ADVAITA AND MONISM

[Guy Werlings]

Dear All,

Reading once more the book Tatvajñana (wrongly written tatvagnana) or
the Philosophy of Truth, a collection of speeches and writings by Srî V.
Subrahmania Iyer, B.A., formerly Registrar, University of Mysore, I
found on pages 21-22 the following explanation :

quote

European and American Philosophers make no distinction between "Monism"
and "Non-dualism", but say that 'Unity' is what they also seek in
philosophy. But Monism and Non-dualism are poles asunder. The West does
not see this because it ignores the knower (in italics in the text).
When one is conscious of the idea (concept) of Unity, or a unitary
existent, the knower (italics) is one and the known (italics)(concept)
is another : there are two. Unity is really duality. Whereas non-duality
only means that whatever is beyond duality need not be unity, nor
non-existence. Both existence and non-existence refer only to the world
of duality, where one implies the other. Non-exitence has no meaning,
where there is no existence. The ultimate truth only negates (italics)
duality, and therefore it is beyond thought and words.

unquote.

Moreover I fear that Svâmi Vivekânanda, whom I  most highly revere,
might be held as partly responsible for the lack of distinction at least
by some European and American thinkers between "Monism" and "non-dualism
( even "the Encyclopedia Britannica" equates both at the entry
"advaita"). In Svâmi Vivekânanda's Complete Works in 8 volumes, when you
look for avaita in the indexes, you are always told : see under Monism.

bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

Guy

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