As forms are perceived by the eye and the eye is perceived by the mind, the mind is perceived by consciousness. Although visual forms appear variously, all such qualities appear as a unity to the mind which we call “vision”. Consciousness illumines and unifies all mental states. Therefore, it is the source of the intuition of wholeness.
Think of vision, the mind and consciousness as concentric circles. All the objects of vision are unified by the field of vision. The field of vision is unified by the mind. The mind is unified by consciousness. Consciousness is the one without a second—the circle who’s center is everywhere and who’s circumference is nowhere.
The world is the wheel of God, turning round And round with all living creatures upon its rim. The world is the river of God, Flowing from him and flowing back to him.
On this ever-revolving wheel of life The individual self goes round and round Through life after life, believing itself To be a separate creature, until It sees its identity with the Lord of Love And attains immortality in the indivisible whole.
SHVESTASHVATARA The Faces of God
Vedanta perfectly integrates metaphysics and individual psychology.
Rationalists have tended to see the imagination as irrational. This results on a philosophy that is one sided. The esoteric philosophers discriminate the imaginal from a he imaginary. The latter is speculative, conjectural and often frivolous. The former is what Jung calls “the spirit of the depths” in contrast to “the spirit of this time.” The spirit of the depths rules, everything contemporary from below the surface. The spirit of this time would like to use the spirit of the depths. But that’s not how it works. Real power is within the depths. “ “The spirit of the deaths as subjugated all pride and arrogance to the power of judgment.” It takes all knowledge and understanding and places them at the service of the inexplicable and paradoxical.
Intellectuals are discussing the meaning crisis. The imaginal is as close as the mind can get to the center of reality which is the generator of all meaning. It’s why you are energized by writing novels. The meaning crisis can only be solved through reconnecting to the imaginal.
The colloquial connotation of ‘imaginary’ is ‘not real’ whereas ‘imaginal’ represents an alternative view. The possibility of alternative views calls ones own view into question. Hence, skepticism.
Meno’s paradox was solved by innate ideas. Jung called them archetypes. From a third party perspective they’re cognitive structures. Like AI algorithms.
From another standpoint, in an infinite universe there is always more to know about everything. Technological capitalism has jaded our appreciation of everything except ease and convenience. Kierkegaard wanted to make stuff harder.
Between those two possibilities, there’s plenty of cause for skepticism.
Since no-one answered my question, investigating this line of thought, I have since found it has significant resonance with various Hindu (Sanātana Dharma) traditions and broader Vedic cosmology. While much of this ventures into the realm of mythic time and symbolic narrative, Sanātana Dharma offers frameworks that seem to align with the idea of cyclical time, forgotten epochs, and the preservation (or re-communication) of eternal truths after cosmic or civilizational upheaval.
“Sanathana Dharma: The Eternal Quest for Truth” (2024) authored by Dr. P. S. Aithal and Dr. S. Ramanathan, explores comprehensively the multifaceted aspects of Sanātana Dharma in Chapter 6, titled “The Concept of Time and Creation.” Sanathana Dharma The Eternal Quest For Truth (PDF) Full | Kings Ridgec OFC
In Hindu cosmology, time is not linear but cyclical. The universe undergoes vast repeating cycles known as Yugas:
Satya Yuga (Golden Age) – a time of truth and enlightenment.
Treta Yuga
Dvapara Yuga
Kali Yuga – our current age, marked by moral and spiritual decline.
Each cycle lasts hundreds of thousands of years, and the complete cycle (Maha Yuga) repeats over and over again across even vaster cosmic cycles called Manvantaras and Kalpas.
The Implication is that ancient wisdom (the Eternal Dharma) may be viewed not as originating in one historical moment, but as re-emerging or being restored after each civilizational fall. This maps onto the idea that advanced knowledge preceded known history, was partially lost, and then reintroduced.
2. Shruti and Smriti — “Heard” Knowledge
The Vedas are considered Shruti — that which was heard, not invented. This implies that the knowledge was already present, perhaps in some cosmic substratum, and was simply perceived or received by ancient Rishis (seers) in states of deep meditation.
This supports the idea that the Vedic knowledge system may precede recorded history — not created in time but remembered or re-accessed. This “eternal” quality is mirrored in the Sanātana Dharma name itself.
3. The Role of Rishis and Divine Communicators
Post-cataclysmic transmission of knowledge is a key theme. After deluges or cosmic collapses (like the story of Manu and the flood, which parallels Noah), a few survivors — often sages or chosen figures — are said to have preserved or reestablished dharma.
