Vedantic Self and Buddhist Non-Self | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Vedanta Society of New York・2 minutes read

Tomorrow is Buddha Purnima, celebrating Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and nirvana over 2500 years ago, observed worldwide. Buddhism emphasizes no self, sparking debates with Hinduism's focus on the self.

Insights

  • Buddhism focuses on overcoming suffering through ethical living and meditation, contrasting with Hinduism's emphasis on the self, sparking debates between the two philosophical schools.
  • Nagarjuna's philosophy in Madhyamaka Buddhism emphasizes the middle path between eternalism and nihilism, deconstructing philosophical concepts through logical contradictions and the Chatushkoti method.
  • Chandra Kirti's seven-point reasoning challenges the existence of a separate self (atma) by dismantling notions of self in Buddhist philosophy, influencing Tibetan Buddhism and further philosophical debates on the nature of the self.

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  • What is Buddha Purnima?

    A celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and nirvana.

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Summary

00:00

"Buddha's Teachings: Overcoming Suffering Through Ethics"

  • Tomorrow is Buddha Purnima, celebrating Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and nirvana over 2500 years ago, observed worldwide, including at the United Nations.
  • Buddhism emphasizes no self, contrary to Hinduism's focus on the self, sparking debates and responses from various Hindu philosophical schools.
  • The Buddha's life journey began as Prince Siddhartha in North India, seeking to understand and overcome suffering, leading to his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
  • After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha spent 40 years spreading his teachings across North India, establishing a monastic order that later evolved into Buddhism as a distinct religion.
  • Buddhism's spread beyond India, including to Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, and the Middle East, with Emperor Ashoka sending emissaries to promote the faith.
  • Over a thousand years, intense debates between Buddhist and Hindu schools, including various Buddhist sects, focused on the existence of the self and God.
  • The Buddha's teachings centered on the Four Noble Truths, addressing the nature of suffering, its cause in desire, the possibility of its cessation, and the path to liberation.
  • The Buddha's approach prioritized practical solutions to suffering over metaphysical debates, emphasizing the importance of overcoming dissatisfaction through ethical living and meditation.
  • The Buddha's responses to questions on the self and existence after death highlighted his focus on addressing suffering and its causes, rather than engaging in abstract philosophical discussions.
  • The Buddha's teachings, encapsulated in the Four Noble Truths, offer a practical system for understanding and transcending suffering, rooted in ethical conduct and meditation practices.

17:40

Indian Philosophies: Optimistic Views on Suffering

  • Heinrich Zimmer explains that Indian philosophies are optimistic despite discussing suffering, as they offer an end to suffering within our control.
  • Various terms like Nirvana, Moksha, Kaiwalya, and Apavarga signify the same spiritual end in different philosophies.
  • The eight-fold way, Ashtanga Marga, is the method to achieve Nirvana.
  • Madhav Acharya's book, Sarva Darshana Sangraha, likens philosophers to doctors diagnosing suffering and offering a cure like Nirvana.
  • Nagarjuna, a prominent Buddhist philosopher, elaborated on Buddha's teachings in Madhyamaka Buddhism, emphasizing the middle path between eternalism and nihilism.
  • Nagarjuna's book, Moolah Madhyamaka Karika, deconstructs various philosophical concepts, showcasing contradictions in logic.
  • Nagarjuna's Chatushkoti method involves presenting four alternatives to dismantle any philosophical view, ultimately pointing towards emptiness.
  • Nagarjuna's debates follow the Vitanda style, where he challenges all philosophical positions, asserting that truth lies beyond formulated views.
  • Chandra Kirti, a follower of Nagarjuna, further developed his philosophy, influencing Tibetan Buddhism through his interpretations.
  • Chandra Kirti, a revered Buddhist philosopher, taught at the renowned Nalanda University in Bihar, which was a significant center of Buddhist learning until its destruction by Muslim invaders in the 12th-13th centuries.

