Architecture and the opening of satori : an oriental interpretation of architecture

Abstract

Satori is gained through an expansion of consciousness, uniting us in Nature.... No more a fragmented psyche; no longer alienation of being. This dissertation explores the relationship between built form and consciousness in order to identify the role that architecture could play in bringing about such an expansion of consciousness. In oriental thought life is a journey with many stations, where birth and death do not necessarily indicate a beginning or final release. The stations indicate temporary halting places for the purpose of transformation. This study seeks to identify these stages which the psyche journeys through, with one of its physical manifestations, architectural space. This study is therefore presented as an attempt to glimpse that inner space according to which the outer should be shaped if we are to come into a harmony with ourselves and nature.