For materials closer to the period you are looking at - i.e. beginning of CE -- I would suggest the stories of the arhat Maudgalyayana in the Mahavastu-avadana (trans. Jones) and the Saundarananda of Asvaghosa (trans. Johnston or Covill).

good luck!

Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of Dean Michael Anderson via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2019 10:02 AM
To: indology@list.indology.info <indology@list.indology.info>; Jessie Pons <jessie.pons@ruhr-uni-bochum.de>
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Out-of-body experience in Indian religions

There must be many stories of things like this in texts like the Puranas, but these two references come to mind.

) The biography of Shankara mentions him leaving his body and entering the body of a king. Shankara-dig-vijaya is one of the classic texts on this. Perhaps some know of other sources.

2) Yoga Sutra III.38 says:

By loosening the cause of bondage and through sensitivity to the movements (of the mind), consciousness can enter another body.

bandhakaaraNashaithilyaatprachaarasaMvedanaachcha chittasya parasharIraaveshaH

Best,

Dean

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, 7:35:26 PM GMT+5:30, Jessie Pons via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear list-members,

A colleague is developing a research project on Out-of-body experiences

in religious contexts at the turn of the common era and would be

interested in comparing her material (her focus is on the Mediterranean

world) with that of other regions.

I have mentioned Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga and the Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha

(though I understand this is a later source) but I would be very

grateful to anyone who could suggest additional or more pertinent

sources.

Thank you very much in advance for any help you can provide!

All best,

Jessie Pons

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jessie Pons

Professor for the History of South Asian Religions

CERES — Centre for the Study of Religions

Käte-Hamburger-Kolleg „Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia

and Europe"

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Universitätsstraße 90a

44789 Bochum

Tel. 02 34 32 22955

E-Mail: jessie.pons@rub.de

Room 1/04

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