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| Book Review |
| AYURVEDA AND THE MIND - The Healing of Consciousness |
| Author: Dr. David Frawley; Published by: Motilal Banarsidass; pages: 346; Price: Rs.250; Order from: Motilal Banarsidass, 41 UA Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi 110 007. |
| Dr. Frawley, a noted Indologist and a vedic scholar, considers Ayurveda as a priceless gift to the world. In the present volume he offers an in-depth study of Ayurvedic Psychology, its view of the Mind and its relationship with the Body and the Spirit. Ayurveda views the body, mind and spirit complex as one single entity and as such recognizes four primary levels of healing and gives specific methods for working on each. |
| The reader is first introduced to the basic concepts of Ayurveda. The three Biological Humors (Doshas) – Vata (Air) Pitta (Fire) and Kaph (Water) – as related to psychology form the basis for determining an individual’s physical and psychological constitution. The three Gunas, the primary qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas which in here in nature and determine the mental and spiritual make-up of everything in the Universe, is another concept which helps us to appreciate Ayurvedic psychology and probe deeply into our inner world. The Ayurvedic view of the mind is integral and intricate as "it is derived from the yogic wisdom of the past which perceived that the mind has the same basic structure as the universe". A product of energies of the gross Elements, the mind, its nature and functions, bears a close relationship to the subtler aspects of the Elements – air, water, fire, ether and earth. |
| Prof. Uma Erry |
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| © "Dilip" (Jan/Mar 2005) published by Sudakshina Trust (Regd.), Mumbai. Reprinted with permission. |
| Click here to view the full contents of the article. |