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Namah Yogic insights into human psychology

an equally mysterious self that we call as me this discovery. All that it requires is faith, a
and myself. Of course this sense of self grows faith that there is indeed a true Self and man
as we grow until we discover that there is not can discover It. It obviously implies also a faith
one self but many selves within us. These in those who have discovered before us, and
many selfs jostle for space and their respective there are quite a number. Lastly, it implies
expression in time. We become aware of also a faith in the Guidance of someone, a
them, first through thoughts and feelings and teacher or Master who has discovered It and
desires and impulsions and passions and all is willing to help us make this discovery.
that we experience as tangible and real within This triple faith as we can easily see is far
us though there are no immediate visible from any belief-system, cult and sect or
signs of their presence until we translate them creedal religions. These require us to simply
into actions and behaviour. But behaviour take whatever is given in a book or told by
is something external. We can also, with the someone as a gospel or a dogma without
help of another mysterious capacity that giving us any means or tools to ascertain it for
has emerged in man called self-reflection or ourselves. Yoga instead gives us a practical
introspection, go inward and discover what way to make this discovery and verify it for
lies behind this dance of thought-forms, ourselves. It starts with faith but ends up in a
emotional waves, push of passions, the sting rich and many-sided knowledge. Such a faith
of desires and the impulse to action. After as yoga demands is very much consistent
all, even thoughts and feelings are simply with Science and Reason. It is the starting
forms, forms of inner movements that are not point of all research. There is a working
immediately visible outside but are real to hypothesis, a statement of postulates based
the experiencing subjective person within us. on certain observations and then going about
However most of us hardly use this capacity verifying them by the means indicated by the
of self-reflection. Lost in outer fields of nature guide or the teacher. The only difference is
and surface movements we simply feel the in the field of observation. Science focuses
push of nature but know not the hands that largely on the outer field, the processes and
move it. Besides our education, including the phenomena. Yoga, in contrast, focuses
psychological studies, hardly focus on on the inner field, the subjective dimension,
teaching and learning self-reflection. We are on the state of consciousness behind the
stuffed with theories of human nature but we external behaviour. Yes, if we look within
are not given the skills through which we can and go inwards, not stopping at thoughts and
truly test these theories and also discover new feelings which are simply energy patterns, we
paradigms of understanding about human shall discover behind these inner movements,
nature. Yoga, in contrast, does not theorise states of consciousness which are the origin
much. It teaches us how to discover our Self, of what we think and feel and will and hope
the One Self behind our many selves, the true and desire.
and lasting Self behind the ever-shifting flux
of ‘me’ and ‘mine’. It equips us to make our Along with this ability to go within, there
own discoveries rather than taking them on is a third capacity in man. It is the ability to
the basis of belief in this or that person or shift the different elements of his nature and
theory. It gives us a practical method to make arrive at new combinations, thereby changing

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