________________
264
Studies in Indian Philosophy
illusion that everything will work out splendidly, that things could never be better :
" Putting the mind down to direct it towards something that is distasteful such as the frustration of Samsāra, when it has taken off into over excitement and elation."8
The second phase of this preparatory stage is therefore what we would call a kind of balancing which, precisely be. cause here the individual is not torn one way or another, offers the chance for a wider perspective. In particular, this is opened upon the third phase which involves supernormal perceptions and wholeness experiences. Supernormal percep. tions iuclude such phenomena as multiple personality which is more easily understandable in view of the Buddhist concept of mind as a structure rather than as a single particle. A structure can well be multi-dimensional and be something that has size and shape by analogy, and it also can intersect with other similar structures. Another phenomenon on this level is the 'knowledge of other minds'. The argument for it is one by analogy. It assumes that
"there is another mind animating a body as my mind
is animating my body."9 and there certainly are situations about which we believe that there are in it certain mental states which are not ours but belong to other minds. Although we ordinarily proceed with:
uestioning or being aware of this assumption, it is here raised to a conscious' affirmation which enables us to deal with others as 'subjects' rather than as objects.
Another phenomenon is the activation of mnemic persistents. As has been pointed out, 'mind' in Buddhist psychology is a complex tbat, among other structural elements, includes a factor that is capable to carry modifications of experiences which happened to a person while he was alive. If such a 'psychic factor'unites with a new body or enters into an intimate relationship with a new situation, it will not be surprising that there are 'memories of a previous life. In no
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
