State Univ., NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Sri Aurobindo Ghose (1872-1950) is considered by many India's greatest modern philosopher-sage. Classically educated in the West, Aurobindo spent the early part of his career campaigning for India's independence and later became one of the most revered figures of Eastern spirituality.

A.S. Dalal is a clinical psychologist and a leading scholar of Aurobindo's work.

Customer Reviews

A Profound, Comprehensive Intro to the Human Condition
Last summer, I stumbled across a Pema Chodron book. Thus, by serendipity, began my love affair with Buddhism and Eastern philosophy. Chodron's books are notoriously soothing and easy to read, perfect fodder for a blossoming Buddhist neophyte. Intuitively, I understood and experienced the healing power of the Buddhist outlook. It wasn't long before I graduated to more challenging material. I developed a particular interest in the Abhidharma and Buddhist psychology.

Several weeks ago, I bought "A Greater Psychology". Upon settling into the sofa for a good, long read, I felt that I was looking at an opaque mirror. The sentences flowed on and on endlessly, but I could not comprehend any meaning. I put aside the book, thinking at it was surely pure gobble-de-gook. However, I was nevertheless chomping at the bit to learn about Eastern thought, beyond Buddhism.

I picked up an amazing book by Dhruv S. Kaji, "Common Sense About Uncommon Wisdom: Ancient Teachings of Vedanta". Kaji's book seemed to start a little slow, but quite soon I became enthralled, as if I was approaching the last chapters of a great mystery novel. I had never heard of nondualism, and the unfolding concept answered some profound question I had never thought to ask.

Thereafter, I immersed myself in other Vedanta readings and similar material -- Easwaran's translation of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads; Torwesten's "Vedanta: Heart of Hinduism"; "The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi"; Wilber's "No Boundary"; Zimmer's "Philosophies of India".

So, last week, I pulled "A Greater Psychology" from my bookshelf, and started afresh. To my amazement, Aurobindo's writing metamorphosed from opacity and pompous wordiness to subtle, sublime profundity. Never have I encountered such an insightful description of the human condition -- a supremely lucid and all-encompassing treatise shedding light on every layer of consciousness from our lower animal selves to highest reaches of spiritual realization. As each new jeweled concept flowed from the book, I found myself nodding over and over, "Yes, that rings true in my experience" or "Yes, that idea fits seamlessly with my own understanding of what it means to be human".

I have often complained that someone took the "psyche" out of psychology. Our worship of the scientific method has tended to restrict our burgeoning knowledge to what is observable and what is measurable, even despite Einstein's legacy. So psychologists get steeped in statistics and experimental design, virtually ignoring the unseen motivations, emotions, passions, and cravings of the human -- and spiritual aspect of healthy psychological development is simply a taboo topic. Except for those trudging after Freud's tradition, even the unconscious is unmentionable.

To have available Aurobindo's comprehensive, experiential psychospiritual teachings is priceless. It puts conventional Western psychology to shame. The book will not be easy reading, even for those with a background in psychology and a strong familiarity with Vedanta and Eastern philosophy. But if you have the backbone for a fearless and arduous education in the human condition, all-inclusive, with guideposts to your own place in the cosmos, then I could not recommend this book more highly.