WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY LIFE FOR HARMONIC MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL LIFE?
 

Dr. David Frawley:  In yogic thought there are four stages of life, the childhood phase (Brahmacharya), the householder phase (Grihastha), retirement in nature (Vanaprastha) and the renunciate (Sannyasa). It is said that the householder stage where one raises a family and provides for others is the most important, that it is the very pillar and foundation for all the rest. It is the Lakshmi phase through which all the other stages of life are cared for. So it is central for the health of society.

At an individual level there are two approaches to the spiritual life reflecting these. The first is the monastic, renunciate or sadhu tradition in which one gives up all family life, which emphasizes the fourth stage of life. The second is householder tradition in which one continues with the family life but does spiritual practices along with it.

In the Hindu religion, monks and priests are different and also reflect these two roles. Monks renounce the world and generally do not participate in ceremonies or perform priestly roles, except as special attendees. Priests are part of the society and marry and have children. Yet those who are not priests also are expected to marry and contribute to the welfare of the society. For the performance of Hindu and Vedic rituals both the husband and wife are required.

Last week the fifth international psychology festival in Almaty which had already become an integral part of our city’s culture life and a kind of a nice sign, came to an end. One hundred and fifty businessmen and lawyers, teachers and doctors, psychologists and students from Semipalatinsk, Astana, Chimkent, Pavlodar, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Bishkek, Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, participated in the festival this year. A week spent in the mountains together with superstars of psychology and psychotherapy from various countries – what did it give to the people who came to Almaty? It should be noted that taking part in the festival has already become a nice autumn habit with many of its participants. No doubt, during the festival they obtained new knowledge in psychology, they transformed and improved a style of communicating, some severe personal problems were solved… But there is something which comes out of the festival’s results, and the bravest only can judge about them – spiritual development and new spirituality of life. This is what more and more participants come for, and this is what the BRANT Corporation – the festival’s organizer, is requested from the habitués when planning a new festival for the next year.

Where does this thirst for spiritual methods come from in our pragmatic world? Moreover, the more a person is successful socially, the more he strives to develop spiritually. We are discussing this topic with the best trainer of the 2004 festival Rami Bleckt (Israel).

- Rami, first of all let me dispel some anxiety. Usually, people, including me, think of those who have profoundly developed spiritually with suspicion and even fear. Could you please tell something about yourself, which could bring you and the readers closer.

- Oh, it really grates upon my ear. I do not think I am a very spiritually developed person. Right, I’ve been walking along this road for a long time. But that’s quite a different matter how far I’ve advanced in this way. I live a normal life. Though probably I spend more time meditating, controlling my mind, reading and taking part in seminars, but in general…