READ ALL THIRD EYE STORIES

Mail to author

Sudhir Kakar is a novelist and a well-known figure in the fields of cultural psychology and the psychology of religion.

What does spirituality mean to you?
I am actually uncomfortable with the word itself. It is mostly a 19th century American concept, which then underwent all sorts of transformations, including through the New Age movements and so on.

To me, it is about a state of mind combining two factors: the “I” being relatively silent --- extremely rarely will it be completely silent --- and feeling a loving connection. This state of mind can manifest on a large spectrum. It can be about compassion, or tolerance in its most basic forms, and extend up to what the Upanishad describes as a moment when there is no distinction between you and me.

Do you believe you are guided and protected by a superior force?
There definitely is a force, but it is a very impersonal, much larger one. It is not about protection or guidance of my own self; the universe does not bother that much about me. But there definitely is something there connecting to me, and that I can connect to. I do not know what its exact meaning is, but I know it is there.

Do you believe you have a special mission or purpose in this life?
I do believe that life in general has a purpose, but my or your individual life do not have a particular goal. Life itself, the life force has a purpose, and we are used for it, like tools, without a clue of what this larger purpose is about. I feel too small to comprehend it, but I am definitely glad to be used for it.

... contd.