Sangeetha Menon

Professor
School of Humanities

Room No.: F 06
Tel: 080-2218 5090
Fax: 080-2218 5028
Email: prajnana@yahoo.com ;  smenon@nias.iisc.ernet.in

PhD (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)

Joined NIAS on 8th January 1996

Most significant research contribution: Developed Indian transpersonal psychology, and initiated science-art-philosophy dialogues on consciousness particularly in the context of Indian aesthetics, dramaturgy and spiritual traditions.

Prof Sangeetha Menon is a philosopher-psychologist working in the area of consciousness studies. She works as Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, in the Indian Institute of Science campus in Bangalore. Her published work that span about 18 years have highlighted the importance of understanding the nature of complex experiences in the light of global humanistic values such as well-being and personal growth. Her recent publications focus on a comparative study of emotions, nature of agency and primacy of experience. Her latest publication in The Journal of Transpersonal psychology argues for altruism as a fundamental value that drives human actions. She is a distinguished member of the International Society for Science and Religion whose 100 plus invited members, include Nobel laureates.She is a Board Member of the International Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and Asia Consciousness Society. Dr. Menon has co-edited four books: "Consciousness, Experience and Ways of Knowing: Perspectives from Science, Philosophy and the Arts" (2006, NIAS), "Science and Beyond: Cosmology, consciousness and technology in Indic traditions" (2004, NIAS), "Consciousness and Genetics" (2002, NIAS) and "Scientific and Philosophical Studies on Consciousness" (1999, NIAS). She has a single-authored book titled “Beyond Experience: Consciousness in the Gita”, and another co-authored book with Swami Bodhananda titled “Dialogues: Philosopher meets Seer”. Dr Menon has visited and spoken at many Universities in her country, United States, England and Australia;  London, Oxford, Germany, Paris, Rome, Spain, Melbourne, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Moscow. She was a Visiting Professor at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS), Oxford University (Trinity Term, 2007), and at the Nanzan Institute of Religion and Culture, Nanzan University, Japan (Fall, 2007). Recently she was invited to be a panelist at the World Parliament of Religions, Melbourne 2009, on three sessions that were sponsored by ISSR on Science,Spirituality and Environment. Along with her, the seven panelists included Dr Peter Doherty the Nobel prize winner for Medicine in 1996. Apart from her academic interests she writes poetry, fiction and is an avid photographer, artist and web-designer. For further details see www.samvada.com

Continuing Work

» Consciousness Studies

Recent Lectures

• Self and its identity in Experience
  A dialogue with Buddhist scholars at a meeting in Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda
  on Individuality, Identity and Constitution, with focus on Self in Brain Sciences
  25-27 February 2011
• Tracing Self in Neurospsychiatry: A debate on the nature of self and self-identity
  Panel Presentation at the National Symposium on "Thinking Subjectivities" at Christ University
  9-10 February, 2011
• Bhagavad Gita, and the place of Value in Consciousness Studies
  Special Lecture at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Calcutta
  at the national Seminar on Bhagavad Gita
  8th January, 2011, 6.25pm
• Self and subjecitivty in Brain Studies: Psychological and Philosophical Implications 
  Extension Lecture at Suvidya College Institute for Philosophy and Religion, Bangalore
  10th December, 2010, 11.20 am
• Self and Immortality: Nachiketa, the young student's dialogue in the Katha Upanishad
  Lecture for International Cortona-India Programme organized by ETH-Zurich
  "Science and the Spiritual Heritage of India"
  21 November 2010, Hyderabad
  http://www.cortona-india.org/Contributors.aspx
• Puzzles that Self and Brain give for Consciousness
  Lecture and Round-table for the International Cortona-India Programme
  "Science and the Spiritual Heritage of India"
  23  November 2010, Hyderabad
  http://www.cortona-india.org/Contributors.aspx
• Self and Human Flourish: Challenges in Brain Studies
  Forum on "Science of Consciousness", organised by Asia Consciousness Society
  November 2010, HongKong (TBC)
• "Brain, Self and their Interrelations in Understanding Consciousness"
  Invited Lecture for international conference at Dayalbagh Educational Institute, 12-14 November 2010, Agra
• Indian psychology: Philosophy and psychology of Human Flourish
  Foundation Course Lecture for Doctoral Students
  National Institute of Advanced Studies
  2 November 2010, Bangalore
• Truth, Beauty and Goodness: A discussion on the time-tested virtues
  AMU University Extension Lecture (Chaired by AMU Vice-Chancellor)
  Aligarh Muslim University
  29  October 2010, Aligarh
• Brain Studies, Consciousness and Spiritual Psychology
  Valedictory Address for the Conference organized by Dept of Psychology
  Aligarh Muslim University
  30 October 2010, Aligarh
• Self-exploration: Reason, Experience and Spiritual Moorings
  Invited Lecture for the IRS Commissioners at NADT (National Academy of Direct Taxes) 
  for their programme on Experience Analysis and Building, 4-7 October, 2010, 
  Lecture on 4th Oct, 2.00 to 4.00pm, Nagpur

