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

[Ananta Bhagwat]

Sri Srikanta

Re pratItyasamutpAda and advaita

It is nice to be talking to you, because I too once taught in a technology institute, though for a brief period.

Yes, pratItyasamutpAda (Dependent Origination or Conditional Co-origination) ultimately may lead to SUnya because none of the originating constituents has independent self sustaining existence. But the principle of 'sarvam svalaxaNam', 'sarvam tathAtvam', and 'nirvANa' bring the mAdhyamaka position quite close (almost identical) to advaita. SUnya becomes brahman, nirvANa becomes moxa, and saMvRti becomes vyavahAra. The paramArtha remains common to both; avidyA is common to both. Further, if yogAcAra position is synthesized, we get the advaita identity, brahman = Atman = undifferentiated, limitless consciousness. 

These similarities between advaita and <mAdhyamaka + yogAcAra> have been discussed in many Indian philosophy textbooks and papers (and possibly also on this advaita-vedAnta blog). If advaita could envelop two pinnacles of Buddhism how did it leave the foundation i.e pratItya-samutpAda?. Well, apparently brahmacakra concept is there in SvetASvatara upanishad (VI.1) resembling bhAvacakra of early pratItya-samutpAda. May be bRhadAraNyaka and chAndogya might have something similar (or there are about 30 odd non-sectarian  Upanishads where something could be found). Any way it is for the scholars to find out.

ananta 



----- Original Message ----
From: "srikanta at nie.ac.in" <srikanta at nie.ac.in>
To: advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 6:20:45 PM
Subject: [Advaita-l] Discussion on Pratitya-samutpada and Finite Automata

This is with reference to the Email of Sri.ananta Bhagawath on the above
topic.He says that pratititya-samutpada is not Fuzzy logic.I know that
Fuzzy logic is diferent from Finite Automata.When a machine is is one
state depending upon the stimulaus input wherther it is 0 or 1 in a binary
chain of inputs the machine is directed to next  state.otherwise,it
remains in the same state.The finite Automaton output depends not only on
the  present state but also upon its past history.It is a sequential
machine as compared to combinational circuit.There is a feedback to the
input from the output through a memory device.Fuzzy logic can be extended
to neural networks and multiple input/output combinations can be
generated.incidentally i would like to introduce myself as a Professor of
Electronics in Mysore,India.
Coming to the pratitya-samutpada concept,the madhyamaka Buddhist is
interested in showing that no object exists in its own self-nature.All are
dependently araised.Rhe dependent co-origination or conditional
co-origination gives raise to the view that everything is "sunya".The Self
is a nullity like the "sky flower'(khapushpavath).
                                                          N.Srikanta.


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