Mirror of Nature, Mirror of Self : Models of Consciousness in Sāṃkhya, Yoga, and Advaita Vedānta

In Indian philosophical traditions, a reflection in a mirror frequently serves as a metaphor, suggesting that just as a face in a mirror appears where it is not, so does consciousness. Mirror of Nature, Mirror of Self utilizes this metaphor to address metaphysical, epistemological, and theological problems within non-reductionist approaches to consciousness. Author Dimitry Shevchenko contends that consciousness and its properties--such as the sense of self, subjectivity, and experience of qualia--stand in falsely perceived relations to cognitive and perceptive processes. This book explores models of interaction between consciousness, the mind-body complex, and the world in the philosophical schools of Sāṃkhya, Yoga, and Advaita-Vedant. In a dialogue with psychoanalytical theory and analytic philosophy of mind, Shevchenko defends a new model of consciousness, integrating consciousness-mind dualism, mind naturalism, and representationalism about consciousness. Despite the overwhelming presence of pratibimbavadas, or "theories of reflection", in major philosophical traditions in India, they have received little scholarly attention. Mirror of Nature, Mirror of Self is the first systematic exploration of mirror models of consciousness across traditions. By grounding these theories in their historical intellectual context, Shevchenko contributes to an intense philosophical conversation between Indian reductionists and non-reductionists about consciousness. The book explores the impact of Indian mirror models on theories of mental representation, theories of knowledge, philosophy of language, debates on illusory causality and the relationship between noumena and phenomena, as well as soteriological and theological theories. Finally, by comparing mirror models of consciousness in Indian philosophy with Jacques Lacan's theory of the mirror stage and by engaging with theories of consciousness in analytic philosophy, this study contributes to contemporary debates across philosophical disciplines. This is an open access title. It is available to read and download as a free PDF version on the Oxford Academic platform. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International licence. Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Series 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 12 1 Mirror Models of Consciousness in Early Sources and Indian Philosophical Systems 20 1.1 Early Vedic Metaphysics of Image Formation 20 1.1.1 Vedic Metaphysics of Resemblance 20 1.1.2 The General Condition of Phenomenal Representation (GCPR) 24 1.1.3 The General Condition of Phenomenal Formation (GCPF) 26 1.2 The Mirror Model of Consciousness in the Chandogya Upani.ad 27 1.3 Mirror Models in Buddhism 37 1.4 Metaphysical Approaches to Reflection in a Mirror 41 1.4.1 Sarvastivadins and Dar..antikas: The Debate on the Reality of Reflection 42 1.4.2 Nyaya and Mima.sa: The Reflected Image Is Nothing but the Prototype Object 46 1.4.3 Santarak.ita and Kamalasila: The Reflected Image Has No Objective Support 47 1.4.4 Pratibimbavada in Kashmiri Saivism 48 2 Consciousness Reflects the Mind, the Mind Reflects Consciousness: Mirror Models in Sa.khya and Yoga 51 2.1 Sa.khya-.Yoga Metaphysics 53 2.2 Reflection in the Mental Faculty 55 2.2.1 External Objects 55 2.2.2 The Self 61 2.3. Reflection in the self 67 2.4 Vijñanabhik.u’s Double-.Reflection Theory 74 2.5 Mental Representation of the Self in Yoga (Asmita) 75 2.6 K.C. Bhattacharyya’s Interpretation of Mutual Reflection Theory 79 2.7 Summary 83 3 One Consciousness, Many Mirrors: Mirror Models in Advaita Vedanta 85 3.1 Non-.dualist Theories of Reflection before Sa.kara 86 3.2 Sa.kara’s Theories of Reflection 88 3.2.1 Sa.kara’s Theory of Brahman’s Reflection in Jiva 88 3.2.2 Sa.kara’s Theory of Reflection in the Upadesasahasri 93 3.3 Pratibimbavada 99 3.3.1 Padmapada’s Theory of Reflection 100 3.3.2 Pratibimbavada: Later Developments 107 3.4 Summary 114 4 New Mirrors: Indian Theories of Reflection, Jacques Lacan, and Thomas Metzinger 116 4.1 Lacan’s Mirror Models 118 4.1.1 The First Reflection: The Ego 120 4.1.2 The Model of Two Mirrors 130 4.1.3 Second Reflection: Consciousness 136 4.1.4 Mirror Stage in Perspective: Wallon and Lacan 138 4.1.5 Lacan: Summary 142 4.2 Thomas Metzinger’s Representational Theory of Pure Consciousness 143 4.3 Reflection in a Mirror and the Hard Problem of Consciousness 149 4.4 New Theories of Consciousness-.Matter Dualism, Mirror Interactionism, and Representationalism 153 Abbreviations 160 References 162 Index 172 ## Abstract This chapter takes a foray into a modern mirror model of consciousness, namely Lacan’s theory of the mirror stage. By comparing Lacan’s theory with Indian mirror models, the chapter brings forward the ontological basis of mirror-like interaction between consciousness, the mind, the society, and the world—that is, the illusory identity of different entities. The chapter also negotiates with Thomas Metzinger’s representational theory of consciousness to construct a plausible theory of mental representation of consciousness, based on Indian mirror models, and suggests that such a theory provides a tenable solution to the hard problem of consciousness. The chapter demonstrates the plausibility of non-reductionism about consciousness proposed by Brahmanical philosophers—plausibility enhanced by mirror models. Finally, I defend a new model of consciousness, integrating consciousness-matter dualism, mind naturalism, and representationalism about consciousness. "The chapter introduces the topic and the goals of the book. The popularity of mirror models of consciousness in Brahmanical philosophical traditions of Sa m khya, Yoga, and Advaita-Veda nta is explained in the context of these schools' non-reductionism about consciousness, as opposed to the reductionist models of consciousness in Buddhism. More broadly, the chapter draws the reader's attention to the underlying representationalist tendencies of Brahmanical mirror models of consciousness and their awareness of critique coming from Indian anti-representationalists. As non-reductionists, Brahmanical theories present a radical alternative to the prevalence of various kinds of reductionism in contemporary philosophy. As representationalists, they provide a thorough defence against Rortian critique of the so called "philosophy-as-epistemology" view"-- Provided by publisher