GURU, GODMAN AND INDIVIDUATION

The article is basically an attempt to apply concepts arising from Carl Jung's understanding of the psyche to the devotee's experience of the guru as reported by devotees in a study of the guru-devotee relationship in the Akshar-Purushottam Swaminarayan Hindu movement, and to briefly compa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of religion
Main Author: Hutchinson, Brian (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: ASRSA 1991
In: Journal for the study of religion
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:The article is basically an attempt to apply concepts arising from Carl Jung's understanding of the psyche to the devotee's experience of the guru as reported by devotees in a study of the guru-devotee relationship in the Akshar-Purushottam Swaminarayan Hindu movement, and to briefly compare and apply these observations to experiences resulting from focus on the Christ-image and the 'Godman' in general. A brief outline of relevant Jungian concepts is given along with comments linking these to the experiences involved in the relationship to the guru or Godman. In particular an attempt is made to show that the pursuit of unity with the guru, which is experienced by his devotees as encounter with God, is at least similar to the pursuit of the state which Jung refers to as individuation. The possibility is presented of the projected Godman archetype being the common feature in the experience of God in all incarnational religion.
ISSN:2413-3027
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of religion