[Advaita-l] Vedanta as Purvapaksha in Buddhism

[V Subrahmanian]

One can download the pdf of the Buddhist text comprising Vedanta as
Purvapaksha from http://lib1.org/_ads/33B3597A5CF7CEF5EEFE88DE7AFFB04A

Sri Venkat ji's caveat -  //If we take the translation at face value, there
appear to be some pretty fundamental differences, some outlined below..//
is apt.

The translation may be avoided if one can directly get the purport from the
verses. Here is a presentation of the verses, as given in the pdf
downloaded from:   I have merely given indicators and not any detailed
explanation. The verses are a perfect representation of Vedanta. There is
correspondence with Gaudapada karika too, which are traceable to some
(minor) upanishads.

vedantavadinab prahur atmavid durlabho bahih /
kuta atmadvShaaam mokshah sunyasamskaravadinam / / 1

Vedanta vaadins say: the Jnani is extremely rare. Actually, the Vedantic
Jnana is not found in doctrines outside of Vedanta.  The first shloka
itself is a criticism of non-Vedantic doctrines:  How indeed will someone
who hates the Atman (denies the atman, as in Buddhism) become liberated,
corrupted as he is with the shunya, nihilism samskaaras? This is the
objection from Vedanta. In the sequel the Buddhist delineates Vedanta
doctrine, through key points in Vedanta, and later will give his reply.
Here just the presentation of Vedanta is given, up to verse 17.

tamaHparastat puruSham mahantam suryavarcasam /
mrtyum at yeti matiman matvatmanam mahesvaram / /   2

[Aditya varNam tamasH parastAt, etc. is annotated here. One who realizes
the Self as beyond ignorance, Chit, Effulgence, goes beyond death. The term
Mahesvara denoting Brahman is used in Shvetashvatara, Bh.Gita, etc.]

rukmavarNam,am yada pasyan pasyet kartaram lsvaram /
vihaya papam puN,am ca param saamyam tadapnuyat / /  3

[Mundaka dva suparna...   यदा पश्यः पश्यते रुक्मवर्णं कर्तारमीशं पुरुषं
ब्रह्मयोनिम् ।
तदा विद्वान्पुण्यपापे विधूय निरञ्जनः परमं साम्यमुपैति ॥ ३ ॥

Bhashya: अन्योऽपि मन्त्र इममेवार्थमाह सविस्तरम् — यदा यस्मिन्काले पश्यः
पश्यतीति विद्वान् साधक इत्यर्थः । पश्यते पश्यति पूर्ववत् , रुक्मवर्णं
स्वयञ्ज्योतिःस्वभावं रुक्मस्येव वा ज्योतिरस्याविनाशि ;* कर्तारं सर्वस्य
जगतः ईशं पुरुषं ब्रह्मयोनिं ब्रह्म* च तद्योनिश्चासौ ब्रह्मयोनिस्तं
ब्रह्मयोनिं ब्रह्मणो वा अपरस्य योनिं स यदा चैवं पश्यति, तदा स विद्वान्पश्यः
पुण्यपापे बन्धनभूते कर्मणी समूले विधूय निरस्य दग्ध्वा निरञ्जनः निर्लेपो
विगतक्लेशः परमं प्रकृष्टं निरतिशयं साम्यं समतामद्वयलक्षणाम् ; द्वैतविषयाणि
साम्यान्यतः अर्वाञ्च्येव, अतोऽद्वयलक्षणमेतत् परमं साम्यमुपैति प्रतिपद्यते ॥

Here the upanishad teaches that Brahman is the JagatkaaraNam, by the word
kartA. So, it is not that Brahman is endowed with kartrutva/bhoktrutva.


bhutam bhavad bhavishyayac ca sarvam purusha ishyate /
so 'ntar bahis ca dure ca so 'nti.ke sa ca karmakrt / /  4

[ All past, present, future is Brahman: yadbhutam, yaccha bhavyam...refer
Purusha sukta, mandukya first/second mantra/bhashya, Bh.Gita, Ishvasya:
TaddUre tadu antike..]