Manu is the progenitor of humanity in Hindu mythology and is warned of the flood by Matsya, a form of Vishnu.
This theme of divine instruction to restore order reappears in almost every Yuga transition.
This suggests the idea of sacred knowledge being passed to a “primitive” humanity by higher beings, whether gods, avatars, or enlightened sages. Some interpret these beings not literally as deities, but as members of a forgotten advanced civilization, or spiritual entities in a more symbolic sense.
4. Megalithic and Lost Civilizations
Many have noted the disconnect between certain ancient architectural feats and the presumed technological capabilities of the people credited with them. Within Hindu tradition, ancient cities like Dwarka, believed to have been Krishna’s city, were long thought mythological but have been partially discovered undersea off the coast of Gujarat, showing unexpected urban sophistication.
Likewise:
Rama’s Bridge (Rama Setu) between India and Sri Lanka was long dismissed as myth but has geological and possibly man-made elements.
The Mahabharata and Ramayana contain descriptions of cities, flying machines (vimanas), and weapons of tremendous power.
Some believe these are echoes of a time when a more advanced civilization existed — either real or archetypal — again hinting that human history, or its perception, is incomplete.
5. Dharma as Eternal Principle
The term Dharma is often misunderstood as simply “religion” or “law.” In Sanātana Dharma, it represents the inherent principle of order, rightness, and truth that governs the cosmos and individual life.
It is not created but discovered or aligned with.
It can be lost, distorted, or ignored — especially in Kali Yuga — but never destroyed.
Thus, the idea that Eternal Dharma pre-existed civilization or even humanity aligns with the suggestion that it could have been rediscovered or reintroduced after global upheavals.
So, there is support within Sanātana Dharma — symbolically, mythologically, and philosophically — for the idea that:
Knowledge of an eternal order (Dharma) transcends time.
Human history may be punctuated by cycles of advanced civilizations rising and falling.
Ancient scriptures reflect not merely primitive metaphors but possibly echoes of real, though forgotten, realities.
The wisdom was possibly preserved or re-communicated after catastrophes by beings regarded as gods or sages.
So they were talking about eternal laws which govern life and how we can be in tune with them.
Right now—whether you’ve been to school or not, whether you’re a great scientist or not—you’re still complying with all the physical laws on this planet. Otherwise, you couldn’t sit here and exist.
Similarly, there are other kinds of laws—not physical in nature—that govern the life process within you. They identified these and said, “These are the laws which govern one’s life.”
But over time, every enthusiastic person who came from generation to generation went on adding their own stuff—according to the necessity of the day, or the necessity of some vested interest. In so many ways, this has happened. All kinds of people added many things.
But essentially, Sanātana Dharma is just this:
Sanātana Dharma identifies that a human being cannot rest. Do what you want—he cannot rest—because he longs to be something more than what he is right now. You cannot stop it. You can teach him any kind of philosophy, but you cannot stop it.
Whoever he is, he wants to be a little more than who he is right now. And if that “little more” happens, he will seek a little more again. So if you look at it, every human being, unconsciously, is longing to expand in a limitless way. Every human being is, in that sense, unconsciously looking for a boundless nature or limitless possibility.
In other words, every human being—knowingly or unknowingly—has an allergy to boundaries.
When you threaten his existence, his instinct of self-preservation will build protective walls. But the same walls of protection, when there’s no external threat, he immediately experiences as walls of self-imprisonment.
So they recognized this, and said: Every human being is longing for the limitless.
So the first thing you must do, the moment a child becomes reasonably conscious—the very first thing you must put into the child’s mind—is:
Your life is about mukti, about liberation.
Everything else is secondary, because the only thing you’re truly longing for is to expand in a limitless way. There is something within you that can’t stand boundaries.
So then, what are the things you should do to move in that direction?
They set up simple rules: If you do this, this, and this—you will naturally move in that direction.
You can’t call this a religion, okay?
Because this is a place where you’ve been given the freedom: You can even make up your own god.
So the goal of life is liberation from samsara—the cycle of birth and death. Positively stated it is the realization of your true identity as the changeless one behind all change.
“The prerequisite for a good marriage, it seems to me, is the license to be unfaithful,” declared celebrated Swiss shrink Dr. Carl Jung in a letter he wrote to Sigmund Freud in 1910.
