Curatorial Note: Somnath Hore-Ecstasy in Suffering (original) (raw)

Suffering as Play in Indian Culture and Scholarship

This essay will attempt a mystical Hindu and psychoanalytic interpretation of a trend in contemporary religious scholarly culture, as exemplified in the works of three recent authors. Increasingly it is recognized that scholarship lives partly within the realm of what it studies, and that the scholar must aspire to insight and experience as deep as those found in the texts and traditions s/he works with (Kripal, 2007). The fruits of scholarship can become a text in their own right, and it could even be argued that many religious texts began as learned commentary, historical narrative, or meditative reflection on a religious reality lying in some sense before or beyond them. Religious scholarship today lives in the cultural contexts of historical studies, psychoanalysis, postmodern theory, phenomenology, cultural anthropology and (increasingly) neuroscience, to name just a few of the worlds this work inhabits. It also lives in the context of the religious ideas of the tradition being studied, which for this paper will be Hinduism, and particularly Samkhyan psycho-physico-spiritual theory.

Varunyadav Essay Challenge of Human Suffering(Edited)

This essay attempts to explore the Challenge of Human Suffering. In the beginning, nature and types of suffering were discussed. Some empirical support was also referred to support the psychological and behavioral aspects of suffering. The distinction between pain and suffering was discussed. The means to achieve harmony within humanity were explained towards the end of the essay. This paper further explores the Indian philosophies such as Yoga and Ashram Vyavastha to support major points. As the topic provided an opportunity to delve into spiritual teachings, this essay also acknowledges cross-cultural philosophies such as Buddhism, Sufism, and Hinduism. This piece of writing has made a humble attempt to provide a basic understanding of Suffering from an academic bent.

Ecologies of Suffering

Economic and Political Weekly, 2015

This article proposes an "ecology of suffering" which mediates between the sufferer and the "clinic." "Ecology" refers to the network of forces acting on and by the people suffering and those around him/her. It is chosen to stress the mix of "natural," and "social" such as landscapes or air pollution. "The clinic" refers to what happens locally between the sufferer and mental health professionals attempting to actualise the National Mental Health Policy. The aim is to enhance a crucial, yet neglected, aspect of India's National Mental Health Programme: that individual mental suffering is related to a wide range of local factors.

AGONY ECSTASY: MY OMNIBUS

Brij Mohan by Himself Foreword by: Mark Hyde Assisted by Sonia Kapur, KS Soodan, and Usha Srivatava Published by iUniverse as Society and Social Justice : A Nexus in Review

The Cultural Psychology of Suffering: The Many Meanings of Health in Orissa, India (and Elsewhere)

Ethos, 2008

In this article, I honor Jerome Bruner's meaning-centered and person-centered approach to the study of cultural psychology by describing aspects of the cultural psychology of suffering in and around a Hindu temple town in Orissa, India. I also outline the ''big three'' explanations of illness (biomedical, interpersonal, and moral) on a worldwide scale and recount some of the many meanings associated with the word health, as in the English language survey question ''How would you rate your overall health?'' [cultural psychology; explanations of illness; meanings of health; Orissa, India] Jerome Bruner is famous for his meaning-centered and person-centered approach to the study of cultural psychology (see, e.g., Bruner 1986Bruner , 1990Bruner , 1993. 1 In this article, I seek to honor the life and work of my former teacher with a thickly substantive (and partly analytic) article on the many meanings of health for people in Orissa, India, where I started conducting research on cultural psychology while still a student taking courses with Jerome Bruner at Harvard University during the late 1960s.

Self and suffering in Indian thought: implications for clinicians

BJPsych Advances

SUMMARY The four main Indian religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism – have several shared concepts about self and suffering, which are salient to the world-view of the followers of these faiths. Understanding the concepts of mind, self and suffering in these faiths can help clinicians build better rapport and gain deeper understanding of the inner world of patients of these faiths. This article highlights the broad cultural and religious beliefs of these groups, with the hope that increased knowledge among clinicians might lead to better therapeutic engagement.

Ecologies of suffering: mental health in India

This paper calls for a framework linking what happens in the “clinic” to wider ecological forces, both material and social. The aim is to enhance a crucial, yet neglected, aspect of India’s National Mental Health Programme: that individual mental suffering is related to a wide range of local factors. The current India National Mental Health Policy, both radical and holistic (NHMP 2014) requires a cross-disciplinary approach to reinvigorate theory to bridge the gap between policy makers and practice (Jain and Jadhav, 2009). To ensure congruency between mental health policy and practice, a framework is required which integrates ecological, economic and social sciences as applied to mental health.