[Advaita-l] Advaita-The Vedanta.

[Srikanta Narayanaswami]

To: 
"A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>



Dear friends,

Adi Sankaracharya  was referring to the Neerisvara Sankhya of his times. Neerisvara Sankhya or Godless-Sankhya (not necessarily atheistic) came into vogue during his tiomes.  Sankhya-sutra said that "Isvara Asiddha", ie. the existence of Isvara cannot be proved. That is also the reason Lord Buddha did not talk about God as he said that people would be confused either way if he asserted or denied the existence of God. Adi Sankaracharya  was not referring to Kapila's  original Sankhya, which was Vedantic. 


Vasubandhu, the Sarvastivadin turned Mahayani, used the terms like "Maya" also. The word Vyavaharika was also used by the Buddhists before Adi Sankaracharya.


Regards,
Sunil KB
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Even the "Mimamsakas"say that "Iswara"is"Asiddha".That is wahy they give importance to the performance of "karma"
Buddha preached his concept in many ways to stress that this world is not eternal.He said,"Sarvam duhkkam,sarvam nissvabhavah,sarvam nairatmyam,Nirvanam shantham".
There is vast difference between the "Vyavaharika satyata'used by Adi Shankaracharya,and the way Buddhists use.The Buddhists donot use the word,"Vyavaharika satyatva",but use the word,"Kalpita samvrtti",which means mental construction.The Buddhists "Maya"is without substratum or adhara,for its appearance,where as,the "Maya'of the Advaitin is with the "substratum",or "saadhara".
 
In the Email quoted by SriSunil Bhattacharya,only the explanation on the word "Paratantra"was written by me,and not  the portion quoted by him.
N.Srikanta.