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Am really pleased you name dropped "advaita vedanta" (literally translated from Sanskrit as "non-secondness"). From the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy arti
by ArtWomb 7y ago
Am really pleased you name dropped "advaita vedanta" (literally translated from Sanskrit as "non-secondness"). From the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on advaita vedanta:
Brahman—the ultimate, transcendent and immanent God of the latter Vedas—appears as the world because of its creative energy (māyā). The world has no separate existence apart from Brahman. The experiencing self (jīva) and the transcendental self of the Universe (ātman) are in reality identical (both are Brahman), though the individual self seems different as space within a container seems different from space as such. These cardinal doctrines are represented in the anonymous verse “brahma satyam jagan mithya; jīvo brahmaiva na aparah” (Brahman is alone True, and this world of plurality is an error; the individual self is not different from Brahman). Plurality is experienced because of error in judgments (mithya) and ignorance (avidya). Knowledge of Brahman removes these errors and causes liberation from the cycle of transmigration and worldly bondage.
Modern indian philosophy has hitherto been focused on problems specific to the nation-state: modernity, integral yoga, etc. But it will be interesting to see how it grapples with new discoveries in neuroscience.
The references in classical indian literature I really admire always refer to "destroying illusion (maya)". Learning how to remove false cognition from pure sense perception. And seeing things with the vision of Brahman ;)
- arnoooooo 7y agoadvaita vedanta as I understand it is the actual scientific approach to consciousness, as it focuses strictly on experience.
- jaldhar 7y agoAdvaita Vedanta accepts six pramanas (means of justified knowledge). Pratyaksha (sensory perception), anumana (inference), shabda (the words of the Vedas), upamana (comparison), arthapatti (presumption), and abhava (negation). Experience (anubhava) is NOT pramana.
- arnoooooo 7y agoI meant experience in the form of sensory perception, followed by inference and comparison. I suppose you mean experience that would be tinted by interpretation ?
- jaldhar 7y agoUltimately all experiences are mediated by ego (ahamkara) Advaita Vedantas says that ahamkara is a delusion caused by maya (delusion and imperfect cognition) so Brahman can only be known by a negative way I.e. “de-experiencing” all false cognitions. The Upanishad says Neti Neti (“[it is] not [this] [and] not [that]”) What remains is Brahman. Does anything remain? This is the big point of contention between Buddhists and Advaitins. We say there is, that say there isn’t. However the Mahayana concept of Tathagatagarbha does come to a similar conclusion in a roundabout way.
- arnoooooo 7y agoI understand what you mean. Yet when you are told something you have to be able to think "yes, this fits my experience, I can interpret it the way you say", otherwise you will not accept it as true. You seem well versed in the matter, can you recommend sources to learn more about all this ?
- mooseburger 7y ago> But it will be interesting to see how it grapples with new discoveries in neuroscience. Which new discoveries in neuroscience affect the idea of Brahman?