A LIBRARIAN’S ORIENTATION
What this book explores
Philosopher Evan Thompson follows consciousness through waking, dreaming, lucid dreaming, deep sleep, out-of-body experience, meditation, dying, and questions about the self. He places neuroscience and Western philosophy in careful conversation with Indian philosophical and contemplative traditions.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Why it’s in the Library
This is the shelf's deeper bridge between first-person practice and scientific inquiry. It neither reduces contemplative traditions to brain events nor treats ancient teachings as automatically confirmed by modern research, giving travelers a model of intellectually serious cross-traditional conversation.
Good starting place if…
You want a patient, substantial exploration of consciousness across waking, dreaming, meditation, and death—and are ready for philosophy, science, and contemplative traditions to remain in dialogue rather than collapse into one answer.
Know before you begin…
This is a demanding synthesis, not a quick meditation guide. Indian traditions disagree with one another, and scientific findings do not validate every contemplative or metaphysical claim. Thompson also argues against the idea that meditation reveals a single pure consciousness independent of interpretation; readers seeking simple confirmation may find the book productively resistant.