[Advaita-l] dvaita's wrong knowlege

Jay Nelamangala jay at r-c-i.com
Fri Jun 13 17:28:55 CDT 2003


Dear Jayanarayanan,
> 
> My objection is to your claim that "knowledge always
> grasps object-as-is". What you have is "Knowledge of
> object-perceived-through-senses" and NOT "Knowledge of
> object-as-is". 
> 
> In fact, it is YOUR SCHOOL that actually make such an
> (absurd) equation between two entirely different
> things. As for your claim that there is (usually) no
> confusion when we perceive an object, here's my
> counterpoint:
> 
> There is no confusion when
> object-perceived-through-senses-the-second-time is the
> same as
> object-perceived-through-senses-the-first-time. 
> 
> Now, how do you make your tall claim of "knowledge
> always grasps object-as-is"? 

You are talking of what is called pratyabhijnA, re-cognition.

To understand what I am trying to say,  an example may help.

Say you go to a batonical garden,  you will see there many
many new types of plants and flowers,   which are not
normally seen in everyone's backyards and gardens.

Say you look at a new plant,  which you have never seen in your
life before,  you will cognize it as a plant.  You may not know
what it is called,  where it grows etc.   ( for that matter, how
many of us know batonical names for regular plants such as
rose,  tuLasi etc )

But, apart from that naming problem,  you won't have a 
confusion about what you saw.

That is what I am trying to say.   Similarly,  when you see
a rose plant,  there is no confusion in your mind about
what you saw.   Your knowledge has grasped the object
as it is ( as a rose plant ). 

But it is advaita, which denies the existence of that rose plant,
calling it superimposition due to ignorance etc etc that 
thinks knowledge can not grasp that rose plant as it is.

I hope it is clearer.




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