visve bhavas tato jata UrNanaabhad ivamsavab /
tasmin pranna vidvamso napnuvanti punarbhavam / /  5

[This one is fine: Spider - thread - world creation - Atmavit merges in the
source: Brahman - no more samsara]

amrtatvam na martyasya vahneb sa it yam ive~yate /
tasmad amrtatayuktaprabodhat puru~e 'mrte / /  6

[The above is in essence: Only by Jnana there is Kaivalyam.]

yatab param param nasti yato jyayan na vidyate /
aNIyaan vapi tenedam visvam ekena sarntatam / / 7

[ Taittiriya Aranyaka: aNoraNeeyaan mahato mahiiyaan... यस्मात्पां
नापरमस्ति किञ्चिद्यस्मान्नाणीयो न ज्यायोस्ति कश्चित् वृक्ष इव स्तब्धो दिवि
तिष्ठत्येकस्तेनेदं पूर्णं पुरुषेण सर्वम् --न कर्मणा न प्रजया....]

8th verse not decipherable as it is in Tibetan (?)  Going by translation:
animAdi siddhi for Jnani. Dakshinamurti stotram last shloka.

tasmin sarvaNi bhutani bhavanty atmaiva pasyatab /
bala-paNDita-cala-vipradInAm ca tulyata / /   9

[ Ishvasya 'yasmin sarvANi bhUtAini.....vision of equality. Gita: pandita
samadarshinah - vidya vinaya sampanne.  ]

ghatotpattau vinase va nakasasya tadatmata /
tadatmatatmano 'pista na dehadyuda yavyaye / /  10

[When a pot is born and destroyed, the space does not undergo birth and
destruction. So too is the Atman not born or destroyed when body is born or
destroyed.] See Gaudapada karika.

ghatakasavad ekasya nanatvam ced abhedatab /
ghatabhedena caikatvam saamyam sarvasya yan matam / / 11

[Quite alright: One is seen as many just as pot-space is many though space
is one only. Thus all jivas, Atman, is one only, though in different
bodies.]

yatha ghatadibhede 'pi mrdbhedo nasti kas cana I   12

[Even though clay-products are varied, there is no variation in the cause,
clay; it is one only. Only manifestations are many.]

ghatakase yathaikasmin rajodhumadibhir vrte I
tadvatta na hi sarvesaam sukhader na tathatmanah I I  13 |

This very closely corresponds with Gaudapadakarika:

यथैकस्मिन्घटाकाशे रजोधूमादिभिर्युते ।
न सर्वे सम्प्रयुज्यन्ते तद्वज्जीवाः सुखादिभिः ॥ ५ ॥   3.5  [It is most
probably in a minor Upanishad]

aprabodhaad anatmajnah svapne bhogabhimanavat I
cinoti karma bhurikte ca tatphaIam yacchubhasubham I I

[An ignorant man experiences bhoga, sukha and duhkha, just like a man in
dream experiences bhoga. The idea is: in truth no real bhoga for the knower
of the self. In other words, in truth the Atman is not a bhokta.]

dehasamstho 'py asarigatvad bhunjano nopalipyate I
rajavat kamacarl ca papenanaparadhy asau I I   15

This corresponds with the Bh.Gita

सर्वकर्माणि मनसा संन्यस्यास्ते सुखं वशी ।
नवद्वारे पुरे देही नैव कुर्वन्न कारयन् ॥ १३ ॥

This is perfectly Advaita:

ekam sarvagatam nityam param brahmacyutam padam I
yOgI yunjan yada vetti na tadaiti punarbhavam I I  16

[This is fine: One, all-pervading, eternal, supreme, brahman, achyutam
(immutable), state. The aspirant upon realizing this no more comes to
samsara.]

nityarm tad avikalpam ca yatra vacam agocarah /
giras tatra prayujyante bhedapahrtabuddhibhih / / 17

[This is the paramarthika sthiti. It is beyond words. Words operate only in
the realm of ignorance.]

Thus, the Buddhist text has correctly represented Advaita as taught by
Gaudapada, Shankara sampradaya. The translation given in the pdf is not
very clear/reliable.

regards
subbu