gaudapaada and buddha (was Re: brahman by ...)

[Kim Poulsen]

Egodust:
> can't agree with your intimation about the "greatest man who walked the
> planet," however. (presumably referring to Sakyamuni Buddha)  Jnani's
have no
> degrees.

A loose rendering of Gaudapada's invocation. G. chooses a specifically
buddhist
form, ( - yes, presumably referring to Sakyamuni Buddha).

The exact correspondence to dvipadaa varam.h, "Best of bipeds" eludes me
just now,
but Nagarjuna has it dvipadendra, "Best of bipeds" in bodhicittavivaraNa
112

Furthermore G. cannot really bow to his feet as he is (in buddhist thought)

lokaatiiastava, "(gone) beyond (this) world," (see Nagarjuna: chatuHstava
and
lokaatiistava) and lokottara,  "higher than (this) world" (see
bodhisaMbhaara.)

 Another goes like this: " I bow to the inconceivable, incomparable whose
j~naana is
unequalled |" (in achintyastava)

   This brings me to the point. That "jnani's have no degrees" is no doubt
a very wise
policy in the light of the recent discussions here. Philosophically however
it makes
little sense. Surely there are degrees of knowledge and with it degrees of
knowers. A
finite amount of knowledge means an end to evolution, and with it an
infinite state of
nihil, with rememberance the only possible thought activity. Horrible!
  The real idea is that insight may permit a period of rest with respect to
a certain cycle
(a liberation with respect to this cycle), and dependant on the degree of
realisation.
In buddhist terms (they are clearer on these states) nishpanna is "no-other
than"
(corresponding to) samsaara, pari-nishpanna corresponds to svabhaava, etc.
   In short, there are degrees of moksha as well as degrees as jnani's
(that is, in
ancient philosophy, - modern ideas are not really my field.)