CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES Course Description and Syllabus

INSTRUCTOR: Carol Whitfield, Ph.D. SEM: Fall YR: 2009

COURSE: EWP 7510 Psychology of Advaita

UNITS: 3

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE CONTENT During the first part of the course, students will be exposed to the Vedanta teaching methodology, as traditionally taught in India. The intent will be to give students the Vedantic vision of the Self through the application of its teaching methodology. The second part of the course will focus on the psychology of : the nature of the mind, the mind’s relationship to the Self, the psycho-dynamics involved in the experiences of pleasure and pain, and the place of the unconscious in Advaita Vedanta. The final portion of the course will focus on the Vedantic vision of a psychologically and spiritually mature person and the means involved in gaining such maturity.

SUMMARY OF EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE The purpose of this course is to give students a traditional experience of Advaita Vedanta as a means of Self-knowledge as well as an academic understanding of the basic tenets of Advaita Vedanta, with emphasis on its psychology. The course is designed to be personally useful to students in their understanding of themselves and their psychology.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing the course, students will: 1. have an understanding of the basic tenets of Advaita Vedanta; 2. understand the psychology of Advaita Vedanta as described above. 3. have, it is hoped, a transformative personal experience through the insights gained by exposure to the teaching methodology.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES Percent of class time Exposure to teaching methodology and meditation 50% Discussion and process 50%

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION (Specify when due and percent contribution to final grade) Class attendance and participation 50 % Midterm process paper 20% Final paper 30%

LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION : MA and Ph.D.

ENROLLMENT LIMITATIONS : None

CLASS SIZE : Open

GRADING : Optional

PREREQUISITES : None.

REQUIRED TEXTS: Whitfield, Carol. (1992). The Jungian Myth and Advaita Vedanta . Unpublished dissertation. The Advaita Vedanta Reader Psychology of Advaita Vedanta Reader

RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHY

Atmananda, Swami. (1989). Sankara's Teachings in his Own Words . Bombay: Bharatiya Bhavan.

Balasubramanian, R. (1976). Advaita Vedanta . Madras: University of Madras Centre for Advanced Study in Philosophy.

______. (1988). The Naiskarmyasiddhi of Suresvara . Madras: University of Madras Radhakrishnan Institute for Advanced Study in Philosophy.

Bhagavat, H.R. Ed. (1952). Minor Works of Sri Sankaracarya . Poona: Oriental Press.

Chatterjee, S. & Datta, D. (1968). An Introduction to . Calcutta: Calcutta University Press.

Forman, R.K.C. (Ed.). (1990). The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy . New York: Oxford University Press.

Rambachan, Anantanand. (1991). Accomplishing the Accomplished: the as a Source of Valid Knowledge in Sankara . Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

______. (1995) The Limits of Scripture . Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

______. (2006) The Advaita Worldview: God, World, and Humanity. Albany: State University of New York.

Sankara. (1972). The Bhagavad-Gita with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya . Trans. A. Mahadeva Sastry. Madras: V. Ramaswamy Sastrulu & Sons.

______. (1972). The - Bhasya of Sankaracarya . Trans. Swami Gambirananda. Calcutta: Advaita .

______. (1965). The Brhadaranyaka Upanisad with the Commentary of Sankaracarya . Trans. Swami Madhavananda. Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama.

______. (1983). Chandogya Upanisad with the Commentary of Sankaracarya . Trans. Swami Gambirananda. Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama.

______. (1973). Eight Upanisads Vol. I & II . Trans. Swami Gambirananda. Mangalore: The Sharada Press.

Saraswati, Sri Chandrasekharendra. (1991). The Vedas . Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Satprakashananda, Swami. (1974). Methods of Knowledge According to Advaita Vedanta . Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND SYLLABUS

8/31 The Vedantic Teaching Tradition Overview of the course. The Vedantic teaching tradition. The guru-çiñya relationship. The fundamental problem: striving for wholeness, the cessation of suffering, union with God. Definition and discussion of Vedantic terms: Self- knowledge, bondage, liberation, meditation. Guided meditation.

