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Indra Sen




Indra Sen ( 13 May 1903 - 14 March 1994 ) was a devotee of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother , psycholgist, author, and educator.

He was born in the Jhelum district of Punjab (now part of Pakistan), but grew up in Delhi when his family moved there. Froma young age he was interested in the spiritual quest. He completed a Master's degree in both Philosophy and Psychology at the University Of Delhi .

On 5 December 1928 he married Lilawati, and they had two children.

To further his studies, he enrolled at the University Of Freiburg , in Germany, and obtained a Ph.D. in Psychology. He also attended the lectures of Martin Heidegger and taught Indian Philosophy and Sanskrit at the University Of Koenigsburg . at this time, his main interests were Hegel 's philosophy, and Jung 's psychology. He later returned to the University of Delhi. In December 1933 he met Jung when the latter visited Calcutta for the Indian Science Congress .

The next year, he travelled to Pondicherry with a friend, Surendranath Jauhar, and he met Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. After a number of visits, his wife became a devotee of The Mother. In 1945 Dr Sen resigned from the University and moved to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram , where his family had already been staying for two years. In following years, through lectures, published writings, and personal contacts, he presented Sri Aurobindo's work to academia and universities, where it became well known for the first time.

In the early 1940s he coined the term when he founded the Integral Counseling Psychology program at what is now the California Institute Of Integral Studies , in the 1970s.

He also was concerned with the formulation of Integral Education as presented in the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

Another of his tasks was to develop three centers for the ashram under The Mother's supervision. One was at Jwalapur , near Hardwar , and the other two in the Kumaon Hills - "Mountain Paradise", an orchard, and "Tapogiri", a place for Sadhana (spiritual practice). The last mentioned especially, he was very committed to.

In all Dr Sen's work, themes of Integral and Wholeness were very important, and he frequently used terms like "Integral CXulture" and "Integral Man".


PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • Sen, Indra, The integration of the personality. ''Indian J. Psychol.'' 1943 18 31-34.

  • -- -- The urge for wholeness. ''Indian J. Psychol.'' 1946 21 1-32.

  • -- -- Personality and integral Yoga. ''J. Educ. & Psychol.'' 1951 9 88-93

  • -- -- ''Integral Psychology The Psychological System of Sri Aurobindo (In Original Words and in Elaborations)'', Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publications Department, Pondicherry, 1st edition 1986; 2nd edition 1999 ISBN 8170585406



REFERENCE

  • Patel, Aster, "The Presence of Dr Indra Senji", SABDA - Recent Publications, November 2003, pp. 9-12 PDF