Dreams, Illusion, and Other Realities

Rating:
Summary: The Cunning of Reason/Happily Ever After??
Review: This text aims to retell and analyze Sanskrit tales of dream and illusion, primarily from the YogaVasishtha, a work described by scholar and yogi H.P. Shastri as the inner story of the Ramayana. How well it succeeds in this task depends upon one's sympathy with mythological thinking. The stories concern kings and yogis dreaming their way into alternate realities; the questions raised concern how such alternate realities relate to our day-to-day variety. Implicitly contrasted is Prof. Doniger, noted Sanskrit scholar, versus young Wendy, learning to read Alice in Wonderland (297). The overall theme is illustrated by Jung's dream of a yogi meditating in a church. Deeply unsettled, Jung realized that the yogi was more real than himself and, the moment the yogi awoke from meditation, he (Jung) would disappear. The Western texts used as points of entry into presumably more puzzling Eastern texts (5) lead into constant digressions: intellectuallized issues of perception and illusion, paradoxes of self-reference. Even the digressions digress: Freudian theory is built up (Ch. 1) then demolished by Popper's philosophy (Ch. 4). But what can Freud or Popper really teach us about mythology? In case you wonder about the YV itself, consider this: "the indwelling consciousness?has no object of experience either outside or inside [but, through a movement of thought], desires to experience itself as an object?[and does so] by its own cleverness" [Vasistha's Yoga, Venkatesananda, trans., 317]. By curtailing desire, the wise unwind this web of maya; others suffer self-desired delusion. The tales are told well?no mean feat given that the originals are scattered like gems in the world's second biggest book. But gone is the sheer enchantment found in, say, Heinrich Zimmer's work. Gone too is the living context, found in T. Leggett's works. Herein lies another contrast: the YV is a text, whose dead letters are safely dissected but not taken seriously. That Jung merely "claimed [sic] to have dreamt" his yogi dream [245] belies the whole premise: The stories may be real (297), but real people don't do that--only texts. What could have been a marvelous book becomes merely interesting, a brain-teaser from a Sunday paper. Consider myth: Psyche fell in love with Cupid, who forbade her to look upon him by day. Why? What could be wrong? Frightened, with protective knife in hand, she gazed finally upon his beauty by night. But her candle dripped hot wax on him and, wounded, he fled away. Moral? The light of Reason can destroy what is Beautiful. And though a child's mind is full of Wonder, the grown-up brain gives up childish ways. The End.

Rating:
Summary: The Cunning of Reason/Happily Ever After¿?
Review: This text aims to retell and analyze Sanskrit tales of dream and illusion, primarily from the YogaVasishtha, a work described by scholar and yogi H.P. Shastri as the inner story of the Ramayana. How well it succeeds in this task depends upon one's sympathy with mythological thinking. The stories concern kings and yogis dreaming their way into alternate realities; the questions raised concern how such alternate realities relate to our day-to-day variety. Implicitly contrasted is Prof. Doniger, noted Sanskrit scholar, versus young Wendy, learning to read Alice in Wonderland (297). The overall theme is illustrated by Jung's dream of a yogi meditating in a church. Deeply unsettled, Jung realized that the yogi was more real than himself and, the moment the yogi awoke from meditation, he (Jung) would disappear. The Western texts used as points of entry into presumably more puzzling Eastern texts (5) lead into constant digressions: intellectuallized issues of perception and illusion, paradoxes of self-reference. Even the digressions digress: Freudian theory is built up (Ch. 1) then demolished by Popper's philosophy (Ch. 4). But what can Freud or Popper really teach us about mythology? In case you wonder about the YV itself, consider this: "the indwelling consciousness...has no object of experience either outside or inside [but, through a movement of thought], desires to experience itself as an object...[and does so] by its own cleverness" [Vasistha's Yoga, Venkatesananda, trans., 317]. By curtailing desire, the wise unwind this web of maya; others suffer self-desired delusion. The tales are told well-no mean feat given that the originals are scattered like gems in the world's second biggest book. But gone is the sheer enchantment found in, say, Heinrich Zimmer's work. Gone too is the living context, found in T. Leggett's works. Herein lies another contrast: the YV is a text, whose dead letters are safely dissected but not taken seriously. That Jung merely "claimed [sic] to have dreamt" his yogi dream [245] belies the whole premise: The stories may be real (297), but real people don't do that--only texts. What could have been a marvelous book becomes merely interesting, a brain-teaser from a Sunday paper. Consider myth: Psyche fell in love with Cupid, who forbade her to look upon him by day. Why? What could be wrong? Frightened, with protective knife in hand, she gazed finally upon his beauty by night. But her candle dripped hot wax on him and, wounded, he fled away. Moral? The light of Reason can destroy what is Beautiful. And though a child's mind is full of Wonder, the grown-up brain gives up childish ways. The End.

Rating:
Summary: The Cunning of Reason, or Happily Ever After...?
Review: This work aims to retell and analyze amazing tales of dream and illusion from classical Indian literature, mostly from the Yoga Vasishtha, a ~12th century Sanskrit work described by the scholar and yogi, H.P. Shastri, as the inner story of the Ramayana. How well it succeeds in this task depends upon one's sympathy with mythological thinking. The Introduction contrasts different philosophical approaches to reality: waking vs. dreaming, Plato vs. Hume, moksha vs. samsara. Implicitly contrasted is Dr. Doniger the Sanskrit scholar vs. little Wendy learning to read Alice In Wonderland. Throughout, the discussion of dream motifs in Sanskrit literature digresses to Freudian dream interpretation, philosophy of science, art of illusion, paradoxes of self-reference. But really, what can Karl Popper-who despised poetical Plato-teach us about mythology? The tales are told well, no mean feat given that the originals are scattered like gems in the world's second biggest book. But focus on the stories and ignore the author's hyperconscious interpretations; otherwise, as depicted on the cover, any lived experience of Shankara's rope/snake will be explained away as intellectual curiosity, right down to the image's incongruent shadow. The author does mention Carl Jung's dream of a yogi meditating in a church; this dream deeply unsettled Jung, who realized that the yogi was more real than himself and that, the moment the yogi awoke from meditation, he (Jung) would disappear. Had the author read von Franz's works on dreams or infused more Wonder into her own writing, this could have been a marvelous book. As is, it is merely interesting. Consider this myth: Psyche (mind) fell in love with Cupid (Eros), who forbade her to look upon him by day. Frightened, with protective knife in hand, she gazed finally upon his beauty by night. But her candle dripped hot wax on him and, wounded, away he fled. Moral? The light of reason destroys what is beautiful, and the grown-up brain gives up childish things. The End.