CAPSULE COURSE
Offered by
The School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions

• Course Title: Certificate in Nālandā Discourse on Consciousness
• Minimum Eligibility: Class XII/ Intermediate/ 10+2
• Course Fee: INR ₹ 3000
• Course Duration: 1 Semester
• Teaching Mode: Online (Lecture + Discussion + Visual Material)
• Class Timings: 06:30 pm to 07:30 pm TBC (Thursday & Friday)
• Faculty Name: Prof. Godabarisha Mishra, Dr. Pranshu Samdarshi, Dr. Rajeshwar Mukherjee

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course explores Nālandā as an ancient seat of learning and a historic epicenter for the study of consciousness.The course curriculum primarily focuses on the Yogācāra (also known as Vijñānavāda and Cittamātra) school of Buddhist philosophy that flourished at Nālandā, situating its doctrines within the broader framework of cognitionbased contemplative traditions that have spread across Asia.

TEACHING MODULES

Lecture 1: Introduction to the Nalanda Tradition of Inquiry

• Overview of the Nalanda monastic tradition: The integration of study (learning), reflection, and meditation.
• The role of logic (Pramana) and debate in investigating the nature of reality and the mind.
• Distinction between “religious” Buddhism and the “science of mind” (Buddhist Psychology) as emphasised in the Nalanda tradition.

Lecture 2: The Definition and Nature of Mind

• Defining “Mind” (Citta) in Buddhism: “Clear and Knowing” vs. the material brain.
• The distinction between sensory consciousness and mental consciousness.

Lecture 3: Buddhist Psychology: Mind and Mental Factors

• The structure of consciousness: Mind (Citta) and the Mental Factors (Caitasikas).
• Categorisation of mental factors: Omnipresent, Object-Ascertaining, Virtuous, Root Afflictions, and Secondary Afflictions.
• Understanding the mechanism of cognitive and affective states.

Lecture 4: The Three Levels of Consciousness

• Gross Consciousness: Sensory perceptions and ordinary waking states.
• Subtle Consciousness: Dream states and deep sleep.
• Very Subtle Consciousness: The “Clear Light” (Prabhasvara) nature of the mind; the innate primordial mind used in Tantra.

Lecture 5: Epistemology (Pramana): Valid and Invalid Cognition

• Understanding Pramana (Valid Cognition): Direct Perception (Pratyaksha) and Inference (Anumana).
• The role of reliable cognition in realising the nature of reality.
• The deceptive nature of ordinary perception and the need for corrective analysis.

Lecture 6: The Foundational Views: Vaibhashika and Sautrantika Perspectives

• Vaibhashika: Direct perception of external objects; assertions on the nature of past, present, and future.
• Sautrantika: The theory of “Self-Cognition” (Svasamvedana); representationalism (objects are known via mental aspects).

Lecture 7: The Chittamatra (Mind-Only) School: The Storehouse Consciousness

• Rejection of external objects: “The Three Worlds are Mind Only”.
• The Eight Consciousnesses: Introduction of Alayavijnana (Storehouse Consciousness) and Klishta-manas(Afflicted Mind).
• Karma and memory storage in the Alaya.

Lecture 8: The Three Natures Doctrine (Trisvabhava)

• The Imputed Nature (Parikalpita): False projections of subject-object duality.
• The Dependent Nature (Paratantra): The causal flow of mental moments.
• The Thoroughly Established Nature (Parinishpanna): The emptiness of duality.

Lecture 9: Comparision with Madhyamaka Perspectives: The Emptiness of Mind

• Nagarjuna’s critique of “Self-Existent” mind.
• Svatantrika Madhyamaka: Acceptance of conventional self-nature but ultimate emptiness.
• Prasangika Madhyamaka: Rejection of even conventional inherent existence; consciousness as a dependent designation.

Lecture 10: Consciousness and the Path to Liberation

• The Two Obscurations: Afflictive Obscurations (Kleshavarana) and Cognitive Obscurations (Jneyavarana).
• The role of Bodhicitta (Awakening Mind) and Wisdom (realizing Emptiness) in transforming consciousness.
• The Seven-Fold Cause and Effect method for cultivating altruism.

Lecture 11: The Union of Bliss and Emptiness

• Introduction to the Tantric view of consciousness.
• Using the subtle energy winds (Prana) and drops to access the Clear Light mind.
• Deity Yoga: Transforming ordinary self-perception into the divine pride of the deity.

Lecture 12: The Ultimate Nature: Buddha Nature (Tathagatagarbha)

• The potential for enlightenment is present in every sentient being.
• The luminous nature of the mind is the basis for all spiritual attainment.
• Conclusion: Integrating the “Nalanda Discourse” into daily life for mental transformation.

CONSCIOUSNESS STUDIES IN VEDANTA:

Module 1: Nature of Consciousness (Ātman)

• Ātman is posited as pure consciousness (cit), entirely self-luminous, indivisible, and not constituted by material properties[5][6].
• It is ontologically distinct from the psycho-physical (body–mind) complex, serving instead as the unchanging witness (sākṣī) to all experiences.
• The three experiential states—waking (jāgrat), dream (svapna), and deep sleep (suṣupti)—are all illuminated by the constant presence of ātman, as articulated in primary Upaniṣadic sources and Śaṅkara’s commentaries.

Module 2: Epistemology—Consciousness and Knowledge

• The pramāṇa theory delineates valid means of knowledge: perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna), and scriptural testimony (śabda).
• The mind (antaḥkaraṇa) acts as an instrument, while consciousness alone illuminates cognition and renders experience manifest
• Vedāntic analysis explains the processes of vṛtti-vyāpti (thought-modification’s pervasion of the object) and phala-vyāpti (the arising of cognitive result), positioning consciousness as the essential illuminator in every act of knowing.

Module 3: Cosmology—Consciousness and Creation

• The causal sequence: Brahman (pure consciousness) gives rise to universe via Māyā, manifesting as Īśvara (the cosmic controller), Hiraṇyagarbha (cosmic intelligence), and Virāṭ (gross universe).
• Consciousness is established as the foundational reality underlying all existence; individual mind is considered an aspect or reflection of the cosmic mind[3][8].
• These views are systematically presented in Vedāntic texts, particularly the Māṇḍūkya and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣads

Module 4: Consciousness, Bondage, and Liberation

• The five sheaths (pañca-kośa)—from gross to subtle—veil the true nature of consciousness and create the illusion of limitation.
• Discriminative knowledge (viveka) enables one to distinguish the real (ātman) from the unreal (anātman), leading to liberation (jīvanmukti).
• Spiritual practice is structured through listening (śravaṇa), reflection (manana), and deep meditation (nididhyāsana), as detailed in works like Vivekachūḍāmaṇi and Pañcadaśī.

Module 5: Vedānta and Contemporary Consciousness Studies

• The Vedāntic position asserts consciousness as fundamental and irreducible, counterposed with modern theories proposing emergence from physical processes.
• Contemporary discourse engages with these paradigms, contrasting Vedānta’s non-dual ontology with neurobiological or physicalist models.