[Advaita-l] advaita tradition and buddhism

[Ananta Bhagwat]

Dear Sri Srikanta,

Re your reply of May 14.

The similarities (some may prefer to call it cross co-relation) in GK (advaita) and MMK (mAdhyamaka) are due to common criteria of satyam (permanence) and ajAtivada (no origination) and not due to borrowing of basic tenets (though I still believe that both work in Upanishadic framework due to their common criteria of satyam).

You can compare GK II.31 and GK II.32 with MMK 7.34 and MMK 25.1-2 to see the similarities as well as differences. Particularly, MMK 25.1-2 will bring out the subtle (but important) difference between the two which spawns two different perspectives of the same reality.

There is no denying the fact that alAtaSanti prakaraNa has much commonality with MMK, MHK etc. If you consider inclusive advaita tradition chronologically to be comprising (1) upanishads (2) BS & gItA (3) GK (4) Sankara bhAshya-s and brahmasiddhi (5) vArthika and pancapAdikA (6) bhAmati (7) IshTasiddhi (7) vivaraNa (8) advaitasiddhi etc, then vasubandhu's abhidharma koSa and nAgArjuna's MMK will fall between (1) and (4) as parallel and complementary tradition within the upanishadic framework.

Buddhist tradition dried by 10th century AD while advaita tradition continued till today (may be in the form of neo-advaita, the current hot topic :)

ananta