Sydney Banks
.jpg)
Sydney Banks was a spiritual teacher who experienced a profound spiritual enlightenment in 1973, leading him to uncover three foundational Principles: Universal Mind, Universal Consciousness, and Universal Thought.
Despite his humble beginnings as an ordinary working man, Banks became a renowned teacher and author in fields like psychology, psychiatry, education, and business. He taught at many universities including MIT. His insights into human nature have revolutionized the understanding of psychological functioning and mental health.
Banks emphasized that negative experiences exist only in one's thoughts and he believed that mental health is the default state of the mind. His teachings have influenced thousands of individuals worldwide, including mental health professionals and laypeople, helping them find peace and happiness.
It was his statement, "There need only be one generic mental illness, an inability to see the role of thought." The Enlightened Gardener Revisited, pg 38, that inspired me to compile Beyond Diagnosis and create these courses.
His work has impacted my life in so many ways. It has revolutionized how I understand my mind and how experience is created and it has inspired me to share this with others. Watching how it has healed minds, bodies and families has been an incredible privilege.
Sydney Banks passed away in 2009 but left a lasting legacy through his six books, recordings, and the profound impact of his understanding on mental well-being.
What are the Three Principles?
Universal Mind is the energy of all things, both in the world of form and the spiritual world of the formless. Some call this God, or Higher Power, the Quantum Field, or Buddha—it really doesn't matter what we call it, but the principle of Universal Mind points to the fact that there is an intelligent and benevolent Source to the creation of all things.
Universal Consciousness is our awareness that changes and deepens from moment to moment, enabling us to interpret our experience. It points to the fact that people are conscious of being alive. Without Consciousness, human beings would be unaware of their own existence.
Universal Thought is a spiritual energy, the raw material from which we create our experience. It can show up in many different forms. From images, sounds, and sensations as well as all kinds of thinking. The gift of Thought can show up in the form of creativity, boredom or anxiety. Even pain, and daydreams come to us via the spiritual energy that Sydney Banks called Thought.