How Do Theories of Cognition and Consciousness in Ancient Indian Thought Systems Relate to Current Western Theorizing and Research?

Abstract

Unknown to most Western psychologists, ancient Indian scriptures contain very rich, empirically derived psychological theories that are, however, intertwined with religious and philosophical content. This article represents our attempt to extract the psychological theory of cognition and consciousness from a prominent ancient Indian thought system: Samkhya-Yoga. We derive rather broad hypotheses from this approach that may complement and extend Western mainstream theorizing. These hypotheses address an ancient personality theory, the effects of practicing the applied part of Samkhya-Yoga on normal and extraordinary cognition, as well as different ways of perceiving reality. We summarize empirical evidence collected (mostly without reference to the Indian thought system) in diverse fields of research that allows for making judgments about the hypotheses, and suggest more specific hypotheses to be examined in future research. We conclude that the existing evidence for the (broad) hypotheses is substantial but that there are still considerable gaps in theory and research to be filled. Theories of cognition contained in the ancient Indian systems have the potential to modify and complement existing Western mainstream accounts of cognition. In particular, they might serve as a basis for arriving at more comprehensive theories for several research areas that, so far, lack strong theoretical grounding, such as meditation research or research on aspects of consciousness.

Dr. A.M.—A case of a modern mystic? Implications for psychology and medicine.

“…Despite their religious connotations, both the content and meaning of MEs are of scientific interest: In fact, they are the result of both conscious and unconscious processing, with their still unknown aspects, extending far beyond those described by psychoanalysis and belonging to the world of spirituality (see Facco, 2014Facco, , 2017Sedlmeier & Srinivas, 2016;Walach, 2015). Of course, no conclusions can be drawn from single case reports like the present one, but their narration and clinical assessment provide valuable information on their phenomenology and help moving beyond the limited mechanistic perspective, which usually skips the meaning and value of subjective experiences.…”

Event-related potential and behavioural differences in affective self-referential processing in long-term meditators versus controls

“…There are different types of contemplative disciplines and practices. A common theme across them is that meditation training transforms the practitioner's experience and understanding of self (e.g., Anandamurti, 1998;Dorjee, 2016;Sedlmeier & Srinivas, 2016;Vago & Silbersweig, 2012). As meditation practitioners become more adept with the practice of calming the mind, they gain the capacity to "de-reify" or de-fuse from the contents of one's mind (e.g., Bishop et al, 2004;Lutz, Jha, Dunne, & Saron, 2015).…”

Event-related Potential and Behavioural Differences in Affective Self-Referential Processing in Long-term Meditators versus Controls

“…There are different types of contemplative disciplines and practices. A common theme across them is that meditation training transforms the practitioner's experience and understanding of self (e.g., Anandamurti, 1998;Dorjee, 2016;Sedlmeier & Srinivas, 2016;Vago & Silbersweig, 2012). As meditation practitioners become more adept with the practice of calming the mind, they gain the capacity to "de-reify" or de-fuse from the contents of one's mind (e.g., Bishop et al, 2004;Lutz, Jha, Dunne, & Saron, 2015).…”