Art Theory

Interpreting Tantra As Subjective Neuroscience | Anand Venkatraman | Kashmir Shaivism |Abhinavagupta



SrijanTalks

Any mention of the word “Tantra” in polite society is likely to elicit a mixture of fear, disgust and ridicule. However, this is because we’ve lost the ability to appreciate what these traditions really represent – extraordinary insights into the working of the nervous system, as seen from a first-person perspective. The Tantras are thus are among the purest expressions of the biocentric, subjectivist outlook that undergirds all of Indic thought. A resurgence of scientific interest in Tantra could potentially bring about revolutionary changes in medicine and technology, while also challenging the fundamentals of the modern understanding of Indic culture.

The talk covers these aspects: –

1. An overall overview of overlaps between Tantra and neuroscience, with a little intro to everything – nadis, chakras, consciousness, mudras, mantras and what neurological processes they may relate to.
2. The concept of the “Inner touch” in the work of Abhinavagupta – how that relates to a novel area of neuroscience called “interoception”, the means by which the brain senses the inner condition of the body.
3. The stages of speech in the Vedas and Tantra, how that corresponds to modern speech stages.
4. The Kashmiri Shaivite idea of memory, and how that compares to the modern understanding of memory.
5. Prakasha – Vimarsha and modern ideas of consciousness.

Anand Venkatraman’s paper on Tantra and neuroscience, covering many of the same topics as in this Srijan talk, has been published in the prestigious Neurology India journal. It is now available online internationally on the Pubmed database:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31744942

About the Speaker: –

Anand Venkatraman is a neurologist based in Boston. A native of Chennai, he is an MBBS graduate of AIIMS New Delhi, and currently pursuing specialized training at the hospitals of Harvard Medical School.

Follow Us on Social Media :

Join us on Telegram : https://t.me/srijanfn

Twitter: https://twitter.com/srijanfn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/srijanfoundation

Subscribe to Srijan Talks: https://bit.ly/2PU6JxG
Subscribe to Srijan Talks [Hindi]: https://is.gd/y8whyZ

More About Us: https://srijantalks.org/

#YogicNeuroscience

Source

Similar Posts

39 thoughts on “Interpreting Tantra As Subjective Neuroscience | Anand Venkatraman | Kashmir Shaivism |Abhinavagupta
  1. What our Rushi's found several millenniums ago, western science is just comprehending it now. It could take several centuries to western counterparts to understand what Hinduism is about

  2. I am in awe with the talk. Its humbling to know that I am a Hindu and born in the country which is genesis of such immense depth in every possible field. I think I am one of lucky people to be born in Bharat and more specifically Banaras. I hope to die in Banaras too as I have started to understand, though minuscule bit that there is a reason for being born and dying in Banaras. This talk has made it stronger to believe a lot about mantras, deities, yoga, practice and consciousness. Thank you for such a wonderful eye opening talk.

  3. Great presentation.. your 'hunch' is really true.. yoga and science are different names for same thing in different time period.. to understand this it has to be 'inwardly explored' and not objectively..

  4. That self introduction in beginning was appreciable. Anyone before speaking anything on anything must tell where they are coming from. The pretense of a Universalist mooring people display is bad.

  5. Very nice things he came with. So much stuffs are available in our rich Hinduism which was developed by our ancestors. But we lost those things due to evil alien islamic creatures who invaded our country and destroyed them. Now same stuff is coming back to India from west, as they are exploring, reading and doing research on it. And it is giving what today's modern human life requires.
    It's time for us to go back for those things / stuff to work on it and improve our lifestyles.

  6. The speaker exhibits maturity and understanding way beyond his biological age, but doesn’t that mean he knows building a Mandir is way ‘progressive’ than building a hospital? Also, Beeja mantras are not supposed to be casually blurted out like he does- it will cause harm.

  7. Just because the West could not figure out in their labs it does not mean what was written in books like Yogavasista is mere speculation.

  8. What do you mean by "reputed Western Journals not by people practicing yoga". It is people like Abhinav Gupta and other Rishis and yoga exponents and practitioners who explained the mind and thought processes in the first place. This idea that what ever was discovered by ancient Rishis needs stamp of approval from the West is not very appealing. Whether people like it or not Rishis were scientists and what they wrote was science.

  9. You are in Harvard.. next the American entrepreneurs will make billions out of Tantra and peddle it as their knowledge and sell it back to us. The circle will then be complete.

  10. Fascinating talk. Shakta and Tantra tradition can be seen in Himachal .In every village we can see dieties and ppl still follow the rituals related to particular dieties.

  11. Here is the classic reason why leftists, pseudo liberals, seculars do not want Hindus to learn Sanskrit.
    But rhe parents must make a choice and encourage their children to learn Sanskrit , in Addition to the mother tongue and learn their ancient texts.
    Otherwise all your knowledge will be hijacked .
    Look at the moslems , they claim that their Quran has an answer to all the scientific questions . In reality it has only given hatred and jihad.

    But you guys have given Yoga, Ayurveda, Mindfulness , Vipasana , Yognidra and what not ?

    wake up guys !!!!!

  12. good talk but he is rediscovering Indian knowledge systems and seeking validation from the west along the way. sad but the reality of modern Indians

  13. Superbly presented and explained with objective angles! I am so very proud that science is unraveling the science within our culture. The history of sound and mind used in conjunction throughout our lives, underlines for me the mystery of sound. More Power to Such Efforts and may the India Based Neuro Focused Hospital come up soonest! 🙂

  14. I really appreciate the genuine openness he showed in the talk. Wish he succeeded in his endeavors to better our understanding of sanathan dharma and wish he grows more spiritual and do more service to our Bharatha varsh and the world.

  15. What a great session of information Yog Tantra and Bharatiye science. Great job. Call some more scientists and do researches on Sri Yantra .
    Har Har Mahadev 🚩🙏

Comments are closed.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com