Embracing Eternity

Abstract

This article presents the philosophical perspective on death based on the Vedantic worldview from India within a psychological frame of reference of the transactional analysis concept of the Cultural Parent. A model of ego states of a spiritually integrated person is described as an antithesis to fear of death. The Vedantic concepts of brahman, atma, yoga, karma, dharma, and satchidananda, which form the basis of an explanation of the Vedantic view of death, are explained. The implications of such a worldview on the practice of transactional analysts are also briefly discussed.

• death
• fear of death
• loss
• grieving
• Vedanta
• Gita
• Yoga Sutras
• spiritual integration
• spiritual contamination
• Cultural Parent
• psychophilosophical approach

Notes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

R. S. Geetha

Author Biographies

C. Suriyaprakash, BE, MBA, PhD, Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (organizational), is professor of human resources, Jansons School of Business, Coimbatore, India. He is also cofounder of Relations Institute of Development (www.relations.work.in), which offers organizational development interventions through training, coaching, counseling, and process consultancy. Suriya is an ongoing student of personality and leadership studies with special reference to Indian philosophy and ethos based on the Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta. Suriya is secretary of the South Asian Association of Transactional Analysts and president-elect of the ITAA. He can be reached at C6, Carthic Apartments, 63-5, Anna Nagar, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore 641045, India email: [email protected]; website: www.suriyasunshine.com.

R. S. Geetha, MBA, is founder of Ankur (www.ankuronline.com). She is specialized in human resource and information systems and is a psychometrician for Jung Type Indicator and 16 Personality Factor. She is an advanced practitioner of neurolinguistic programming and gestalt therapy and an advanced trainee of transactional analysis in the organizational context. Geetha’s experience lies in the fields of learning and development and organizational development. Her mission is to design and facilitate workshops that strike a chord in people and connect to their core self. She is also a teacher of yoga and an ardent student of the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, and Yoga Sutras. She can be reached at 4A, Krupalaya, Meena Estate, Sowripalayam, Coimbatore 641024, India; email: [email protected]; website: www.ankur-geetha.blogspot.com.