New Books in Religion Gavin Flood, "The Concept of Mind in Hindu Tantra" (Routledge, 2024)
Oct 30, 2025
Gavin Flood, Professor of Hindu Studies at Oxford, dives deep into the concept of mind in Hindu Tantra, exploring its philosophical roots and complexities. He examines the nuanced distinctions between atman and the mind-body complex, and how early Buddhist concepts influenced tantric ideas. Flood also discusses the dualist and nondualist perspectives within Shaivism, emphasizing consciousness as the essence of reality. Drawing parallels with Kantian thought, he highlights the world-affirming nature of nondualist Shaiva ethics and their implications for social activism.
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Mind‑Body As A Single Complex
- Tantra treats mind and body as a cohesive complex rather than a Cartesian split.
- The true subject in many Indian traditions is the deeper atman or jiva, distinct from the mind-body complex.
Trace Conceptual Histories
- Study the history of ideas to reveal shifts in Indian concepts of mind across time.
- Flood recommends tracing textual developments to show conceptual evolution rather than assuming stasis.
Luminous Versus Fluctuating Mind
- Early Indian texts show a tension between mind as luminous and mind as impermanent and defiled.
- Both conceptions feed into later yogic doctrines like Patanjali's chitta vritti nirodha.
