[Advaita-l] 'asat' also means 'mithyA'

[Rajaram Venkataramani]

On Wednesday, April 10, 2013, kuntimaddi sadananda wrote:

> The apparent logical contradiction you noted in terms of infinite regress
> is only apparent and not real since ontological status of muula avidya and
> thus maayaa and Brahman are different. In essence, Brahman can be locus
> without really being locus. Krishna emphasizes this contradiction in the
> statement - mastaani sarva bhuutani and then again - na ca mastaani

bhuutani - There is no contradiction as both are correct one from
> vyaavahaarika
> and the other from paaramaarthika.

RV: The logical contradiction is resolved by stating that maya is
anirvachaniya. How is the loss of maya relevant to te iscussion?

> Now coming to the ring. - Ring has apparent existence and the apparent
> existence is
> taken as real existence by the ajnaani. There is no ringly material to
> support
> ring. Hence, loham iti eva satyam - says upanishad. The apparent existence
> is
> apparently experienced - hence the experience you site is also mithyaa
> only.
> atyantaabhaava is only statement from the paaramaarthika reference not from
> vyaavahaarika reference where all this teaching rests. Confusion arises
> only
> when one shifts the reference with one leg there and one leg here and ask
> question.

RV: What do you mean by apparent existence? An object can exist or not. It
can appear to exist or not. A ring does not exist but appears to exist. We
dont need to be brahma jnanis to know that ring does not exist but appears
to exist. And that it is a perception of reality - whether we call it
shunya or prakrti or brahman or atoms. Again, what do you mean by apparent
experience? This experience of a ring is real whether you are a jnani or
ajnani. The emotions attached to a ring may differ based on how we
conditioned the mind but a ring does not appear to be a pot. It s only
in vyavahara, we talk about ring and its perception as well as negation
through inference (or sastras). I don't see where I shifted point of view.