Colors of Truth- Religion, Self and Emotions- Perspectives of Hinduism,Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism,Islam,Sikhism and Contemporary Psychology

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Sonali Bhatt Marwaha, PhD, acquired her training in Clinical Psychology from S. NDT Women's University, Bombay, An M.A and M. Phil. in clinical psychology, with a focus in neuropsychology, she was awarded a PhD by the Andhra University. Her areas of interest are in the interface between philosophy, religion, and psychology, and in the study of religion- cultural aspects of self and identity. Her most recent publication is Towards a Spiritual Psychology co-edited with Prof K Ramakrishna Rao Currently she is Director, Centre for Empowerment of Women at the Institute for Human Science & Service, Visakhapatnam India.

Living in a multicultural mult-ireligious society like India, it is difficult to escape from the glimpse of different worldviews Like most people brought up in such environs, I too grew up with the idea of that is their way and this is mine Unlike most, I dare say, I have not been able to accept the notion of an absolute truth based on any particular religious doctrine As I look around me, I find too many examples of truth believers who perceive the truth in different ways, as also considering the truth of another as a fallacy With truth itself a victim in this process, and human lives slaughtered in defending this truth, like many others I asked the question, what is it that makes me believe in a particular truth? The most obvious reason that appeared to me was a belief in a particular doctrine, a religion that we were accidentally born in to. In this train of thought, I asked myself, had I been born in a different community having different beliefs or following a different religion, would I be 'me', with the identity and uniqueness that 1 attribute to myself right now? Without a doubt I would have been different, as all of us would have been were we born into a culture with different religious beliefs and values. Our religion is the single most influential factor that influences our self, our identity, our worldview, and just about everything that we call our own. This shows up in subtle ways such as in body language, vocabulary, and social attitudes Understanding religion as a cultural entity thus becomes essential in understanding self and personal identity.

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