Readings: Outline of the Vedanta System of Philosophy, pp.1-45 Advaita Vedanta and Self-Knowledge

9/7 Labor Day Holiday

9/14 Self-Knowledge: The Nature of the Self as Consciousness Teaching methodology: Differentiating the seer from the seen ( dåg-dåçya- ). The seer is different from the seen; the subject cannot be the object. The discovery of the Self as the innermost subject, pure consciousness. Guided meditation.

Readings: Dåg-Dåçya-Viveka, pp. 1-11 Kena Upaniñad, pp. 2-54

9/21 Self-Knowledge: The Nature of the Self as Free from Time and Change Teaching methodology: One thing cannot be dependent on another thing for its existence if it remains in the absence of the other ( -vyatireka ). The three states of experience, waking, dream, and deep sleep negate each other. Yet the Self remains in all three: the waker is the dreamer is the sleeper. Guided meditation.

Readings: Païcadaçé, pp. 1-5 Mäëòükya Upaniñad, pp. 175-219

9/28 Self-Knowledge: The Nature of the Self as Limitlessness One of the components of the Vedantic definition of the Self is änanda , which is translated as bliss or fullness. Traditionally, änanda refers to the expression of the limitlessness ( ananta ) of the Self in the mind. The relationship of limitlessness to positive mental states such as happiness, bliss, or joy will be discussed.

Readings: Advaita Vedanta: The Self, pp. 13-15

10/5 The Nature of God and Creation Teaching Methodology: The Self of God is the Self of the individual ( mahäväkya ). If the Self is limitless it pervades the creation, implying then that the creation has a Self. Vedanta views the creation as the mind and body of God.

Readings: Païcadaçé, pp. 122-125 The Universe, God, and God-Realization, Chapter 4, 5, & 6

10/12 Nonduality: All is the Self Alone Teaching methodology: the three orders of reality (satyam, mithyä, tuccham ). Nothing can be born of nonexistence; therefore, what exists cannot be born; what is born, then, cannot have an independent existence, but must rather have a dependent existence. Like the pot is dependent on the clay for its existence, similarly the creation is dependent for its existence upon the Self.

Readings: Advaita Vedanta: The Self, pp. 5-13

10/19 The Structure of the Psyche: The Mind The Vedantic model of the mind and the unconscious will be discussed. The mind includes the conscious thought processes of ego, intellect, mind ( manas ), and memory as well as moods, emotions, and affects. The unconscious includes subtle tendencies ( saàskäras) acquired in this life or brought in from previous lives.

Readings: Advaita Vedanta: The Self, 15-21

10/26 The Structure of the Psyche: The Soul The transmigrating soul. The theory of and reincarnation and its psychological implications will be discussed.

*** Midterm Paper Due ***

Readings: The Goal and the Way, pp. 174-215

11/2 The Psychodynamics of Pleasure and Pain The relationship of the mind to the Self. Moods, emotions, and affects: their relationship to Self-ignorance and Self-knowledge. The psychodynamics responsible for the generation of pleasure and pain.

Readings: Advaita Vedanta: The Self, pp13-15, 21-29

11/9 Emotional Maturity and the “Pure Mind” What is emotional maturity? What is the relationship of emotional maturity and mental equipoise to self-knowledge? Is Self-knowledge a state of mind that needs to be maintained? Is the Self present and available in an agitated unhappy mind? Why is there so much emphasis placed on “purity of mind” in spiritual traditions? What is the relationship of saintliness to enlightenment?

Readings: The Jungian Myth and Advaita Vedanta, pp. 178-235

11/16 & 11/23 The Means for Attaining Emotional Maturity What are the Vedantic sädhanas (spiritual practices)? What is the relationship of spiritual practices such as meditation and the practice of values (non-injury, truthfulness, etc.) to Self-knowledge.

Readings: The Jungian Myth and Advaita Vedanta, pp. 178-235

11/30 The Experience of an “Enlightened” Person What differentiates an “enlightened” person from a “non-enlightened” person?

12/7 & 12/14 The Therapeutic Implications of the Vedantic Understanding of Self and Mind How does the Vedantic vision impact one therapeutically in psychotherapy? What are the healing implications of this vision? How does it change the way one relates to emotional pain and suffering? How does it change the way one lives their life? How does it affect the therapist/healer in you? How does it affect the way you are with yourself and others?

*** Final Paper Due ***