Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
Having looked at different approaches within the Hindu philosophical traditions last week, this week the focus is on those faith structures which owe much to their Sanskrit routes but which do not accept the Vedas as their scriptures.
Anye paoi{fn> sbeR }anvataRsudubRla>,
@k< vedaNtiv}an< SvanuÉUTya ivrajte.28.
Anye paakhandinaH sarve jnaana-vaartaasu-durbalaaH,
Ekam vedaanta-vijnaanam svaanubhuutyaa viraajate ||28||
All other heretics are weak in Self Knowledge.
The One Wisdom of Vedanta, because of its direct experience, shines forth brilliantly.
The Protestant Church is perceived as being different from the Catholic Church and within the Catholic system, there is the Orthodox (Eastern) variation, while in Protestantism there are also different approaches. All of them, however, have the Bible as their source material.
In Sanatana Dharma, the Vedas are the key scriptures. Breakaway ('heretical') branches of thinking occurred, centred on individuals, whose teachings then became the scriptures, even though those initiating gurus were themselves Hindu and owed their understanding to the Vedas. Three main 'branches' developed; Chaarvaaka, Jainism and Buddhism. (In more recent times, Sikhism also developed. It takes much of its practice and philosophy from Hinduism but also absorbed elements of the Koran and Islam. The 'founder' was Guru Nanak.)
Chaarvaaka is the Indian philosophy of materialism, commonly attributing its origins to Brihaspati and the Brihaspatya Sutras being the 'scriptures' (though these are largely lost and other secondary works are utilised). In this system, it is considered that the only means of knowledge is direct perception. In this, there is denial of what cannot be seen - space and the soul being key points. Their goal in life, then, is to 'eat, drink and be merry'. They have no interest or desire for the search for Self. Nourishing the ego, indulging the senses, acquisition of goods is their way. It could be argued that a majority of people in today's world lean to this philosophy, even if they have never heard of it.
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| "Ahimsa" - do no harm. |
The Jain sect, though around before him, is attributed to Mahavira as its main organiser and teacher. The essential beliefs of Jains are very close indeed to mainstream Hinduism, but the source texts are the writings of Mahavira rather than the Vedas. He advocated that everything came down to the individual (no 'God') and the 'burning of vaasanas' and exhaustion of one's karmas. This gives rise to the advanced practices of non-harm and non-possession. We have all heard or seen the severe practice of avoiding walking on ants. Few Jains are this strict, but certainly, it is important to live with a constant awareness of the consequence of thought and deed.
Buddhism has undergone several 'branchings' itself, as people seek to work scriptures to how they want them to be, rather than fitting themselves to the scriptures (the same risk as within Christianity of losing sight of the original goal). The first enlightened one, commonly referred to only as The Buddha, was Prince Gautama, a Hindu by birth, who wished to put into practice that which he had learned from the Upanishads. After his 'realisation' (enlightenment), he wished to teach that this could be achieved by anyone, not a select few of a specific social or intellectual standing. In developing his own teachings, a whole new religious practice developed. It upholds four 'noble truths';
The truth of suffering (Dukkha)
The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya)
The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga) … and that is an eightfold path…
Karma is accepted as part of process. The Essential Truth, however, is considered to be 'shunya' - void. From that nothingness, everything emerges and merges.
This is where Vedantic logic kicks in. How is it possible for something to come from nothing? If shunya is considered as unknowable, then how can one speak of it? In knowing it, surely the knower is a conscious and existing entity. That Consciousness - Existence - knows about presence and absence and therefore That Consciousness is likely to be the Essential Truth. This Vedantic stance is supported by the direct experience of innumerable sages throughout time. In their highly tuned practice of meditation, they all without fail affirm Consciousness and Self as one and the same and Existing beyond all else. (NB; even Christian saints who sit fully focused have expressed this essential presence - although their experience is still bounded in duality.) On examination, Vedantic philosophy can be found to suit all people in all times and places and even of other faiths. It is truly universal, time-tested and has an unbroken paramparaa (tradition) of teaching.