Before taking a psychiatrist’s theories on human beings and their behavior as gospel, is it worth taking a look at the actions and character of the man?
The context of Jung’s comment reflects his evolving views on human psychology, particularly concerning the complexities of personal relationships and societal norms. During this period, Jung was increasingly exploring ideas that diverged from Freud’s theories, delving into concepts like the collective unconscious and the symbolic aspects of the psyche. His provocative statement about marriage can be seen as an expression of his belief in the necessity of acknowledging and integrating the multifaceted nature of human desires and behaviours rather than repressing them to conform to societal expectations.
This perspective aligns with Jung’s broader approach to psychology, which emphasized the importance of individuation—the process of becoming aware of oneself as a unique individual—and the integration of various aspects of the self, including those that might be considered socially taboo. By suggesting that a “license to be unfaithful” could be a prerequisite for a good marriage, Jung was likely challenging conventional moral standards and advocating for a more honest and holistic understanding of human relationships.
Before you attempt character assassination, you should look deeper. You seem like a denunciant, the worst kind of person in a community.
What did Jesus say? “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
How many wives and concubines did that great father of faith Abraham have? What about that great paragon of wisdom, Solomon? The book of Ecclesiastes and most of the Book of Proverbs are attributed to him? If those books are worthless because of Solomon’s immorality, why are they in your holy Bible? Have you considered that you may be able to find something valuable in Solomon’s teaching without adopting his lifestyle? Perhaps the same is true of Jung. Like everything, including the Bible, Jung’s theories should be read with discernment.
He also said there are two types of judging.
Condemning and evaluating.
Evaluating another’s behavior as wrong - as in Jung’s case.
He was a cantankerous misanthrope. Even without his terms (introvert, extrovert) we could make do with shy verus outgoing. His misogyny and lack of empathy he showed towards his own family, should be taken into consideration when evaluating the value of his theories. If he had been in the field of physics, literature or economics, judging his work by the character he showed in his personal life would be far less relevant.
No one who has read about Jung thoroughly would deny that he was a complex eccentric character with a dark side. But misanthrope seems too harsh a label. Many close associates and patients testified to how he had helped them psychologically. And he documented the importance of religious faith to the mental health of his patients during a period of history when religion was under attack by Freud and others. He was a tireless explorer of the human soul during a period of history in which materialist reductionism held sway in psychology. Have you read his autobiography and other works?
Jung could definitely be argumentative and strong-willed. He wasn’t afraid to challenge prevailing norms or stand his ground against colleagues — including breaking from Freud over deep philosophical and psychological differences. But Jung was deeply interested in the human psyche, mythology, spirituality, and the collective unconscious — all of which suggest a deep curiosity and concern for the human condition. He spent much of his life helping people through analysis and encouraging them to confront their inner lives and potential for transformation. That doesn’t scream “misanthrope” to me.
Jung was definitely an introvert — the fact that he helped popularize the concept of introversion and extraversion makes it fairly clear that he’d be pretty self-aware about his own temperament. The designation “Prickly mystic” captures a lot. He was someone with depth, with a bit of a thorny exterior, not always easy to approach, but fundamentally driven by a desire to understand the soul — both his own and humanity’s. He wasn’t a social butterfly, and he wasn’t trying to win people over with charm. But he also wasn’t cynical or misanthropic — just wary of superficiality and the crowd mentality.
In the difficult time after the separation from Sigmund Freud, Jung began an experiment with himself, which later became known as a “dealing with the unconscious”. During this time, he went on several trips, including the Pueblo Indians Neu-Mexico’s, in the oasis cities of North Africa and the Bush savannah of East Africa. For many years he held his fantasies, which he later called “active imaginations” as notes and sketches in “black books” (notebooks) which he later revised, added to his reflections and, together with illustrations in calligraphic script, transferred them to a red -bound book that he titled simply as “Liber Novus.” I have prints from that work.
In Memories, Dreams, Reflections, often described as Jung’s ‘psychological autobiography’, while it doesn’t go as deep into the symbolic madness of Liber Novus, it does offer profound glimpses into his inner life — childhood memories, dreams, near-death experiences, spiritual reflections, and of course, his break with Freud. What was compelling for me is how he uses personal narrative to explore the collective psyche. Even when he’s describing his own life, he’s really exploring the symbolic structure of the human experience — archetypes, synchronicity, the Self, individuation. He saw his own journey —and possibly the lives if all of us—as one expression of something universal.