Volume 22, Issue 4

By Soumitra Basu - Jan 15, 2015

Does spirituality endorse an obliteration of the individual in the vastness of the Absolute? Indeed, the experiential contact with the Absolute is so overwhelming, awe-inspiring and total that individuality loses its relevance and what remains is only a cosmic vastness or an all-effacing transcendence. All material parameters of the illumined individual become insignificant in the vastness of the cosmic consciousness or in the eternity of the transcendence. That is why both Shankaracharya and Buddha advocated that ultimate salvation lay in the cessation from the cycle of death and birth, a movement eulogised in spiritual parlance as liberation. The spiritual illumination of the individual thus came to signify the dissolution of an ephemeral individuality.

By Soumitra Basu - Jan 15, 2015

Negative attitudes that go on repeating and ruminating actually invite negative consequences in life. The physical mind at the lowest end of the mind-range is characterised by automatic thoughts and needs to be enlightened by higher powers. A methodical discipline can break the impasse and enhance the receptivity to higher thoughts by invoking silence, peace and

By Jasmine Gujarathi, Dr. Ritesh Gujarathi - Jan 15, 2015

The post-menopausal period of a woman’s life is more vulnerable due to aging as well as the inevitable scars of menopause. This period is associated with a significant increase in the incidence of age-related medical conditions like cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in post-menopausal women is under-diagnosed and under-treated as the clinical features differ in men and women. Diagnosis at a later stage makes the condition difficult to manage and, as a result, there is an increase in the number of deaths in post-menopausal women due to heart-related conditions. Reviewing Āyurvedic literature to understand the disease reveals andvaata as conditions near to post-menopausal cardiac disorders. Use of phytoestrogens in managing various post-menopausal complications encourages extensive use of herbs like Śatāvari in preventing and managing life-threatening diseases like cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

By Unknown Author - Jan 15, 2015

It requires courage and conviction to break conventions. Dr. Natalie Tobert has achieved that feat in her quest to understand the interaction of healing traditions and modern medicine that exists in a vibrant way in mental health practices in India. It is significant that she chose India for her fieldwork for in no other country would she have got such a rich diversity of cultural and spiritual approaches. China has a larger population but lacks the huge cultural, linguistic, religious and spiritual diversity and variability of India. This has made the present work very rewarding.

By James Anderson - Jan 15, 2015

True happiness can be a matter of internal organisation and embarking on the path of yoga facilitates this process. During this passage, one soon discovers that surface concerns can no longer make one happy. A deeper, richer happiness gradually emerges but the transition is often very difficult. The author recounts some experiences.