[Advaita-l] Discussion on Pratitya-samutpada and chiitanigraha

[srikanta at nie.ac.in]

This is with reference to the above topic in the Email of April 27,2008,by
Sri.amuthan and sri.Ananta Bhagawath.They write that pratitya-samutpada
aids cittanigraha.But,for cittanigraha,Yoga is more helpful.Yoga is
saishwara vada.Since,Buddhism does not accept saishwara vada,they had to
develop,"Yogachara vijnanavada".Nor does it help to understand creation.In
Buddhism there are two prominent schools:The Vaibhashikas and the
Sautrantikas.The Vaibhashikas recognise Bahyarthavada,i.e.the external
world exists.The Yogachara school developed by the Sautrantikas,say that
the external world is only inferred,that is the external world is created
by mental impressions.Hence there is no such thing as external world.It is
like "Keshondraka"(like the balls of hair which appear when one eye is
squinted).It has no substratum.For Buddhist even the space is not
real.There is no self.The khsanika vijnanavadin recognised only momentary
consciousness.Shankara counters it stating,how then is memory
created.There is continuous recognition of smrti or memory.This is not
possible unless there is a witness or sakshi which is not changing.

Sri.Amuthan mixes up shankara's Brahmasutra Bhashya and Sureshwara's
Naishkarmya Siddhi,to prove that there is parallelsim between Adwaita and
Buddhism.If one reads carefully,both the books clearly elaborates the
difference between the two schools.Sureshwara clearly states in his
Naishkarmya siddhi that Budhists ended up in a blind alley without
recognising the Sruthi.
Bhava Shankara Desika me Sharanam.
                                                       N.Srikanta.