Abstract
The final chapter contains discussion of Mahatma Gandhi’s life and the practices he championed as illustrative of the basic tenants of Indian psychology. Topics discussed include: (a) psychology in the Indian tradition, (b) meta-theoretical framework of Indian psychology, (c) spiritual aspects of Gandhian nonviolence, (d) satyāgraha and conflict resolution. Abhyāsa and vairagya, the twin principles of Indian psychology, find their full expression in the life and practices of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi. The contributions of Gandhi for promoting harmony and brotherhood of men and women around the world are arguably among the most consequential during the second half of twentieth century. Indian psychology has the ingredients to meaningfully understand such extraordinary persons as Gandhi. Gandhi’s satyāgraha assumes a spiritual component in human nature, and it is the appeal to man’s spiritual nature that brings about nonviolent conflict resolution. In Gandhi’s view, man is a composite of the beast and the human. We need to control the beast and cultivate the human by practice of nonviolence.
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Rao, K. (2017). Mahatma Gandhi: A Case Study in Indian Psychology. In: Foundations of Yoga Psychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5409-9_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5409-9_9
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