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The religious philosophy of consciousness of Sri Aurobindo

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dc.contributor.advisor Krüger, J. S. (Jacobus Stefanus), 1940- en Barnard, Andries Gustav en 2009-08-25T10:58:47Z 2009-08-25T10:58:47Z 2009-08-25T10:58:47Z 2005-11-30 en
dc.description.abstract In this thesis I examine the religious philosophy of consciousness of Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950). He was an Indian scholar, teacher, politician, writer and mystic who studied in London and Cambridge. In India he developed his spiritual being through Yoga. He wrote more than thirty books, which formed the main source of information for this study. Sri Aurobindo developed his cosmology using normal intellectual means and through experiencing profound supra-intellectual regions intuitively. For him, Brahman's desire to experience delight was the cause of creation. This prompted Him to cause a creation cycle through the process of involution and evolution. In His state of holistic unity and non-duality beyond space and time, he commenced the involution phase. He spawned Sachchidananda, a composite of sat (being), chit (consciousness-force) and ananda (bliss). These are the cardinal constituent elements of all creation, material and spiritual. From Sachchidananda, Supermind, the first aspect of the Supreme that contained elements of duality, originated. Then followed Overmind, Intuitive Mind, Illumined Mind, and Higher Mind, with all these being domains of being and consciousness. This culminated in a state of Inconscience, a dormant state of utter nescience. Regardless, it paradoxically contains all that Brahman is. From the inconscient evolution starts. The first phase is the manifestation of Matter. This, which too has all of Brahman inherent in itself, produces Life, and then Mind. This implies different life forms, including humans. Evolution of all that is, including humans, is upwards, back towards Brahman, in an inverse order to that of involution. Humans possess or are consciousness. Sri Aurobindo mentions and explains the various ordinary states of consciousness namely nescience, inconscience, subconscience, intraconscience, circumconscience, superconscience, sleep, dream, and waking state, samadhi and cosmic consciousness. In addition, inherent in humans is the ability and the task to develop the various higher states of consciousness found in the various phases of the involution. This starts with the development of the psychic being or soul, which is spiritual in nature, and the growth of the higher domains of consciousness. This constitutes the spiritual evolution of mankind which culminates in spiritual perfection, in the return to Brahman. en
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (290 leaves : ill.)
dc.language.iso en en
dc.subject Consciousness en
dc.subject Creation en
dc.subject Emanation en
dc.subject Evolution en
dc.subject Indian Philosophy en
dc.subject Indian Religion en
dc.subject Integral Yoga en
dc.subject Involution en
dc.subject Mysticism en
dc.subject Ontology en
dc.subject Psychic Being en
dc.subject Sri Aurobindo en
dc.subject.ddc 181.4
dc.subject.lcsh Ghose, Aurobindo, 1872-1950
dc.subject.lcsh Brahmanism
dc.subject.lcsh Hindu philosophy
dc.subject.lcsh Ontology
dc.subject.lcsh Mysticism -- India
dc.title The religious philosophy of consciousness of Sri Aurobindo en
dc.type Thesis en en
dc.description.department Religious Studies and Arabic en D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies) en

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    Electronic versions of theses and dissertations submitted to Unisa since 2003

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