Sources and References

Back to: Consciousness Cartography: Mapping Non-Local States of Awareness

Module 1: Sources & References

The following sources informed the preparation of this expanded Module 1 guide. They are organized by category. Where possible, the most accessible edition of each work is cited. Works marked with an asterisk (*) are considered essential for this module. All others provide useful supplementary depth.

Primary Texts – Ancient Traditions

#	Source	Notes
1	* Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Aṅguttara Nikāya). Wisdom Publications, 2012.	Definitive English translation of the core Buddhist canonical descriptions of the jhānas and meditative states. Chapters on the jhānas essential for Section 3.
2	* Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma (Abhidhammattha Sangaha). Pariyatti Publishing, 2003.	Authoritative guide to the Abhidhamma’s 89 consciousness types. Essential for understanding the depth and systematic nature of Buddhist consciousness cartography.
3	Patañjali (Georg Feuerstein, trans.), The Yoga-Sūtra of Patañjali. Inner Traditions, 1989.	Best scholarly translation of Patañjali’s foundational yogic cartography, with commentary that bridges traditional and contemporary understanding.
4	* Swami Gambhirananda (trans.), Taittirīya Upanishad with Commentary of Śaṅkarācārya. Advaita Ashrama, 1986.	Definitive source for the five kosha teaching. The Śaṅkara commentary is essential for understanding what the levels of the self actually refer to.
5	Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah. Meridian/Plume, 1978.	The definitive scholarly overview of Kabbalistic history and doctrine by the twentieth century’s greatest Kabbalah scholar. Essential for understanding what the Tree of Life system actually is.
6	Aryeh Kaplan, Meditation and Kabbalah. Weiser Books, 1982.	Kaplan’s practice-focused treatment of Kabbalistic meditation, including detailed treatment of the sephirot as consciousness states rather than mere cosmological abstractions.
7	Al-Ghazali (T.J. Winter, trans.), Al-Ghazali on Disciplining the Soul. Islamic Texts Society, 1995.	Al-Ghazali’s account of the Sufi maqāmāt is one of the most psychologically sophisticated treatments of the spiritual path in world literature. Essential for the Sufi section.
8	Fabrizio Pregadio (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Taoism. Routledge, 2008.	The authoritative reference work for Daoist history and doctrine, including the neidan (inner alchemy) tradition. Essential for understanding the Daoist cartographic system.
9	Mircea Eliade, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Princeton University Press, 1964.	The classic scholarly treatment of shamanic practice across cultures. Essential background for understanding the universality of the three-world cosmological map.

 

Primary Texts – Modern Cartographies

#	Source	Notes
10	* Robert Monroe, Journeys Out of the Body. Doubleday, 1971.	Monroe’s first and most foundational account of his early OBE explorations and the initial development of his Focus level cartography. Essential for Section 4.
11	Robert Monroe, Far Journeys. Doubleday, 1985.	Monroe’s second book, describing the more advanced Focus levels (21 and beyond) in greater detail. Important for understanding the full scope of the Monroe cartography.
12	Robert Monroe, Ultimate Journey. Doubleday, 1994.	Monroe’s final book and his most systematic attempt at cartographic synthesis. Contains his most developed account of Focus 27 and the territories beyond.
13	* Stanislav Grof, The Holotropic Mind. HarperCollins, 1992.	Grof’s most accessible treatment of his cartographic framework, including biographical, perinatal, and transpersonal domains. Essential for Section 4.
14	Stanislav Grof, Psychology of the Future. State University of New York Press, 2000.	More technical treatment of the cartographic system with extensive case material. Important for understanding how Grof’s maps were derived from clinical evidence.
15	* Ken Wilber, Integral Psychology. Shambhala, 2000.	Wilber’s definitive cartographic synthesis, including the ‘Great Nest of Being’ comparative charts that are essential for this module’s comparative analysis.
16	Ken Wilber, The Eye of Spirit. Shambhala, 1997.	Wilber’s treatment of the relationship between states and stages, with important implications for understanding what the ancient maps were actually mapping.
17	Charles Tart, Altered States of Consciousness. Wiley, 1969.	The foundational academic anthology on altered states that established the field. Tart’s own contributions, particularly his systems model, are essential for Section 4.
18	Thomas Campbell, My Big TOE: A Trilogy. Lightning Strike Books, 2003.	Campbell’s complete statement of his Theory of Everything, integrating Monroe’s Focus levels with an information-physics model of consciousness.

 

Secondary Sources and Scholarly Commentary

#	Source	Notes
19	* Daniel P. Brown, Pointing Out the Great Way. Wisdom Publications, 2006.	Brown’s masterwork comparing meditation stages across Tibetan, Indian, and other traditions. Particularly important for understanding how ancient maps compare when examined by a scholar who has trained in multiple traditions.
20	* Ken Wilber, Integral Psychology, Chapters 1-4 (The Great Nest of Being).	As noted in the course syllabus, these chapters provide the specific comparative charts essential for this module’s assessment work.
21	Shinzen Young, The Science of Enlightenment. Sounds True, 2016.	Young’s neuroscience-influenced treatment of meditation states is particularly useful for understanding the jhāna system in terms that connect to modern consciousness science.
22	Roger Walsh, The World of Shamanism. Llewellyn, 2007.	Walsh’s scholarly treatment of shamanic practices and their relationship to other contemplative traditions. Essential background for the shamanic cartography section.
23	Huston Smith, Forgotten Truth: The Common Vision of the World’s Religions. HarperOne, 1976.	Smith’s classic argument for the ‘perennial philosophy.’ The convergence of consciousness maps across world traditions. Important context for Essential Question 2.
24	Jorge Ferrer, Revisioning Transpersonal Theory. State University of New York Press, 2002.	Ferrer’s critique of the perennial philosophy and his ‘participatory’ alternative is essential for students who want to engage seriously with the limitations of the convergence thesis.
25	Bhikkhu Analayo, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization. Windhorse Publications, 2003.	Analayo’s scholarly and practice-focused treatment of Buddhist meditation is one of the best resources available for understanding what the Buddhist cartographic system was describing.
26	David Chalmers, The Conscious Mind. Oxford University Press, 1996.	Chalmers’ philosophical analysis of consciousness remains an important background framework for understanding why consciousness cartography is philosophically significant.
27	Alfred Korzybski, Science and Sanity (4th ed.). Institute of General Semantics, 1958.	Original source of ‘the map is not the territory.’ Essential philosophical background for the meta-cartographic reflections throughout this module.
28	Hiroshi Motoyama, Theories of the Chakras: Bridge to Higher Consciousness. Quest Books, 1981.	Motoyama’s attempt to bridge the chakra system with scientific measurement. Important for understanding both the value and the limits of the Vedantic energetic cartography.
29	Charles Tart, ‘States of Consciousness and State-Specific Sciences.’ Science, 176(4040), 1203-1210, 1972.	Tart’s landmark paper arguing for the scientific legitimacy of state-specific knowledge. Essential background for the Tart section and for the epistemological framework of the course as a whole.
30	Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics. Shambhala, 1975.	While Capra’s specific physics claims have been subject to significant criticism, his approach to comparative cartography between Eastern and modern frameworks is historically important context.