DREAMS, ILLUSION AND OTHER REALITIES Kindle Edition

In this dazzling book—which analyses scores of stories from the Puranas,Mahabharata, Ramayana and Yogavasishtha, among other texts—one of theworld’s great scholars of Indian and world mythology writes about our myths,dreams and illusions and what they tell us about reality; about self and nonself; about our perception of the world and the world’s perception of us;about ‘our dreams of God and God’s dream of us’.***‘Wendy Doniger…weaves a brilliant analysis of the complex role of dreams anddreaming in Indian religion, philosophy, literature, and art… In her creativehands, enchanting Indian myths and stories illuminate and are illuminated byauthors as different as Aeschylus, Plato, Freud, Jung, Thomas Kuhn, Borges…This richly suggestive book challenges many of our fundamental assumptionsabout ourselves and our world.’—New York Times Book Review‘Dazzling analysis… The book is firm and convincing once you appreciate itscentral point, which is that in traditional Hindu thought the dream isn’t anaccident or byway of experience, [it] actually embodies the whole problemof knowledge… [Doniger] wants to make your mental flesh creep, and shesucceeds.’—Village Voice‘[Doniger] uses her encyclopedic command of the literature on dreams andillusions (both Eastern and Western) to take us on a dizzying spin throughmultiple levels of reality… A marvelous book recommended to students ofreligion and philosophy, to devotees [of] metaphysical brainteasers…or to anyreader who enjoys a challenge.’—Booklist Read more