Sleep as a State of Consciousness in Advaita Vedānta

Download or read book Sleep as a State of Consciousness in Advaita Vedānta written by Arvind Sharma and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.