David Frawley

Ayurveda and the Mind - The Healing of

Consciousness
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Ayurveda and the Mind - The Healing of Consciousness
of David Frawley
Publisher: Lotus Press

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 PREFACE

A yurveda is the extraordinary mind-body medicine

of India with its great yogic spiritual tradition, a
tremendous resource for bringing wholeness to all
levels of our existence. It is one of the world's oldest
and most complete systems of natural healing, containing
great wisdom for all humanity that all of us should know.
The present volume examines the psychological aspect
of Ayurveda, which is probably the most important part of
the system and the least understood. This book goes into
the Ayurvedic view of the mind and its relationship with
both body and spirit, which is profound and intricate. It
outlines a comprehensive Ayurvedic treatment for the
mind, both for promoting health and for dealing with dis-
ease, using diverse methods from diet to meditation.
These teachings derive from classical Ayurvedic texts,
which commonly contain sections on the mind and its
treatment. They also relate to yogic teachings, from which
Ayurveda derives its view of consciousness and many of its
modalities for treating the mind. However, I have not only
examined the traditional psychological teachings of
Ayurveda, I have also tried to make them relevant to the
modern world. Ayurveda, as the science of life, is not a
frozen science but one that grows with the movement of
life itself, of which it partakes.

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Excerpt from Dr. David Frawley: Ayurveda and the
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Plan of the Book
This book does not require that the reader possess prior
knowledge of Ayurveda, though this is certainly helpful. It
introduces the basic factors of Ayurveda, like the biologi-
cal humors (doshas), particularly as related to psychology.
On this foundation, however, the book does go deeply into
its subject. It aims at providing the reader with sufficient
knowledge to use the information and techniques of
Ayurveda to improve his or her own life and consciousness
on all levels. It is not simply introductory in nature and
should be relevant to psychologists and therapists as well.
I am not going to apologize for producing a more technical
book on Ayurveda than the beginning reader might
understand. There are already a number of introductory
books on Ayurveda that can be examined for those who
require this. Now there is a need for more advanced books
to unfold this important subject further. Something of the
depths of Ayurveda needs to be revealed to complement
the general introductions now available.
This book is divided into four sections, followed by an
appendix:
Part I. Ayurvedic Psychology: Yogic Mind-Body
Medicine
Part II. The Energetics of Consciousness
Part III. Ayurvedic Therapies for the Mind
Part IV. Spiritual Applications of Ayurvedic
Psychology: The Paths of Yoga
Appendices

The first section explains the Ayurvedic view of the

mind and body and how they function. It begins with the
basic material of the three gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas),
the three biological humors (Vata, Pitta and Kapha), and

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the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether), show-
ing their relationship with the mind. It also explores the
nature and functions of the mind in a general way from an
Ayurvedic perspective.
The second section continues with an in-depth exami-
nation of the different functions of awareness through con-
sciousness, intelligence, mind, ego and self. This presents
a deeper and more detailed understanding of the mind
than in modern psychology, examining all layers of the
mind from the subconscious to the superconscious.
In the third section of the book, we examine various
Ayurvedic therapies for the mind. These begin with
Ayurvedic counseling methods and the Ayurvedic view of
how to treat the mind. Therapies are twofold: outer and
inner. Outer therapies are linked with physical modalities
like diet, herbs and massage. Inner therapies work through
impressions and consist mainly of color, aroma and mantra
therapies.
The fourth section of the book deals with spiritual and
yogic practices from an Ayurvedic and psychological per-
spective and summarizes and integrates all the therapies
given in the previous section. This allows us to use the
wisdom of Ayurveda not only for physical and mental
health, but also for spiritual growth. The appendix con-
tains various tables on the functions of the mind and their
correspondences. Footnotes, glossaries, bibliography and
index follow at the end.
The material in Ayurveda and the Mind reflects and
builds on that presented in my previous books. There is a
chapter on Ayurveda and the mind in my book Ayurvedic
Healing: A Comprehensive Guide. The nature of conscious-
ness, from a more spiritual and meditative perspective, is
examined in Beyond The Mind. The present volume falls in

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between these two books. It has points in common with
Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses: Spiritual Secrets of
Ayurveda, which deals with the chakras and the energetics
of the subtle body. The reader can look into these books for
more information on the greater system of which this book
is but a part.
It is my wish that this book will stimulate more
research into the psychological side of Ayurveda and its
interface with the science of Yoga. This will add an impor-
tant new dimension in health and human understanding
for the coming century.

May the minds of all beings find peace!

May all the worlds find peace!

Dr. David Frawley

(Vamadeva Shastri)
October 1996

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Excerpt from Dr. David Frawley: Ayurveda and the
Mind - The Healing of Consciousness
 David Frawley
Ayurveda and the Mind - The Healing of
Consciousness

360 pages, pb
publication 1997

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