[Advaita-l] Buddhism, Advaita and Dvaita - 4

[V Subrahmanian]

On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 6:59 AM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>wrote:

>
> The second half of the 'Buddhistic' verse:
> नित्यभावनया भातं तद्भावं योगिनं नयेत्
> concerns itself with the yoga, the method, to be followed in putting an end
> to the transmigratory life ridden with so many ills. नित्यभावनया - by
> steadfast application of the entire personality to this one endeavor called
> 'sadhana', one will be rewarded with the vision of the Truth that was spoken
> of as the adversary, विरोधि, in the earlier half of the verse.  This
> obtaining of the vision of the Truth is conveyed by the word 'भातम्’ in the
> verse - नित्यभावनया भातं.  In the concluding quarter the verse says: तद्भावं
> योगिनं नयेत् .  That 'bhAvam' the existent Entity, the Truth, is the
> destination.  This is the 'virodhi' of the ills of samsara. The vision had
> of the Truth by taking recourse to Yoga will itself take, lead, the yogi,
> the aspirant, to the destination.
>

The last quarter of the verse तद्भावं योगिनं नयेत् requires a little more
elucidation.  Here the verse says that the one who has realized the Truth,
the adversary of all sAmsAric ills, becomes united with that Truth.  The
patently advaitic nature of this quarter perhaps causes one to see a
Buddhistic connection.  However, we have quite a lot of references in the
Upanishads and the Bhagavadgita to substantiate the point that there is
nothing unvedantic / unscriptural in the Advaitic nature of such a union.

The Bh.Gita, for instance has these teachings:

मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति 14.19
पूता मद्भावमागताः 4.10
मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते 13.18
मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते 8.16
ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते 18.53
ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा....18.54
सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा...5.7

All the above passages mean the unity of the knower of Brahman with Brahman.


The Upanishad too teaches this unity:
ब्रह्म वेद ब्रह्मैव भवति Mundaka. 3.2.9
*यथा नद्यः स्यन्दमानाः* समुद्रेऽस्तं गच्छन्ति नामरूपे विहाय । तथा विद्वान्
नामरूपाद्विमुक्तः परात्परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥Mundakopanishat 3.2.8
ब्रह्मविदाप्रोति परम् (Tai.Up. 2.1.1)

The Brahmasutra too has this teaching: अविभागेन दृष्टत्वात् 4.4.4

Thus even the 'aikyam' message conveyed by the Buddhist verse is very well
established in the Vedic Scripture.

Om Tat Sat