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February 21 - Dr. J. Glenn Friesen |
Dr. J. Glenn Friesen
February 21, 2003
Jung, Ramana Maharishi, and Eastern Meditation
Was Jung a Mystic? What is the relation between Jung's idea of the quest for the Self, and the desire to reach Brahman or Nirvana in Eastern meditation? Jung said that he chose the term “the Self” in accordance with Eastern philosophy and the Upanishads. In what sense is the Self the God-image within us? Dr. J. Glenn Friesen will compare some of Jung’s ideas with the life and teachings of Ramana Maharishi, a 20th-Century Hindu guru of advaita (non-dualism). Jung visited India in 1938. Jung chose not to visit Ramana, but he was certainly aware of Ramana and he later wrote about Ramana’s teachings. Dr. Friesen will relate the ideas of Jung and Ramana in a new way that may surprise both Jungians as well as devotees of Ramana. A comparison will also be made with Jung’s lectures on Kundalini yoga, and to Jung’s discussion with the Zen Buddhist, Hisamatsu.
Dr. Friesen lives in Calgary and is writing a book on Jung and Ramana. He has graduate degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies; he has also practiced law for many years. Dr. Friesen has taught university courses in Philosophy, Eastern Religions, The Nature of Religious Experience, and Comparative Mysticism. He has been interested in the dialogue between eastern and western spirituality since the early 1970’s when he travelled overland to India. His doctoral thesis, "Abhishiktananda’s Non Monistic Advaitic Experience" explores the Hindu-Christian non dual experience of the Benedictine monk, Henri le Saux, and relates this experience to a Jungian perspective.
LECTURE: Friday February 21st, 2003 - 7:30 p.m.
Christ Church Crump Room, 3602 - 8th Street SW, Calgary
$15 (non-members); $10 (members, guests & students)
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