advaitam and Kashmir shaivam (Idealism and Realism)

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Tue, 29 Jul 1997, Sankar Jayanarayanan wrote:

> Anand Hudli <Anand_Hudli at BMC.BOEHRINGER-MANNHEIM.COM> wrote:
>
> >   Instead of writing one long post on the aabhaasavaada of the trika,
> >   I will write several short posts on the topic.
> >
>
> Thanks very much for your post.
>
> >   I will try to explain the position of Kashmir Shaivism with reference to
> >   Idealism and Realism. Realism implies that objects in the world have some
> >   objective reality, ie.  reality independent of the perceiver. Idealism
> >   implies that objects in the world are just ideas, nothing else.
> >
> >   Subjective Idealism implies that the world and the objects in it are
> >   just ideas created mentally by the perceiver.
> >
>
> This is correct in general, but not really correct according to Kantian
> Idealism.
>
> According to Kant, the "sensory data" is processed by the mind and the mind
> *creates* what is known as "the phenomenal world." The world which exists
> independently by itself is called "the noumenal world." Kant divides the "world"
> into two.
>
> In other words, what we "know" is the image the mind creates of the object.
> -->The object of our knowledge is a creation of the mind.
>
> But that doesn't mean that the "real object" (what Kant calls "the thing-in-
> itself") doesn't exist. We can say nothing about it, and it exists in
> the "world of the unknown" -- the noumenal world. This is the world beyond what
> the mind gives us knowledge of using the five senses and reason. Kant takes the
> stand,"I don't care what the noumenal world is. I live in the phenomenal world,
> which tells me there are objects embedded in space, time and causation. What is
> not known through the five senses and reason can never be known. I don't want
> to worry about it."
>

This would fit more with Advaita Vedanta than the subjective idealism
Anand desribes but there is still the problem of the unknowability of the
noumenal world.  Vedanta insists that Brahman (which I suppose is the
equivalent) can be known.

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