This work is intended to the study of the Yogacara Buddhist philosop[hy together with its commentaries and notes for better comprehensibility of the contents of three edited and translated texts, namely, Alambanapariksavrtti of Dignaga; the vimsatika Vijnaptimatratasiddhih of Vasubandhu and Trisvabhavakarika of Vasubandhu.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A Best Book of 2021—Bloomberg Businessweek; A Best Science Book of 2021—The Guardian; A Best Science Book of 2021—Financial Times; A Best Philosophy Book of 2021—Five Books; A Best Book of 2021—The Economist Anil Seth's quest to understand the biological basis of conscious experience is one of the most exciting contributions to twenty-first-century science. What does it mean to “be you”—that is, to have a specific, conscious experience of the world around you and yourself within it? There may be no more elusive or fascinating question. Historically, humanity has considered the nature of consciousness to be a primarily spiritual or philosophical inquiry, but scientific research is now mapping out compelling biological theories and explanations for consciousness and selfhood. Now, internationally renowned neuroscience professor, researcher, and author Anil Seth is offers a window into our consciousness in BEING YOU: A New Science of Consciousness. Anil Seth is both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. His radical argument is that we do not perceive the world as it objectively is, but rather that we are prediction machines, constantly inventing our world and correcting our mistakes by the microsecond, and that we can now observe the biological mechanisms in the brain that accomplish this process of consciousness. Seth has been interviewed for documentaries aired on the BBC, Netflix, and Amazon and podcasts by Sam Harris, Russell Brand, and Chris Anderson, and his 2017 TED Talk on the topic has been viewed over 11 million times, a testament to his uncanny ability to make unimaginably complex science accessible and entertaining.

Scholars from many different disciplines examine consciousness through the lens of intellectual approaches and cultures ranging from cosmology research and cell biophysics laboratories to pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and Tibetan Tantric Buddhism in a volume that extends consciousness studies beyond the limits of current neuroscience research. The "hard problem" of today's consciousness studies is subjective experience: understanding why some brain processing is accompanied by an experienced inner life. Recent scientific advances offer insights for understanding the physiological and chemical phenomenology of consciousness. But by leaving aside the internal experiential nature of consciousness in favor of mapping neural activity, such science leaves many questions unanswered. In Ontology of Consciousness, scholars from a range of disciplines—from neurophysiology to parapsychology, from mathematics to anthropology and indigenous non-Western modes of thought—go beyond these limits of current neuroscience research to explore insights offered by other intellectual approaches to consciousness. These scholars focus their attention on such philosophical approaches to consciousness as Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, North American Indian insights, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilization, and the Byzantine Empire. Some draw on artifacts and ethnographic data to make their point. Others translate cultural concepts of consciousness into modern scientific language using models and mathematical mappings. Many consider individual experiences of sentience and existence, as seen in African communalism, Hindi psychology, Zen Buddhism, Indian vibhuti phenomena, existentialism, philosophical realism, and modern psychiatry. Some reveal current views and conundrums in neurobiology to comprehend sentient intellection. Contributors Karim Akerma, Matthijs Cornelissen, Antoine Courban, Mario Crocco, Christian de Quincey, Thomas B. Fowler, Erlendur Haraldsson, David. J. Hufford, Pavel B. Ivanov, Heinz Kimmerle, Stanley Krippner, Armand J. Labbé, James Maffie, Hubert Markl, Graham Parkes, Michael Polemis, E Richard Sorenson, Mircea Steriade, Thomas Szasz, Mariela Szirko, Robert A.F. Thurman, Edith L.B. Turner, Julia Watkin, Helmut Wautischer

