KENJI TAKAHASHI
Toyo University\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 takahashi049@toyo.jp<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE THEORY OF DREAM AND SLEEP IN THE V\u0100R\u1e62\u1e46EY\u0100DHY\u0100TMA <\/em>(MAH\u0100BH\u0100RATA<\/em> 12,203\u2013210) <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the V\u0101r\u1e63\u1e47ey\u0101dhy\u0101tma<\/em> section of the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/em>, dreams are regarded as something that binds practitioners to the cycle of transmigration. Therefore, it is taught that practitioners should renounce sleep altogether in order to avoid dreaming. To the best of my knowledge, while there are texts in ancient Indian traditions that treat dreams and sleep negatively, there are no others that completely prohibit sleep. This study clarifies the structure of the theory of dreams and sleep through a close reading of the V\u0101r\u1e63\u1e47ey\u0101dhy\u0101tma<\/em>, and examines its position in intellectual history by comparing it with earlier Upani\u1e63adic texts and contemporary medical literature. There appear to be two main reasons why this doctrine prohibits dreaming. The first is that cognition (vij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em>) is lost during dreams. The second is that one becomes overwhelmed by rajas <\/em>and tamas<\/em>, thereby reproducing transmigration. In this doctrine, dreams are said to arise from the latter two, rajas <\/em>and tamas<\/em>. The process is described as follows: the manas <\/em>(mind) re-experiences, in dreams and without the aid of the sense organs, the impressions formed during waking life. Living beings experience various dispositions according to the proportions of sattva<\/em>, rajas<\/em>, and tamas <\/em>assigned to them by the creator deity; likewise, in dreams, impressions corresponding to these proportions arise, ultimately reproducing these qualities. When this doctrine is compared with Upani\u1e63ads and medical texts, we find that the V\u0101r\u1e63\u1e47ey\u0101dhy\u0101tma<\/em> is based on the philosophical and psychological reflections on dreaming current at the time, while also incorporating a critique\u2014particularly of Upani\u1e63adic teachings on dreams. The idea that dreams consist of impressions from waking experience is found in the Upani\u1e63ads, while the notion that sattva<\/em>, rajas<\/em>, and tamas<\/em> influence dreams appears in medical literature. However, the Upani\u1e63ads often describe deep sleep as a state in which the true self experiences bliss, and dreams are frequently portrayed positively as a state in which the self freely enjoys various objects. For example, in the B\u1e5bhad\u0101ra\u1e47yakopani\u1e63ad<\/em> (2,1.17ff.), it is said that the self apprehends bodily functions in dreams. In contrast, the present doctrine asserts that cognition (vij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em>) itself is lost in dreams, along with memory, suggesting a critique of the Upani\u1e63adic view. On the other hand, the Ch\u0101ndogyopani\u1e63ad <\/em>(8,7ff.) includes passages that deny the value of dreams and sleep, noting that dreams may involve unpleasant experiences and that in deep sleep the sense of self is lost. The theory of dreams and sleep presented here can thus be understood as an extension of such philosophical developments, integrating S\u0101\u1e43khya thought and ideas from medical literature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KENJI TAKAHASHIToyo University\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 takahashi049@toyo.jp THE THEORY OF DREAM AND SLEEP IN THE V\u0100R\u1e62\u1e46EY\u0100DHY\u0100TMA (MAH\u0100BH\u0100RATA 12,203\u2013210) In the V\u0101r\u1e63\u1e47ey\u0101dhy\u0101tma section of the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata, dreams are regarded as something that binds practitioners to the cycle of transmigration. Therefore, it is taught that practitioners should renounce sleep altogether in order to avoid dreaming. To the best of my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2308","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2309,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2308\/revisions\/2309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}