Skip to content

Youngsun Yang

4 papers in the library · publishing 2026

Papers

Sort Most recent Most cited

The Brain in Indian Medical and Religious Traditions: A Relational Organ Model of Mastiṣka, Hṛdaya, and Nāḍī

Religions April 24, 2026 Youngsun Yang, Eunyoung Lee

This article examines the concept of the brain (mastiṣka) within the Indian intellectual tradition, tracing its development from the magico-religious medicine of the Atharvaveda (c. 1200–900 BCE) through the classical Āyurvedic texts—the Suśrutasaṃhitā, the Caraksaṃhitā, the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā, and the relatively neglected Bhelasaṃhitā—to the subtle-body physiology of Haṭha Yoga literature....

The Paradox of Omniscience (Sarvajñāna): From Divine Omniscience to the Mystical Self-Awareness in Indian Philosophy

Religions March 20, 2026 Youngsun Yang

While Western theology typically locates omniscience in a personal Creator-God, Indian philosophy presents a notable spectrum. This article traces the dialectical arc of omniscience (sarvajñāna) across major Indian philosophical traditions, arguing that what appears as an epistemological question—“who knows everything?”—is ultimately an ontological puzzle about the nature of consciousness...

Between Sleep and Liberation in Indian Traditions: Lucid Dreaming, Out-of-Body Experiences, and the Architectures of Liminal Consciousness

Religions February 24, 2026 Youngsun Yang

This article examines the theoretical and practical frameworks surrounding liminal states of consciousness—specifically lucid dreaming and out-of-body experiences (OBEs)—within Indian religious and philosophical traditions. Through a comparative analysis of Vedāntic, Yogic, Buddhist, and Jain systems, the article argues that these states are not merely anomalous psychological events but...

Beyond Religious “Death with Dignity”: Understanding Jain Meditative Death (Samādhimaraṇa) Through Contextualization of Sallekhaṇā, Śukladhyāna, and Samudghāta

Religions January 27, 2026 Youngsun Yang

In Indian religious traditions, the attainment of death with full conscious awareness has long been idealized, reflecting the deep ontological connection posited between death and liberation (mokṣa). Within this framework, Jainism—grounded in a rigorous soul–matter dualism—developed highly systematized practices that aim to separate consciousness from both the body and karma not only at the...