Freudian Theory

Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda. Detail.

PRESERVING oneself and one's lot in life is very often a good, multiple aim, and not to be overlooked and forgotten. As it is pointed out elsewhere, too strict ascetism fails, and if one forgets the aim of educating oneself, one goes amiss in one significant way as well.

Now for glimpses of basic Freudian thinking: According to Sigmund Freud, the id, the ego, and the superego interact:

1. The ID is often called primitive. It has to do with eating, drinking, eliminating wastes, and gaining sexual pleasure - the gratification of such impulses.
2. The EGO learns to consider demands of reality. It finds fit environmental conditions, and it becomes an "executive" of the sexual urges in time, if one lives long enough. The ego often mediates among the demands of the id, the realities of the world, and the demands of the superego.
3. The SUPEREGO, is the internalised representation of morals of society as taught by strong others. The superego develops in response to parental rewards and punishments through incorporating rigid, or parental standards into itself somehow. [Ebu "id", "ego", "superego"]

The ego should take the needed steps to preserve and bulwark the id and to straighten the superego as needs be. Cults may mar or thwart or derange a functioning ego in members, that is, they tend to frustrate. They can also be detrimental to rational handling of this and that. I would say that the Canadian Geoffrey D. Falk shows that all right in chapter 26, "... To a Nunnery", in a book he wrote after unpleasant experiences with Self-Realization Fellowship and trying to look deeper. The book is called Stripping the Gurus. [See the reference headed by 'Falk' below.]

For those interested in yoga and contemplation (meditation), this is a help:

1. Look into scientific studies of the contemplative experience first. Physiological, psychological and social (behavioral) changes may be seen. Changes of brain-wave patterns are specially interesting. In the light of present-day research, kriya has effects, but the best method of meditation - and the most studied method - is TM, Transcendental Meditation, informs David Orme-Johnsen. [◦Link]
2. In addition there are subjective reports. Many are positive, but seldom all of them. Postings on the SRF Walrus Board are much of this sort, and tend to furnish the least thought of kind of scholarly evidence, that is, anecdotal evidence. In other words, a handful of stories constitute no proof. There is a grave risk that such stories are one-sided, overly biased, and not representative, so this sort of evidence has to be handled with care.
3. One express good side of study first, before committing in any serious way, is a chance to maximise the odds of welcome changes and reduce very unwelcome stuff. By this one can draw benefit.
4. On the other hand, many participants on the supine SRF Walrus, once a large SRF-related Discussion Forum, have spoken of their deep, negative experiences. In part, this can be explained by wrong conformism that may stiffle and outgrow otherwise positive, budding effects of deep meditation. A problem is that good methods may be counteracted by conform strives, including cultish ones, and cults tend to limit, hamper and hinder the liberating effects of sanity-promoting yoga and meditation. Another problem is that of disappointments and ow-oo, in part due to unreasonable, high hopes in guru words who later show up to be rather bombastic and not accurate; in part due to changes in the profiling, methods and selected guru words by and by.
5. In general this site seeks to help others select sourced words that bring about a beneficial way of living - cream teachings, for example.

From a few letters

I have been reading . . . on your web site, and find them to be most provocative and correct. I particularly enjoy how you employ cartoons . . . and other "baits" to get the reader to think............the ultimate Zen koan. [. . .] - TA

Your site is profound, and just what I needed. Not just interesting, but the key to freedom, which I had been looking for . . . The Kriya key . . . you have explained that beautifully. - VB

Your writings . . . certainly are well researched! - DT