The luminous self: Indian theories of consciousness and their philosophical relevance today
International Journal of Science and Research Archive June 30, 2025 Mumun Das, Sagarika Kar
Three major Indian theories of consciousness—Advaita Vedānta, Sāṃkhya-Yoga, and Buddhist traditions—offer non-reductionist models that remain relevant to contemporary philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cognitive science. Advaita's non-dual self-luminous ātman, Sāṃkhya's dualistic passive puruṣas, and the Buddhist doctrine of anattā with a luminous, non-substantial mind each conceptualize consciousness beyond materialist paradigms. The article argues that these classical models, drawn from texts like the Upaniṣads and Yoga Sūtras, critically engage with modern issues such as the 'Hard problem' of consciousness, panpsychism, and self-illusion theories, and can transform global understanding of subjectivity and the self.