Science, Culture and Integral Yoga

Comments in sciy on The Lives of Sri Aurobindo Controversy

Debashish — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:25:52 -0800

THE LIVES OF SRI AUROBINDO CONTROVERSY

Corrections to textual excerpts of The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Peter Heehs

Prisons We Choose to Live Inside by Doris Lessing - an Introduction by Diane Christine

A Tale of Two Cities

Auroville Today Interview with Peter Heehs

Aniconism and Adequacy of Representation:

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism by Robert Jay Lifton

Partiality of Representation and Growth of Understandong Through Critique:

Explanation of my Stand wrt The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Debashish

Freedom of Choice and Social Governance:
Central Message of the Integral Yoga and Sri Aurobindo's Representation of Buddhism

Attention to Physical Detail and Darshan:
Spiritual Justification of Hurt Sentiments, East and West and Transparency of Motives:

The two sides of the anti-Heehs phenomenon- ringleaders and gullible followers:

How'd we end up in this Mess and How to Resolve It:

Force-Field:

Competing Visions of History in Internal Islamic Discourse and Islamic-Western Dialogue by Abdullahi A. An-Na'im

Hadith-Hurling, History and the "New Clerics" of Pondicherry:
The "Children of the Mother" and the Movement of Jah People:
Text, Reality, Interpretation:
The "Children of the Mother" and Gullibility
Interpretive Communities and the Illegitimacy of Foreclosed Interpretation:

Representing Swami Vivekananda: Some Issues and Debates By Makarand Paranjape

Hagiography and Biography: Individual and Social Matrix of Transformation and Fossilized Myths
Pre-empting Arguments of Academic Historians, Standardized Versions of IY and Contemporary Global Needs:
Spiritual Biographies: Bridging Cultures and Disciplines

Orissa court stays release of book on Sri Aurobindo (the next Satanic Verses -taindian news)

Fundamentalism, Propaganda and the Invention of Truth:
Loka-sangraha and the Reclamation of the Concept of Dharma-Yuddhah - A Quote from Sri Aurobindo

The Lives of Sri Aurobindo: the aggrieved victim by Rich Carlson

Obscuration of "the ashram" by a few ringleaders
Changing Texts of Sri Aurobindo and Access to Archived Materials:
Privileged Indian Birth and Access to Sri Aurobindo's Teaching:

The Greyscale Between Religion and Spirituality by Rick Lipschutz

What is Wrong with Religion:
Outpouring of Emotion and Personal Love for the Divine:
Personal Love for the Divine in The Lives of Sri Aurobindo

A Cultural Misunderstanding by Angiras

Institutional Standards, Diversity of Opinions and Growth Towards Integrality
Memorial Conservatism and Cultures of Progress
Asuras, Transformation and Moral Judgements
Language Use, Experience and Moral Judgements

The Strange case of Dr. M and Mr. S by Angiras

Postcolonial jazz and Pluralization of the Self
Human Singularity and Manichaen Divisions
What the Walrus Said: Orthodoxy, Heterodoxy, Pluralization and Sadhana
Larger Issues of "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" Controversy

Cultural History, Swadharma and the Integral Yoga
Theory of History and "Taking the Blame"
Tradition and the Integral Yoga, Secular and Occult Terms, Control of Representation
Respect for Guru, Freedom of Speech and Growth of Consciousness, Non-Interference
More "With the Grain" Than "Against the Grain," Public Opinion and Unpleasant Reactions, Secular and Spiritual Judgements, Self-Definition of Ashram
Religious Fundamentalism and Integral Yoga in a post-physical-presence-of-the-gurus era
Miracle-hungry Avatar Adulators and Darshan

Against the grain and With the Grain: A Short Review of "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by J. Kepler

Academic Debates and Authorial Engagement
Publisher's Choices and Author's Critique of Jeffrey Kripal
Ain't Nobody's Business

Reflections of an Evolutionary Activist: The Shadow of Fundamentalism in the Integral Yoga by Savitra

Transcendental Relations and Fanaticism
Enumeration of Attitudes to the Lives Controversy and "The Silent Majority"

The Core Problem by Angiras

Faith of Modernity and Challenging the Church of Reason
Addressing academia and doing yoga
Establishing a Possibility in the Terrestrial Buddhi

IYFunamentalism

A Call For Balance

LARGER ISSUES SURROUNDING THE LIVES CONTROVERSY

Jihad Vs. McWorld - the Introduction by Benjamin Barber:

Barber's analysis of "democracy" and Sri Aurobindo - particiaptory intentional communities and world government

Yoga, religion, and fundamentalism in the Integral Yoga Community by Lynda Lester:

Response to Ned - Human Freedom of Growth:

The Evolution of Discourse and The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Rich Carlson:

Postmodernism and the Integral Yoga - deconstruction and organized religion:
Postmodernism and the Integral Yoga - the postmodernist lineage and the historical evolution of thought
Postmodernism and the Integral Yoga - historicism and existential will - Hegel, Nietzsche and the postmodern lineage

Religious Nationalism and Transnationalism in a Global World by Mark Juergensmeyer

Sri Aurobindo's "A Vision of Science" - the Three Angels and the Answer that "pealed from our ancient hills":

Active Omissions: A Review of The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Manoj - Annotated by Debashish

Debashish — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:32:55 -0700

Techno-Capitalism and Post-Human Destinies - I

Debashish — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:03:33 -0700

Some relections on the continuing issue of techno-capitalism and post-human futures by Debashish Banerji. This is a first fragment highlighting Moishe Postone's commentaries on the late writings of Marx.

Larger Issues of "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" Controversy

Debashish — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:52:26 -0800

The Heehs biography controversy is unfortunately a symptom of a much deeper crisis in the Integral Yoga community, with future repercussions which are hardly optimistic. In this consideration of some of the larger issues involved, the editors of sciy and other concerned viewers of the phenomenon draw attention to what is at stake for all those interested in the Integral Yoga. These are only a few of the more serious ramifications. Readers are welcome to add their own concerns as comments.

Explanation of my Stand wrt The Lives of Sri Aurobindo

Debashish — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:45:03 -0800

Since some of my friends at the Sri Aurobindo ashram have expressed puzzlement at my stand against the "Brahmins of Pondicherry" in the matter of the book The Lives of Sri Aurobindo, I am copying here a letter written by me to a senior and respected member of the ashram. That the views expressed here are not "popular" is well known. But I am wondering how many others who have read the book share any of these views. I would encourage them to express themselves in the comments following this posting.

Techno-Capitalism and Post-Human Destinies III

Debashish — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:05:34 -0700

The concluding section on Techno-Capitalism and Post-Human Destinies by Debashish Banerji continues its second installment's reflections on the Omniscience, Omnipotence and Omnipresence presented to us as the emerging destiny of post-Enlightenment Modernity and compares this destination with its appropriation and supercession in the Neo-Vedantic teleology of Sri Aurobindo. What are the differences, dangers and promises of these destinies and what are the conditions for achieving an alternate destination? ...

Techno-Capitalism and Post-Human Destinies - II

Debashish — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:04:11 -0700

This is a fragment constituting a continuation of Debashish Banerji's reflections on Techno-Capitalism as the epistemic regime of modernity and posible post-human futures at the eschatological cusp of history. Here the alignment of Marx and Hegel with the Enlightenment vision/teleology is contemplated and questions asked regarding a comparative alignment with the Neo-Vedantic teleology (if it can be called that) of Sri Aurobindo.