R.P. Kaushik

R.P. Kaushik (1926-1981) was a philosopher best known for his book Towards a New Consciousness, a classic of the American spiritual renaissance of the 1960s and 70s.

After the death of a friend during his adolescence, Dr. Kaushik began a search for understanding that took him through various spiritual beliefs and practices. At the suggestion of a friend, he read the Bhagavad Gita, looking for answers about what happens after death, and went to see various spiritual teachers. These, he said, did nothing for him, such as the illiterate man who made him read texts without explaining them, or the teacher who professed to believe in God but was nonetheless surrounded by armed guards.

The philosophy Kaushik eventually developed can be categorized as nondualist, breaking down dichotomies such as life vs. death or self vs. not-self. Kaushik ultimately determined that life can only be lived from moment to moment, without prescribed beliefs or practices. His goal, as he once stated, was to expand his individual consciousness to include "the whole of the universe," rather than to serve specifically as a yogi or guru, a result of his disillusionment with his earlier spiritual teachers.

Kaushik was the author of six books. Interested also in alleviating human suffering, he was a doctor until 1973, when he began travelling throughout the world to speak on meditation and spirituality.

Books

*Darshan Yoga
*The Ultimate Transformation
*Organic Alchemy
*Energy Beyond Thought
*Light of Exploration
*Towards a New Consciousness, 2008 edition, Sentient Publications, ISBN 978-1-59181-058-2