mind-as-sense-organ-debate
A philosophical dispute within Advaita Vedanta on whether the mind qualifies as a sense-organ, with implications for epistemology and the nature of knowledge.
1 chapter across 1 book
Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta (1980)William M. Indich
Chapter III explores the Advaitic distinction between absolute consciousness and modified consciousness, focusing on the latter as the basis for individual experience and phenomenal reality. It analyzes the nature of modified consciousness as the association of absolute consciousness with ignorance, detailing its active and latent modes and the fourfold structure of mind (sense-mind, intellect, I-sense, and memory). The chapter also discusses a philosophical debate within Advaita Vedanta regarding whether the mind should be considered a sense-organ, ultimately clarifying the epistemological implications of this question.