A philosophical work on the theory of consciousness. This book gives a new dimension to 'the hard problem' confronting the myopia of smart, scientific and philosophical accounts of consciousness.The author Roger Taylor writes: "Well I am not saying to consciousness GBWY, it is just, as my years advance, I am closing in on not being conscious, ever again, and, in Cartesian spirit, it is tempting to say, if I am not conscious ever again then I am not (not now but when I am never conscious again). This though just like the Cogito is not conclusive. We say 'she is not conscious she is asleep'. But if she is dreaming to an extent she is conscious. If asleep and not dreaming, a loud noise or a shaking will awaken her and how is this possible unless to an extent she is conscious, or is this like there being an on and off switch. What though if she is in a coma? We do not know but she may well not be capable of dreaming at all, and a loud noise will not restore her to consciousness, yet it is not that she is not. And what if from being in a coma she goes on to die? We cannot say that while in the coma she was not. 'If I am dead I am not' is the stronger candidate. But if I am not conscious, ever again, this surely is tantamount to not being. Perhaps my point is that saying 'hello' to consciousness and saying 'goodbye' to consciousness depends on consciousness: without consciousness neither is possible. And of course, as previous remarks imply, the existence of consciousness does not depend upon such higher-order abilities as being able to say 'hello' or 'goodbye'. But for physical things of a certain kind, having consciousness is a discovery within consciousness and this allows a consciousness of the end of consciousness, and so to an inclination to understand what it is one has but will sometime lose, not in the sense of being intact but missing a limb but in the sense of a complete self-erasure, erasure of the self. But this language of the self is dangerous although convenient, like Allen Ginsberg talking of the soul but going on to say 'I mean that which differs man from thing, i.e. person -not mere mental consciousness- but feeling bodily consciousness.' Ginsberg, TLS, August 6, 1964."

A renowned philosopher of the mind, also known for his groundbreaking work on Buddhism and cognitive science, Evan Thompson combines the latest neuroscience research on sleep, dreaming, and meditation with Indian and Western philosophy of mind, casting new light on the self and its relation to the brain. Thompson shows how the self is a changing process, not a static thing. When we are awake we identify with our body, but if we let our mind wander or daydream, we project a mentally imagined self into the remembered past or anticipated future. As we fall asleep, the impression of being a bounded self distinct from the world dissolves, but the self reappears in the dream state. If we have a lucid dream, we no longer identify only with the self within the dream. Our sense of self now includes our dreaming self, the "I" as dreamer. Finally, as we meditate—either in the waking state or in a lucid dream—we can observe whatever images or thoughts arise and how we tend to identify with them as "me." We can also experience sheer awareness itself, distinct from the changing contents that make up our image of the self. Contemplative traditions say that we can learn to let go of the self, so that when we die we can witness its dissolution with equanimity. Thompson weaves together neuroscience, philosophy, and personal narrative to depict these transformations, adding uncommon depth to life's profound questions. Contemplative experience comes to illuminate scientific findings, and scientific evidence enriches the vast knowledge acquired by contemplatives.

Over one hundred years ago in Russia, G. I. Gurdjieff introduced a spiritual teaching of conscious evolution—a way of gnosis or “knowledge of being” passed on from remote antiquity. Gurdjieff’s early talks in Europe were published in the form of chronological fragments preserved by his close followers P. D. Ouspensky and Jeanne de Salzmann. Now these teachings are presented as a comprehensive whole, covering a variety of subjects including states of consciousness, methods of self-study, spiritual work in groups, laws of the cosmos, and the universal symbol known as the Enneagram. Gurdjieff respected traditional religious practices, which he regarded as falling into three general categories or “ways”: the Way of the Fakir, related to mastery of the physical body; the Way of the Monk, based on faith and feeling; and the Way of the Yogi, which focuses on development of the mind. He presented his teaching as a “Fourth Way” that integrates these three aspects into a single path of self-knowledge. The principles are laid out as a way of knowing and experiencing an awakened level of being that must be verified for oneself.

Both inspiring and enlightening, Conscious Being is a compelling resource for those seeking self-realization. It serves as a guide for awakened living, which is a state of higher clarity and presence and is a more natural condition than many are aware exists within each of us. Author and spiritual teacher TJ Woodward creates a powerful philosophy for living by masterfully weaving personal stories, entertaining anecdotes, and deep, mystical truths. The result is a composition that offers practical guidance to show the benefits of spiritual transformation, while encouraging each of us to shift into a deeper awareness of our authentic inner wisdom. Conscious Being shows us how the circumstances of our lives and what we call reality are created by our level of consciousness. It offers methods for unlearning and releasing self-limiting beliefs and the illusion of ego so we can come into alignment with an existence overflowing with compassion, love, and purpose. This “great remembering,” as TJ Woodward calls it, is available to us at every moment, for it is our true nature and our divine birthright. If you are ready to open your heart to a new way of being and embrace a life filled with profound peace, connection, and happiness, Conscious Being is the book for you! http://www.ConsciousBEINGbook.com