The Dice Game of Shiva ~ Paperback ~ Richard Smoley

It is a powerful and evocative legend, celebrated in India, all but unknown in the West. The great god Shiva is persuaded to play a dice game with his consort, Parvati. The game continues, always with the same result: Shiva inevitably loses. Why, if he is the greatest god in the universe, does he lose? This myth strikes the keynote for "The Dice Game of Shiva", whose central theme is the interplay between consciousness (represented by Shiva) and its experience (Parvati). Using texts and teachings from a vast variety of sources, ranging from mystical and esoteric texts to modern philosophy, theology, science, and even neurology, "The Dice Game of Shiva" shows how consciousness is present at every level of the universe, and how this truth has been illustrated over and over again by most of the great spiritual traditions. Many current books say that consciousness is merely a side effect of the operation of brain processes. Many other books, usually from a more spiritual perspective, contend that consciousness is what came first; matter resulted from mind. Neither of these views is entirely satisfactory. "The Dice Game of Shiva" is the only book available that shows how the universe at all levels consists of a seamless interplay between matter and mind, as symbolized by the dice game between the god and goddess.Author BiographyRichard Smoley is one of the world's leading authorities on the mystical and esoteric teachings of Western civilization. He holds a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in classics from Harvard and B.A. and M.A. in the Honour School of Literae Humaniores (classics and philosophy) at Oxford.