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286 SPIRIT AND THE MIND
of maturity and immaturity corresponding to the developmental successes and failures experienced.
LIMITATIONS
Contemporary psychological theories are unable to show the relationships among many of our therapeutic practices. What is the relationship of the mentally oriented talk therapies of modern psychology, for example, to the physical postures and breathing practices of yoga, or to the subtle energy flows of acupuncture or bio- energetics, or to the non-clinical but nonetheless therapeutic devotional practices of spiritual systems?
Spiritual systems assert that the dynamics of the mind—the aspect of consciousness with which psychology deals—do not entirely apply to the vaster and more fundamental spirit from which mind arises. Very well, then adopting a spiritual perspective doesn’t necessarily mean giving up psychology’s theories and techniques, but in fact offers the possibility of making them more effective—by relating them within a more comprehensive system for understanding human behavior.
Let’s look at such a spiritual system. Following is an overview of Hinduism’s insights into the dynamics of consciousness. At first the words and ideas may seem a bit foreign—the material perhaps hard to believe. But I encourage you to approach it with an open mind, as we will soon find some interesting and important connections.
SPIRITUAL CONCEPTS THE KOSAS
The Vedantic4 concept of kosas (a layering of man’s consciousness) takes into account both Western and Eastern observations about man’s psychology and spirituality. Man lives in a body and has feelings and thoughts, but his essential identity is seen as timeless, Universal Consciousness called atma.
In this system there are five levels of consciousness to be traversed in order to reach the ocean of the true self, the state of total oneness. Each level is considered a sheath covering a more subtle level beneath it. By a constant contemplation of these kosas or sheaths, the spiritual aspirant attains the discrimination to advance from one to the next


































































































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