Consciousness Reflects the Mind, the Mind Reflects Consciousness
Mirror of Nature, Mirror of Self July 2, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197665510.003.0003
Summary
Sāṃkhya and Yoga philosophy use mirror reflection to explain how consciousness and mind interact while remaining distinct. Early theories describe external objects reflected in the mind, consciousness reflected in the mind, and the mind reflected in consciousness. Later thinkers Vācaspati Miśra (tenth century) and Vijñānabhikṣu (sixteenth century) developed more complex theories of mutual reflection. The chapter also examines Krishna Chandra Bhattacharyya's little-known, creative interpretation of these reflection theories.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Sāṃkhya and Yoga traditions developed a notion of mirror reflection to explain the illusory interaction between consciousness and the mind, with later philosophers elaborating mutual reflection theories. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter explores the philosophical traditions of Sāṃkhya and Yoga, which developed a notion of mirror reflection to explain the illusory interaction between consciousness and the mind, regarded as ontologically distinct entities. These two schools made an implicit connection between mental representation of external objects by the mind and mental representation of consciousness. The chapter discusses early theories of external objects reflected in the mind, consciousness reflected in the mind, and the mind reflected in consciousness. It also sheds new light on the later Vācaspati Miśra’s (tenth-century) theory of reflection of consciousness in the mind and Vijñānabhikṣu’s (sixteenth-century) theory of mutual reflection of consciousness in the mind and then back in consciousness. Finally, it engages, for the first time, with the philosophically creative, but little-known interpretation of theories of reflection in Sāṃkhya and Yoga by Krishna Chandra Bhattacharyya.