[Advaita-l] Buddhism, Advaita and Dvaita - 2

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste.

The first post in this series is available here:

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2011-May/027316.html

In this post the second Buddhist verse quoted by Sri Madhvacharya is taken
up for a study:

विचार्यमाणे नोऽसत्त्वं सत्त्वं चापि प्रतीयते ।
यस्य तत्सांवृतं तत्स्यात् व्यवहारपदं च यत् ॥ २

//When enquired into, one will find that neither is there non-existence nor
is there existence (of the observed duality).  This is the characteristic of
the 'sAmvRtam', which is what obtains in the realm of the relative,
vyavahArapadam.//

The above is what is termed ' सदसद्विलक्षणम्, अनिर्वचनीयत्वम्’ in Vedanta.
The following post explains this concept in detail:
 <http://tinyurl.com/3j3mth9>
http://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/sadasad-vilakshana-of-advaita-in-the-bhaagavatam/

In the srImadbhAgavatam (uddhavagItaa) we have a fine instance of this
phenomenon.  In the following verse (11.23.50) -

देहं *मनोमात्रमिमं** *गृहीत्वा ममाहमित्यन्धधियो मनुष्याः |

एषोऽहमन्योऽयमिति भ्रमेण दुरन्तपारे तमसि भ्रमन्ति ||

//Foolish men, coming to look upon the body, which is but a phantasm of the
mind, as 'I' and 'mine' and thinking erroneously, 'This am I but this other
man is different', wander in a limitless wilderness of ignorance.//

the word 'देहं मनोमात्रमिमं ' is what conveys the concept of
'anirvachanIyatvam'.  Something that is only in the imagination and not
available as an existent entity upon enquiry, and at the same time available
for experience unlike a hare's horn or a sky-flower, is what is termed
'manomAtram', a phantasm of the mind.


Some other verses of the Bhagavatamwere are also taken up in support of the
concept of 'anirvachanIyatvam' with regard to the dRshya prapancha.


The Upanishads too contain this concept that is unmistakable.  For instance,
the MandukyopaniShat specifies the first three pAda-s as the world obtaining
in the three states of waking, dream and sleep, both in the micro
(individual, vyaShTi)  and macro (cosmic, samaShTi) levels.  After this
exposition, the Upanishad enters the negating mode while embarking upon
specifying the turIya, Brahman.  All that was shown as the phenomenal world
in the first three pAda-s, is now negated in the fourth pAda.  This shows
that according to the Upanishad the world consisting of the experiences
obtaining in the three states is ultimately non-existent.  Yet the Upanishad
does not choose to remain silent about it; it does explain it in the three
pAda-s.  That is what is meant by the Buddhist verse quoted by Sri Madhva
as:


विचार्यमाणे नोऽसत्त्वं सत्त्वं चापि प्रतीयते ।
यस्य तत्सांवृतं तत्स्यात् व्यवहारपदं च यत् ॥ २


//When enquired into, one will find that neither is there non-existence nor
is there existence (of the observed duality).  This is the characteristic of
the 'sAmvRtam', which is what obtains in the realm of the relative,
vyavahArapadam.//


The Upanishad presents the world as an 'anuvAda', alluding to the experience
the jiva-s have, in the state of ignorance.  However, the aim of the
upanishad is to present the true state of affairs.  That is the reason it
undertakes the vichAra of negating the world of objects in the Turiya.  From
the absolute standpoint, when the world of experience is enquired into, one
comes to the conclusion that 'even though experienced नोऽसत्त्वं, not
non-existence, असत् चेत् न प्रतीयेत, the world has no absolute existence,
सत्त्वम् , सत् चेत् न बाध्येत.  Thus, the world is 'अविचारितसिद्ध’ , having
a basis only in the un-enquired into state.  However, when enquiry is
initiated and carried out to its logical end, based on scripture,
विचार्यमाणे, of the Buddhist verse quoted by Sri Madhva, the world is
determined to be neither having existence nor non-existence.


The Taittiriya Upanishad too has the root of this concept.  In the mantra:
सत्यं चानृतं च सत्यमभवत् (It, Brahman, Satyam, became both satyam and
anRtam).  Shankaracharya has explained that the first occurring Satyam is
Brahman.  The second appearing 'satyam' is the vyavaharika satyam, the
world.  'anRtam' is the prAtibhAsika satyam within the vyAvahArika.


In the part 1 of this series we have already seen that the Madhva school
specifies the paratantra (the vyAvahArika), as 'void names and bare
possibilities' in the absence of the 'sattaa' provided by the Swatantra,
Brahman.  This is nothing but the phenomenon of anirvachanIyatva with regard
to the world of objects.  It is not non-existence either, because the
paratantra satya does have an existence, satvam, borrowed from Hari's Sattaa
(असत् चेत् न प्रतीयेत).  In the absence of such a borrowed sattaa, however,
it is only 'void names and bare possibilities' which is none other than
'asatvam.'  So, the condition of 'विचार्यमाणे नोऽसत्त्वं सत्त्वं चापि
प्रतीयते' of the Buddhist verse quoted by Sri Madhva perfectly fits the
paratantra as explained by BNK in the Book.


In conclusion we say:



   - The world of experiences of objects-subjects is there as existent; it
   cannot be ruled out as non-existent.
   - Nor can they  be said to be absolutely existent as enquiry shows that
   from the absolute standpoint of Brahman, it has no unconditional existence.

   - The above is the teaching given out by the Scripture, a few cases of
   which we have cited from the Upanishad and the bhAgavatam.
   - The Buddhistic verse says only what the Upanishads have already
   stated.
   - Sri Madhvacharya has quoted this verse to show that Advaita is no
   different from Buddhism.
   - We have also seen how from BNK's presentation of the paratantra the
   situation in the Madhva school too is no different from what obtains in
   Buddhism, which itself is not completely different from what is taught in
   the Upanishads/Bhagavatam.


Om Tat Sat