[Advaita-l] Logic and shastra

Jaldhar H. Vyas jaldhar at braincells.com
Fri Oct 21 21:54:42 CDT 2005


On Thu, 20 Oct 2005, sunil bhattacharjya wrote:

> There are two schools of thought.
> 
> One school thinks that Buddha was anti-veda.
> 
> The other school considers it a sweeping statement
> indeed.

The question was not whether Buddha was anti-veda but whether Shankaracharya 
was anti-Buddha and the answer is a resounding yes.

Note he also doesn't spare any criticism of "Vedic" schools such as 
Samkhya/Yoga whic he feels falls short of the mark.

> My guess is Adi Sankaracharya could appreciate Buddha. He
> has not said anything against Buddha. Many believe
> that the Brahmasutra bhashya was written by Abhinava
> Sankara, as he mentions the views of 5th and 6th
> century Buddhist writers.

As the generally accepted date amongst historians and traditionalists alike is 
788-820 AD that hardly poses a problem.  As for Abhinava Shankara, I have not 
ever heard that name or the theory that he wrote brahmasutrabhashya before. 
Can you provide a reference please?

> Today after the Letters of
> Max Muller from the British archives became available,
> historians are that chronology of Indian history,
> suggested by Max Muller and followed by all
> historians, is to be revised. This puts the the date
> of birth of Adi Sankaracharya to an earlier date. Till
> the early nineteenth century even the Sringeri Matha
> said that Adi Sankara was born in 44  BC.

Well in the 21st century, they accept the date 788-820.  I know of no serious 
historian who puts the dates of Shankaracharya any more than a century earlier 
than this.

> I saw the chronological list of the Sankaracharyas of
> the Dwaraka peeth sometime ago in the internet. But I
> do not find it anymore now. Can you help me find a
> copy of the same?

You wrote the preceding off the list but I'm taking the liberty of replying 
here in case anyone can help with this question because I, alas, cannot.


-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>



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