A01=William S. Waldron
Abhidharma psychology
afflictive
Afflictive Mentation
arising
Author_William S. Waldron
awareness
Category=QDHC
Category=QDTM
Category=QRF
cognitive
Cognitive Awareness
cognitive processes
comparative unconscious mind studies
Conceptual Proliferation
Cyclic Existence
dependent
Dependent Arising
Desire Realm
Dharmic Discourse
Dharmic Terms
Diachronic Discourse
Early Pali Texts
Emotional Afflictions
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
existence
formations
Indian Buddhist Thought
Indian philosophy of mind
karmic
Karmic Activities
Karmic Formations
Karmic Natures
Latent Afflictions
Mental Processes
Mental Stream
mentation
Momentary Dharmas
non-dual awareness
Ped
samsaric
Samsaric Existence
SED
selflessness theory
Sensual Desire
Yogacara philosophy
Yogacara Texts
Yogacara Tradition
Product details
- ISBN 9780415298094
- Weight: 690g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 27 Mar 2003
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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This is the story of fifth century CE India, when the Yogacarin Buddhists tested the awareness of unawareness, and became aware of human unawareness to an extraordinary degree. They not only explicitly differentiated this dimension of mental processes from conscious cognitive processes, but also offered reasoned arguments on behalf of this dimension of mind. This is the concept of the 'Buddhist unconscious', which arose just as philosophical discourse in other circles was fiercely debating the limits of conscious awareness, and these ideas in turn had developed as a systematisation of teachings from the Buddha himself. For us in the twenty-first century, these teachings connect in fascinating ways to the Western conceptions of the 'cognitive unconscious' which have been elaborated in the work of Jung and Freud.
This important study reveals how the Buddhist unconscious illuminates and draws out aspects of current western thinking on the unconscious mind. One of the most intriguing connections is the idea that there is in fact no substantial 'self' underlying all mental activity; 'the thoughts themselves are the thinker'. William S. Waldron considers the implications of this radical notion, which, despite only recently gaining plausibility, was in fact first posited 2,500 years ago.
William S. Waldron received his PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Wisconsin after studying extensively in India, Nepal and Japan. He currently teaches South Asian religions and Buddhist philosophy at Middlebury College, Vermont. His research areas include the Yogacara school of Indian Buddhism, and comparative psychologies and philosophies of mind.