33:38

"Nalanda's Legacy: Chandra Kirti's Philosophy"

  • Nalanda was a prominent ancient university with a diverse curriculum beyond Buddhist studies, featuring a museum with artifacts from various religions.
  • Chandra Kirti, a renowned teacher at Nalanda, wrote commentaries on Nagarjuna's works, which later faded into obscurity as Buddhism declined.
  • The Purva Mimamsa school and Shankaracharya's Vedanta school rose to prominence as Buddhism waned, leading to Nalanda's destruction in the 12th century.
  • The oldest college in Oxford, Balliol College, was established around the time Nalanda collapsed, hinting at a possible connection between the two.
  • Chandra Kirti focused on attacking the concept of self (atma) using a seven-point reasoning, which was later debated from an Advaita perspective.
  • Chandra Kirti's works were crucial in Tibetan Buddhism, with scholars like Song Khapa building upon his interpretations of Nagarjuna's philosophy.
  • The relationship between the self (atma) and the body-mind was examined using the analogy of a chariot and its parts, challenging the idea of an independent self.
  • Chandra Kirti's seven-point reasoning dismantled various notions of the self's existence, highlighting the logical inconsistencies in attributing the self to the body-mind.
  • The argument that the chariot is the same as its parts, or that the self is the body-mind, was refuted due to the complexities and impermanence of the body.
  • The exploration of the chariot analogy and the self's nature revealed the inadequacy of equating the self with the body-mind, leading to a deeper understanding of the concept of self in Buddhist philosophy.

49:08

Debates on Eternal Soul in Hindu Philosophy

  • Buddhists argue that the concept of an eternal, separate atma is unnecessary for understanding future lives and memory.
  • Swami Vivekananda challenges the idea of a separate atma by emphasizing the witness-consciousness that is distinct from the body and mind.
  • Advaitans counter the belief that the body and mind are the atma, aiming to show that the self is beyond the changing body and mind.
  • Hindu dualists, like Nayakas and Sankhyas, assert the existence of a separate eternal soul, engaging in debates against Buddhists for nearly a thousand years.
  • Udayanacharya presents multiple proofs for the existence of an independent soul in his book "Atma Tatwa Viveka."
  • Vivekananda questions the practicality of separating the unchanging consciousness from the changing phenomena of the world.
  • Chandrakirti's analogy of sheaves of hay illustrates the interdependence of the seer and the seen, challenging the notion of a separate unchanging consciousness.
  • The search for the atma within the body or mind proves futile, as even after extensive examination, no separate eternal soul is found.
  • The concept of the atma as the passenger in the chariot of the body or mind is refuted, as no distinct entity can be located within the body or mind.
  • Vedantins reject the idea of a ground or basis on which the body and mind rest, emphasizing that the atma is not a separate entity supporting the body and mind.

01:05:14

Illusion of Self in Ancient Philosophical Discourse

  • Sanskrit names used in scriptures are not Indian or Tibetan but from ancient Indian philosophical discourse.
  • Devadatta compares the concept of the self to a chariot and its parts, questioning the idea of ownership.
  • Chandrakirti and Buddhists believe the feeling of self is an illusion created by the continuity of body and mind.
  • They use the example of a chakra or flame to explain the illusion of self as thoughts and emotions pass by.
  • Chandrakirti presents three options to explain the self: the body and mind as the self, the self separate from body and mind, and the self as a configuration of body and mind.
  • Advaita Vedanta argues that the body and mind are not the self and that the self cannot be separate from body and mind.
  • Advaita uses the analogy of gold and ornaments to explain that the reality is the same despite different forms and names.
  • Advaita emphasizes that the self is not a separate witness of body and mind but the awareness in which they appear.
  • Advaita rejects the idea of the self as a separate entity from body and mind, emphasizing the unity of consciousness.
  • The seven-fold reasoning challenges the concept of an individual self but Advaita Vedanta's philosophy of self transcends this critique.

01:21:11

Stages of Emptiness in Buddhist Philosophy

  • The first stage of understanding involves recognizing the emptiness of the self.
  • The mind-only school, Yoga Chara Vigna, asserts that the external world is a series of changes within the mind.
  • The second stage of emptiness involves understanding that there is no external world, only appearances in the mind.
  • The Madhyamaka school teaches the emptiness of both the world and the mind.
  • The Prasangika Madhyamaka school asserts the emptiness of emptiness itself.
  • The final stage, Maha Madhyamaka or Shentong, emphasizes a basic space of awareness where all phenomena arise and fall.
  • This stage aligns with the Advaita Vedanta concept of the sky of consciousness, where samsara and nirvana are seen as mere appearances.
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