Thinker Thought and Knowledge in East-West Perspective

Thinker, Thought and Knowledge critically and analytically reasons that some of the philosophical expositions like “thought has created the thinker” and “higher-order thoughts are themselves conscious” hinder us from explaining our sense of unity of consciousness. This book presents and elucidates some observations — thought cannot create thinker; along with thinker and thought, thinking too is quintessential for individual experience to take place; thinker, thinking and thought are fundamentally one in self-consciousness; thought becomes the object of self-consciousness; and the modern science attempts to undermine the principle of causation — from the East—West perspective, and registers its disproval with the philosophical views of scholars like J. Krishnamurti and a few other modern philosophers. Coming to the knowledge aspect, the volume delineates the relative existence and knowledge dealing with the absolute reality, and discusses it on the basis of Advaita Vedanta and the Yogacara Vijiianavada of the Buddhist philosophy along with Immanuel Kant’s theory of knowledge. The researcher’s approach employed in this volume should help the students of philosophy and other discerning readers take an analytical and critical positioning towards many a philosophical problem that they come across.

CONTENTS

Preface
Introduction
Thinker as Thinking Being
Sartre’s Interpretation of Descartes Formula:
I Think, Therefore I Am
Vedāntic Interpretation of Descartes’ Formula:
I Think, Therefore I Am
The Cogito in Existential Philosophy of Jean-Paul
Sartre
Pre-reflective consciousness or cogito
Reflective Consciousness or cogito
Unity between pre-reflective consciousness
or cogito and reflective cogito
The Cogito in Phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty
The Transcendental Ego as Thinking Being
Transcendental Ego in Kant’s Philosophy
Transcendental Ego in Husserl’s Phenomenology
Pure Ego in Rāmānuja’s Viśiṣṭādvaita
of Indian Philosophy
Thinking Being in Kant’s Philosophy
Thinking as Freedom in Hegel’s Philosophy
Thinking as Subject and Object
Thought
Self (Self-Consciousness) and Knowledge
1. Thinker as Self-Conscious Being
Introduction
Transcendental Unity of Self-consciousness
Vedāntic interpretation of Transcendental unity of
self-consciousness
Self-consciousness in Hegel’s Philosophy
Lordship and Bondage
Freedom of Self-consciousness
Puruṣa (Self-conscious Human Being) in the
Sāṁkhya-Yoga of Indian Philosophy
Self-Conscious Being in the Advaita Vedānta
Vivaraṇa School of Vedānta
Bhāmatī School of Vedānta
Relation between the Absolute and the
Individual Self
Witness Consciousness
2. Nature and Process of Thought
Introduction
Nature of Thought in Advaita Vedānta
The Postulates of Empirical Thought in Kant’s
Philosophy
Thought in Sir William Hamilton’s Philosophy
Laws of Thought
Hegel’s Denial of Laws of Thought
Thought and Being in Hegel’s Philosophy
Higher-Order Thought
Critical Assessment
Thought Process and Atom
Vaiśeṣika’s Atomic Theory of Indian Philosophy
The Atomic Theory
The Eleven Moments Theory
Functions of Different Atoms
Thought Process in Buddhist Philosophy
Bhavaṅga Citta and Transcendental Ego
Order of Thought (Citta-Niyāma) in Buddhist
Philosophy
Vedāntic Interpretation of Constant and
Variable’s Aspects of Every Consciousness
3. Thought, Memory and Time
Introduction
Saṁskāra (Disposition) and Consciousness
Memory and Consciousness
Memory in Buddhist Philosophy
Memory in the Vaiśeṣika’s philosophy
Memory in the Nayāya Philosophy
The Concept of Saṁskāra of Saṁkhya-Yoga
Advaita Vedānta Theory of Saṁskāra (Disposition)
The Epistemology of Recollection (Smr̥ti)
Citta
Memory in Sir William Hamilton Bart’s Philosophy
Pratyabhijñā (Recognition) School of Kashmir
Śaivism
Thought and Time
Thought as Existence
Thought as Time
Objective Time
Thought as Space
Temporality of Consciousness
Consciousness, Thought and Time
4. Thought as the Source of Nature and Quantum
Physics
Introduction
The Quantum Theory of Physics
The Concept of One in Many and Many in One
Matter: Wholeness and Implicate Order
What Is Order
Quantum Field Theory and Implicate Order
Implicate Order and Generative Order
Consciousness and Implicate Order
Consciousness and Matter
Interconnection between Consciousness and Matter
Observer in Quantum Physics
Emerging Implications
5. Kant’s Theory of Knowledge
Introduction
Perception and Consciousness
Sensibility
Understanding
Interaction
Perception
Object
Sensation
External Perception
Space and Time
Space
Time and Inner Sense
Metaphysical Exposition of the Conception
Concluding Observations
Elucidation
Priority of Time over Space
6. Knowledge and Consciousness in Advaita Vedānta
Introduction
Self-consciousness and Knowledge
Consciousness as Foundational Knowledge
Unity of Ātman or Brahman (Pure Consciousness)
Ātman as Sat
Ātman as Cit
Ātman as Bliss (Ānanda)
The Non-dual Nature of the Ātman
Proof of Ātman
Mind and Consciousness
Consciousness and Manifestation
Theory of Five Kośas: Realms of Knowledge
Annamaya-Kośa (Matter and Life)
Prāṇamaya-Kośa (Vital Sheath)
Manomaya-Kośa (Mind Sheath)
Vijñānamaya-Kośa (Intellect Sheath)
Ānandamaya-Kośa (Bliss Sheath)
Five Kośas as Solution of Body–Mind Problem
and Gaining Different Kinds of Knowledge
7. Perceptual Knowledge in Advaita Vedānta
Introduction
Internal Perception
External Perception
Contact of Sense Organs with Their Respective
Objects
Mental Mode of Advaita Vedānta
Cognitive Process of External Perception
Perceptual Illusion
8. Self-knowledge of Advaita Vedānta
Introduction
Liberation as Self-Realization
The Locus of Ignorance
Three States of Consciousness
(Sleep, Dream and Waking)
Metaphysics of Sleep Consciousness
Dream Consciousness
Waking Consciousness
Causal Body of Human Being and
Causal Consciousness
Causal Body
Causal Consciousness
Means of Liberation
Turīya
9. Perception and Self-consciousness in Yogācāra
Vijñānavāda of Buddhist Philosophy
Introduction
Self in Tattvasaṁghraha
External World and Object of Perception
External World
Atomism
Object of Perception: Unique Particular
Sense Perception and Sensation
Source of Sensation in Yogācāra Vijñānavāda
Momentary Perception
10. Quantum Physics and the Buddha Nature
Introduction
The Absolute Reality: Buddha’s Nature as Tathatā
(Suchness)
Critical Comments
Dharmakāya
Svābhavikakāya
Saṁbhogakāya
Nirmāṇakāya
Purification of Consciousness
Kāmāvacāra-citta-bhūmi (sphere)
Rūpāvacāra-citta-bhūmi
Arūpāvacāra-citta-bhūmi
Lokuttara-citta-bhūmi
Universal Flux
Quantum Physics
Buddhist Philosophy
Six Hetus in Abhidharma
Kāraṇa-hetu
Sahabhū-hetu
Saṁprayuktaka-hetu
Sabhāga-hetu
Sarvatraga-hetu
Vipāka-hetu
Ālaya-Vijñāna and Momentariness
Reconciliation
11. Epilogue
Bibliogcraphy
Index