For full list see http://samvada.com/lecture.htm

Recent Publications

• Menon, S. 2010
  Introductory Essay on "Religion and Science" by Bertrand Russell
  http://www.issrlibrary.org/introductory-essays/essay/?title=Religion%20and%20Science&ref=essays
  International Society for Science and Religion Library Project, Cambridge
• Menon, S. 2010
  Introductory Essay on "Varieties of Religious Experiences" by William James
  http://www.issrlibrary.org/introductory-essays/essay/?title=The%20Varieties%20of%20Religious%20Experience&ref=essays
  International Society for Science and Religion Library Project, Cambridge
• Menon, S. 2010
  Introductory Essay on "Cross-cultural Studies on Consciousness" by K Ramakrishna Rao
  http://www.issrlibrary.org/introductory-essays/essay/?title=Consciousness%20Studies:%20Cross-Cultural%20Perspectives&ref=essays
  International Society for Science and Religion Library Project, Cambridge \
• Menon, S. 2010
  Brain-challenged self and Self-challenged Brain
  WP1-2010, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, 2010
  (for limited circulation)
• Menon, S. 2011
  Brain-challenged self and Self-challenged Brain
  In: Brain sciences and Religion, Nanzan Institute of Religion and Culture, Nagoya, Japan (forthcoming)
  
• Menon, S. 2011
  Self and Identity in Neuropsychiatric and Brain Studies
  In: Stress and Metaboloc Syndromes, Encyclopedia of Bioscience & Journal of Frontiers in Bioscience (forthcoming)
  http://www.bioscience.org
  
• Menon, S. 2011
  The rise of thousand suns: Philosophy and psychology of Sri Narayana Guru
  In: Re-interpreting Tradition: Critical Essays on 20th Century Indian Thought
  Dept of Philosophy, University of North Bengal and University Grants Commission (forthcoming)
  
• Menon, S. 2010
  Brain, Self and Consciousness: Emerging Perspectives in Mental Health
  In: Handbook of Psychology in India, Ed: Girishwar Misra, Oxford University Press (in press)
  
• Menon, S. 2010
  A First-person Approach to Aesthetic Emotions in Natyasastra
  In: Nature and Culture, Ed. Narasimha & Menon, PHISPC & Pearson Education (in press)
  
• Menon, S. 2010
  Reason, Emotion and Wellbeing: An understanding of consciousness
  In: Psychology and Psychoanalysis, Ed. Girishwar Mishra, PHISPC & Pearson Education (in press)
• Menon, S. 2009
  Persistent Puzzles of Consciousness: What is it? Where is it?
  In: Understanding Consciousness - Recent Advances, Ramakrishna Mission Inst of Culture, Kolkata, pp178-192
• Menon, S. 2009
  Commentary on In defence of an Indian approach to the psychology of emotion, Anand C. Paranjpe, Psychological Studies, 54.1
  
• Menon, S. 2009
• The Puzzle of Consciousness and Experiential Primacy: Agency in Cognitive Sciences and Spiritual Experiences
  In: Global Perspectives on Science and Spirituality, Ed. Pranab Das, Templeton Press, pp.3-20
  
• Menon, S. 2009
  The Rain clouds of Mind-Modifications and the Shower of Transcendence: Yoga and Samadhi in Patanjali Yoga Sutra
  In: Yoga and Parapsychology, Ed. Ramkrishna Rao, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi
  
• Menon, S. 2008
  Transpersonal Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita: Consciousness, Meditation, Work and Love In Handbook of Indian Psychology,
  Cambridge University Press, Eds. K Ramakrishna Rao, Anand Paranjpe and Ajit Dalal, pp186-216
• Menon, S. 2008
  Cognition, Consciousness & Experience: Towards a new Epistemology
  In History and Philosophy of Science PHISPC-CONSSAVY / Volume 2, Part VI, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, (in press)
  Ed. Pradip Bhattacharya, General Editor: DP Chattopadhyaya

Courses Offered

• Human Predicaments, Conflicts and Self-transformation: A Study of the Mahabharata and its Characters -- Part I (Course instructor)
  For more info See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahabharatastudies/
  
  
• Humanities Course (Course Contributor)