Explaining Shankara

[Guest guest]

Hari Om Maxji:

 

I would say that this is 20th Century understanding of Shankara's

interpretation. The entire Bhagavad Gita focuses on changing our attitude and

make us understand, "perfection does not imply that the world will perfect but

it is our acceptance of the world without any change!" Gandhiji once said, "The

only change that the world needs is you!"

 

Most of the Sanskrit scholars (I do not imply that I am a Sanskrit scholar)

suggest that "illusion" is a poor translation for the Sanskrit word "mAyA."

 

Ram Chandran

>"Max Harris" <max_harris

>

>

>Both passages are from page 507.

>

>Now I ask: Is this a widely held understanding or a new

>20th Century interpretation? If correct, does this understanding

>imply that "illusion" is a poor English word for translating

>whatever Sanskrit word or words it has been used to translate

>in Advaita Vedanta contexts?

>

>Namaste,

>-- Max

[Guest guest]

I have retrieved my old textbook on Indian philosophy, and

it is actually entitled "A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy"

and contains selections from Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, etc.,

and then texts from many schools of thought, ending with texts

from Aurobindo and Radhakrishnan. The compilers were Radhakrishnan

and Charles Moore, and they wrote introductory sections for

each major selection. It was published by Princeton University

Press in 1957.

>From their introductory section on Shankara they wrote

(attempting to "explain" Shankara's views):

 

"The object-world is dependent. It is changing but is not a

mental fiction. We perceive objects; we do not invent the

corresponding ideas. The world perceived is as real as the

individual perceiver. Shankara repudiates the subjectivism

of the Yogacaras (Buddhist idealists). He also holds that

the world is not non-existent. It is not 'abhava (non-existent)

or 'sunya' (void). Nevertheless, the world is not ultimate

reality."

 

And later, on Moksha:

 

"Moksha is the direct realization of the truth which has been

there from eternity. On the attainment of freedom nothing

happens to the world; only our view of it changes. Moksha

is not the dissolution of the world but is the displacement

of a false outlook (avidya) by the right outlook (vidya)."

 

Both passages are from page 507.

 

Now I ask: Is this a widely held understanding or a new

20th Century interpretation? If correct, does this understanding

imply that "illusion" is a poor English word for translating

whatever Sanskrit word or words it has been used to translate

in Advaita Vedanta contexts?

 

Namaste,

-- Max

 

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