THE BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT JOURNAL
NAMAH is a pioneer, peer-reviewed, internationally indexed body, mind and spirit journal with an integral vision looking at the influence of the spirit or soul in psychology and health.Education in medicine
Incorporating Spirituality in Higher Education and Patient-Care: Innovative Practices
This article is an attempt to outline various innovative practices in education and patient-care implemented over the past two decades by the Sri Aurobindo Chair of Integral Studies at Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, and by the Pramukhswami Medical College at Bhaikaka University, Karamsad, Gujarat. These practices are deliberate efforts to raise awareness about spirituality and integrate it into mainstream educational and healthcare programmes. The practices mentioned are formal educational activities with a significant student participation. Read more...
Inner approach to health
The Myth of Self-Love
Contrary to popular understanding, self-love is only falsehood; it amounts to little more than self-interest. It does not support a true and sustained well-being. Seeking satisfaction in our personal wants is no foundation for progress. For that, we need to purify ourselves and our love. For practice, we have to climb the gradations of Love. At the summit, one loves for the sake of loving. One becomes it. This is the supreme state. Read more...
Growth
The Anatomy of Desire
Desires are products of ignorance and can cause enormous suffering if not dealt with sufficient wisdom. To handle them skilfully, especially in today’s instant gratification age, a fixed set of mental rules are not always helpful. The power of desire is such that these external rules can fail us any time. What can help instead is an impersonal observation of the whole anatomy of desire, a clear understanding of how it works within us and how it influences our mind and psychology. If we approach the problem in this manner, we can hope to negate its effects by taking intelligent decisions, minimising suffering for ourselves and others and gaining control over our lives. Read more...
Medicine and Health
The (Missing) Human Touch
In the race towards sophisticated medical systems, we have somewhere lost the human touch. Money and machines are the new lords now, rather than compassion and the personal touch. It is time to take a relook at our medical education and ask where we are heading. This article explores this issue of building healers rather than standardised medicine dispensing-machines. Read more...
Growth
The Blessing of Misfortune
34 — O Misfortune, blessed be thou; for through thee I have seen the face of my Lover.
If through misfortune one sees the face of God, then it is no longer misfortune, is it?
Obviously, far from being a misfortune, it is a blessing. And this is precisely what Sri Aurobindo means.
