Vladimir Antonov (scientist)

Vladimir Antonov (born 1946) was born in Russia and holds a Ph.D. in biology. He claims to have developed a new branch of modern science called "Methodology of Spiritual Development". He founded the Scientific Spiritual Ecological Center, called "Swami".

Methodology of Spiritual Development

Antonov characterizes "Methodology of Spiritual Development" as a combination of modern universal theology, ecopsychology (spiritual ecology), spiritual pedagogics, and spiritual art.

Methodology of Spiritual Development claims to present the true knowledge about the meaning of human life and practical ways of its realization — in the light of the modern religious philosophy.

The main assertions of Methodology of Spiritual Development are:

* The universe is multidimensional — in reality (and not only mathematically). Its dimensions (planes, eons, lokas) can be cognized by an advanced human consciousness. Such a level of consciousness' advancement can be attained through proper spiritual training. One of the components of this training must be a multi-step meditative practice.
* There is God. The most principal meaning of this word is the Creator, the Primordial Universal Consciousness dwelling in the primary spatial dimension. This Consciousness represents the subtlest state of the Universal energy — on the "subtlety-coarseness" scale.
* Man is not a body. Man is a lump of the energy of consciousness (a soul), capable of self-comprehension, remembering, thinking, moving, growing qualitatively and quantitatively and also of degradation.
* The supreme prospective task of each human being is to cognize God in all of His aspects and manifestations, then, upon achieving the spiritual Perfection, to merge into Him in His Abode and to continue taking part in the Universal Evolutionary Process from there, in particular, by helping embodied beings.

Further information is made available in the educational books and video films of Scientific-Spiritual Ecological Center "Swami" (see link below).

Bibliography (published in Russian)

* "The Art of Being Happy" (1984)
* "Problems of Psychic Self-Regulation" (1988) vol.1, (1989) vol.2
* "Spiritual Conversations" (1991)
* [http://beautyislam.org/islamic_ethics.html "Fundamentals of the Islamic Ethics"] (1993)
* [http://bhagavadgita.swami-center.org/ "Bhagavad Gita with Commentaries"] (1995),
* [http://jesusteaching.swami-center.org/ "The Original Teaching of Jesus Christ"] (1996)
* [http://depthsofchristianity.org/philip.html "Bridal Chamber. Gospel of Philip with Commentaries"] (1996)
* "Divine Fire. Practice of Agni Yoga" (1997)
* [http://swami-center.org/en/text/sathya_sai_baba.html "Sathya Sai — the Christ of Our Days"] (1997)
* [http://ecology.swami-center.org/ "Ecology of Human Being in Multidimensional Space"] (1998) ISBN 5-89455-004-1
* "God Speaks. Textbook of Religion" (1998) ISBN 5-89455-006-8
* [http://practices.swami-center.org/ "Spiritual Practices. Training Aid"] (1998) ISBN 5-89455-007-6, republished in English: ISBN 0-595-27699-7
* [http://autobiography.swami-center.org/ "How God Can Be Cognized. Autobiography of a Scientist, Who Studied God"] (1999) ISBN 5-89455-002-5
* "Spiritual Heart. The Religion of Unity" (1999) ISBN 5-89455-001-7
* [http://upanishad.swami-center.org/ "New Upanishad: Structure and Cognition of the Absolute"] (1999)
* [http://sunofgod.swami-center.org/ "Sun of God or How to Become an Ocean of Pure Love"] (2001) ISBN 83-902754-7-3
* (ed) "Spiritual Work with Children" (2001) ISBN 83-902754-6-5
* [http://life.swami-center.org/ "The Meaning of Our Lives. What Kind of Russia Is Needed by God?"] (2002) ISBN 83-902754-8-1
* [http://theology.swami-center.org/ "General Theology — the Science about God"] (2002)
* [http://sexology.swami-center.org/ "Sexology"] (2002) ISBN 5-94261-009-6
* [http://hesychasm.swami-center.org/ "Practice of the Modern Hesychasm"] (2004) ISBN 966-8128-48-6
* (ed) [http://godspeakstoday.info/divine_teachers_speak_today.html "Divine Teachers — about Themselves"] (2005) ISBN 966-7175-28-6
* (ed) "Autobiographies of God’s Students" (2005) ISBN 966-7175-30-8

Antonov is also a director of several [http://swami-center.org/en/video/ educational video films] .

External links

* [http://swami-center.org Scientific Spiritual Ecological Center "Swami"]
* [http://godspeakstoday.info/straight_path.html Straight Path] — an article describing briefly the methodology and main stages of spiritual development.