Introduction – The Basics

Let me introduce myself. My name is John Baxter. Why should you listen to me? For what it’s worth, I’m a retired psychiatrist and have been a practitioner of Vedanta for 10 years. The topic I would like to explore is: what place does modern psychology have in Vedanta and vice versa?

First, let’s get some definitions out of the way. Vedanta is an ancient spiritual system that promotes logical analysis of human experience with the intent of determining the nature of reality… emphasis on logic.  Why logic?  Because logic can convince us of something about which we aren’t clear.  When I run out of money, I may be unclear about whether it is best to take a handout or keep my pride and suffer silently, for instance. 

What does this have to do with psychology? Embedded in Vedanta is a profound understanding of universal psychological principles as they relate to individuals.  While Vedanta is not a psychological therapy or practice per se, it provides enormous psychological benefits because it creates objectivity toward one’s emotions, which allows us to manage unwanted emotions and thoughts to minimize conflict. Vedanta does not employ the labels commonly used in the mental health field…remember ancient.  Nonetheless, it covers many psychological topics using different terminology. So I will take the liberty to translate Vedanta into modern Psychological language.   

We need to be careful with words to keep from getting confused, but we can provisionally say that Vedanta is a psycho-spiritual science. 

Qualifications

It probably seems strange to think of spirituality as something requiring qualifications but Vedanta, like other sciences, requires certain qualifications.  This too is not optional. Vedanta requires an ability to discriminate, be dispassionate, and to control the mind and the senses.  How does one become qualified? Vedanta recommends a special methodology that cultivates these qualities.  Meditation in action (karma yoga), proscribed devotional practice (bhakti yoga), and the knowledge of the three basic psychological states of mind (three gunas yoga) are required.  More about these yogas (techniques) as we go.  In essence, Vedanta helps you adopt a lifestyle that produces a mature, clear, thinking mind.

What happens if you don’t possess these qualities? To the extent that you are not qualified, you are likely to misunderstand the teaching.  What can go wrong?  Vedanta describes multiple scenarios of distorted knowledge.  

You may think you are headed in the right direction, and when it becomes apparent that you’re not, you may become frustrated, angry, or even quit. You may develop a spiritual ego. How is that possible?  Maybe you have insecurity coming from a sense of inadequacy and a compensatory need to inflate your sense of self-importance.

Spiritual By-Passing

One common problem is called spiritual bypassing. Your life is so painful you flee into spiritual fantasies to avoid bringing the ugly parts of yourself to light. Fortunately, Vedanta will eventually prove to you that you have no ugly parts.  In the meantime, you are taught how to view all unwanted parts dispassionately. 

We are all born perfect but ignorant.

Ugliness is not knowing your innate perfection. – Vedanta

Another problem is a penchant to idealize your teacher (guru), a word that means someone who removes ignorance about one’s self.  Just as qualifications are not optional, a teacher is not optional.  Maybe there are certain things you can learn on your own in the school of hard knocks, but you can’t read your way to freedom from dependency.   You need help.  

Vedanta is a life science that encourages you to think of yourself as a student of life.  Students who lack qualifications are more likely to fall into the guru trap, which is caused by a power imbalance between someone who knows something special and someone who doesn’t.  Spiritual leaders are often needy immature dogmatic authoritarians, so students are inevitably subjected to various kinds of abuse.  Fortunately, once again, Vedanta has an answer for that; it encourages spiritual friendship, not glorification.  Friendship is a mature state of mind that sees both people as equals, obviating the tendency to abuse.  I think many psychological therapies would be wise to borrow this model. 

It’s not easy to accept the ugliness in ourselves. Vedanta encourages it as a part of the transformative process. What do I mean by that? When you meet yourself honestly, dispassionately if you will, you have an opportunity to turn what you perceive as weakness into strength. Alternatively, if you deny or avoid looking at yourself, you likely will continue to suffer the consequences. 

Avoidance and denial, which imply lack of self-love, are fundamental psychological principles as well. This may seem complicated and difficult.  I wish it was easy, but it’s not.  Courage, fortitude, and clear vision helps a lot to see where you’re going. Vedanta prescribes a clear path forward, but you won’t see it clearly if you are not qualified. To be successful, keep it simple.  Be patient…put one foot in front of the other.

The Opposite Thought

What role can modern psychology play in Vedanta?  Modern psychology has plenty of definitions of an unhealthy person because it focuses on human pathology and treatment.  If psychotherapy is practiced correctly, it’s possible to enhance your ability to become qualified.  How does that come about?  It helps you uncover and address  emotional blocks that make qualification for freedom from unwanted states of mind difficult…if not impossible.   What kinds of therapies make sense? While there are innumerable styles of therapy, I’m going to start with one example: cognitive behavioral therapy.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on a simple concept… that thoughts create feelings. Cognitive distortion equals negative thoughts, which equal negative feelings. Negative thoughts do not reflect reality. Emotional states such as depression and anxiety are the world’s oldest cons. What’s the solution? Correct your thinking. If this sounds familiar, it should. Remember the logical analysis of experience. Vedanta does much to correct cognitive distortion. In fact, Vedanta recommends using a technique called ‘applying the opposite thought’… how about that! Hand to glove. Seamless integration. For those interested in pursuing this style of therapy, David Burns’ Feeling Good Handbook is a good starting point. He elaborates on the concepts and provides many practical solutions using cognitive behavioral therapy. Even if it only helps to partially resolve such negative emotional states, it’s still a way to move forward.

So how to proceed? Let me propose some guidelines. If you’re in pretty good shape emotionally (the usual socially acceptable neuroses), start where we all start…with the practice of meditation in action (karma yoga).  Stay put and change your perspective. If you have more of an emotional load and Karma yoga doesn’t bring you into focus, consider adding psychotherapy. If you come in with a heavy emotional load, you may want to start with the initial Vedanta practices, adding psychotherapy and/or medication.  If you lose the thread of Vedanta, it’s probably not an intellectual issue, it’s more likely an emotional issue. So if you are suffering so much emotional disturbance that you are unable to sustain your focus, or you need to requalify because you’ve lost your way, consider psychological help. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask the teacher or  your fellow inquirers for help.  They possess a wealth of knowledge and are an invaluable aid in helping to sort things out.

Hopefully this discussion has been valuable and has provided thought for further discussion. I look forward to hearing from you. For those of you who are in the therapy community, we will create a blog site presently to discuss ways to integrate Vedanta into your practices. Let’s all learn together.