Sleep as a State of Consciousness in Advaita Vedānta
Sleep as a State of Consciousness in Advaita Vedānta

Author: Arvind Sharma

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0791484300

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Indian philosophy bases itself on three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Deep sleep, or susupti, plays an important role in Advaita Vedanta, the major philosophical school that advocates a doctrine of pure consciousness. Explaining and savoring this paradox, this book shows how the concept of deep sleep can be used in Advaita Vedanta to reveal a philosophical insight, validate an argument, illustrate a moral, or adorn a tale. Arvind Sharma explores why sleep is a phenomenon that philosophers should be interested in and examines it in classical Hindu religious texts, including the Upanisads, and in foundational, early, and modern Advaita Vedanta.

Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta
Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta

Author: William M. Indich

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 9788120812512

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The nature of consciouness or human awareness is one of the problems of perennial concern to philosphers and psychologists alike. Here is a systematic critical and comparative study the nature of human awareness according to the most influential school of classical Indian thought. After introducing the Advaita Philosophical system and indicating the place of consciouness in this system the author presents a detailed discussion of the Advaitin`s unique non-dual understanding of man`s basic intelligence. He continues with and analysis of the Advaitin`s hierarchical vision of waking dream and dreamless sleep experience and compares this analysi,

The Study of Hinduism
The Study of Hinduism

Author: Arvind Sharma

Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 9781570034497

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In this text, leading scholars from around the world take stock of two centuries of international intellectual investment in Hinduism. Since the early 19th century, when the scholarly investigation of Hinduism began to take shape as a modern academic discipline, Hindu studies has evolved from its concentration on description and analysis to an emphasis on understanding Hindu traditions in the context of the religion's own values, concepts and history. Offering an assessment of the current state of Hindu studies, the contributors to this volume identify past achievements and chart the course for what remains to be accomplished in the field.

Waking, Dreaming, Being
Waking, Dreaming, Being

Author: Evan Thompson

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2014-11-18

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 0231538316

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A renowned philosopher of the mind, also known for his groundbreaking work on Buddhism and cognitive science, Evan Thompson combines the latest neuroscience research on sleep, dreaming, and meditation with Indian and Western philosophy of mind, casting new light on the self and its relation to the brain. Thompson shows how the self is a changing process, not a static thing. When we are awake we identify with our body, but if we let our mind wander or daydream, we project a mentally imagined self into the remembered past or anticipated future. As we fall asleep, the impression of being a bounded self distinct from the world dissolves, but the self reappears in the dream state. If we have a lucid dream, we no longer identify only with the self within the dream. Our sense of self now includes our dreaming self, the "I" as dreamer. Finally, as we meditate—either in the waking state or in a lucid dream—we can observe whatever images or thoughts arise and how we tend to identify with them as "me." We can also experience sheer awareness itself, distinct from the changing contents that make up our image of the self. Contemplative traditions say that we can learn to let go of the self, so that when we die we can witness its dissolution with equanimity. Thompson weaves together neuroscience, philosophy, and personal narrative to depict these transformations, adding uncommon depth to life's profound questions. Contemplative experience comes to illuminate scientific findings, and scientific evidence enriches the vast knowledge acquired by contemplatives.

Dreams of Light
Dreams of Light

Author: Andrew Holecek

Publisher: Sounds True

Published: 2020-08-18

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1683644360

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A world-renowned expert in lucid dreaming and Tibetan dream yoga guides us into the tradition’s daytime practices, a complement to the nighttime practices taught in his previous book Dream Yoga. Most of us are absolutely certain that we’re awake here and now—it’s a given, right? Yet, according to Tibet’s dream yoga tradition, ordinary waking life is no more real than the illusions of our nightly dreams. In his previous book Dream Yoga, Andrew Holecek guided us into Tibetan Buddhism’s nocturnal path of lucid dreaming and other dimensions of sleeping consciousness. Now, with Dreams of Light, he offers us an in-depth, step-by-step guide to its daytime practices. Known as the “illusory form” practices, these teachings include insights, meditations, and actions to help us realize the dreamlike nature of our lives. Through an immersive exploration of the tradition, beginners and seasoned practitioners alike will learn everything they need to deeply transform both their sleeping and waking hours. “If you’ve struggled to awaken in your dreams,” teaches Holecek, “these techniques will often spark spontaneous lucidity during sleep. And if you’re already a successful lucid dreamer, they will open you to new depths of experience throughout your day.” For those wishing to explore Tibetan Buddhism’s profound path for awakening to the true nature of reality—day or night—Dreams of Light shows us the way.

A-U-M
A-U-M

Author: Dennis Waite

Publisher: John Hunt Publishing

Published: 2015-09-25

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1782799974

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Gaudapada was one of the world’s greatest philosophers in seventh-century India. He invokes the mystical symbol ‘AUM’ (pronounced as ‘ohm’) pointing to the three states of consciousness (waking, dreaming and deep sleep) and the nature of reality itself. In the text on which this book is based, he writes that the waker, dreamer and deep-sleeper are like the roles that an actor plays at various times. All three states are the result of ignorance and error. Who we really are is the fourth aspect – the actor himself. If you see or feel a ‘thing’, then that ‘thing’ is not ‘real.’ So the waking world is no more real than the dream. ‘You’ have never been born. Nothing has ever been created. Causality is a myth. Discover your true nature to be Existence-Consciousness, without limitations, undivided and infinite, prior to time and space. Incredible? Read...and be convinced by the irrefutable logic of Gaudapada.

The Yoga of Consciousness
The Yoga of Consciousness

Author: David Frawley

Publisher: Lotus Press

Published:

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1608692434

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The Yoga of Consciousness examines how our consciousness, identity and prana change through waking, dream and deep sleep - and more importantly how we can follow this process to higher levels of awareness behind the ordinary human state. The book proposes specific yogic insights and approaches to take us beyond these three ordinary states to the transcendent state of pure unity consciousness beyond both body and mind.

Vedantic Meditation
Vedantic Meditation

Author: David Frawley

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Published: 2000-09-07

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 1556433344

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As yoga gains popularity across the U.S., many people are becoming interested in its traditional Vedic roots. While Buddhist meditation is well represented on bookshelves, there has been little Vedantic philosophy written in lay terms until now. Author David Frawley guides readers through the challenges of cultivating awareness, calming the mind, and practicing meditation according to Vedanta and Hinduism. He examines how cultural knowledge systems in the West lead individuals to disillusionment, and speaks about how meditation can aid in understanding the true nature of one's thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. Frawley explores meditation support practices such as yoga, mantras, kundalini, and pranayama, as well as the role of gurus, and concludes with a short, more technical essay on self-inquiry.