Conventional wisdom tells us that the paradoxical language of yoga’s ancient spiritual literature signifies Absolute Oneness; that despite any appearance to the contrary, we’re all One.
The Sanskrit word krishna has two meanings. It means the dark one. It also has another root and that is “karsha” which means to entice or enchant.
For the Bhāgavata School of Vedānta, Bhagavān is the divine perception of Absolute Reality as the Supreme Person intrinsically endowed (van) with opulence (bhaga) or sentient and insentient energy (śakti).
Among the many subjects that Bhagavad-Gītā (BG) is known for, one is the synthesis of the different Upaniṣadic yoga practices. Due to their terse and often cryptic style, the Upaniṣads’ discourse on yoga reads more like a gloss on the subject rather than an accessible exposition.
Past research has demonstrated to the ability of psychedelics to enhance suggestibility, and pointed to their ability to amplify perception of meaning.
The changes a woman’s body undergoes through her lifetime create natural rites of passage; each one offers an opportunity for spiritual growth.
We are now in a position where, aided both by contemplative neuroscience and neurotheology, we can state the axiom that the mystical is sui generis, while other religious events are sui generis only insofar as they are also mystical.
Scientism is not limited to reductionistic thinking about religion. It can corrupt our thinking about even the most elementary forms of living being.