How Do Theories of Cognition and Consciousness in Ancient Indian Thought Systems Relate to Current Western Theorizing and Research?
Frontiers in Psychology March 14, 2016 Peter Sedlmeier, Kunchapudi Srinivas 70 citations
Ancient Indian scriptures, particularly the Samkhya-Yoga system, contain empirically derived psychological theories intertwined with religious and philosophical content. Extracting these theories yields broad hypotheses about personality, the effects of Samkhya-Yoga practice on normal and extraordinary cognition, and different ways of perceiving reality. Existing empirical evidence from diverse fields, collected mostly without reference to this Indian system, substantially supports these hypotheses, though considerable theoretical and research gaps remain. These ancient theories can modify and complement Western mainstream accounts of cognition, potentially providing stronger theoretical grounding for areas like meditation research and consciousness studies.