Perception in VP

[Guest guest]

Dear Srinivas-ji and Michael-ji,

 

Getting out of my depth here - I'm afraid I did not follow your latest VP

excerpt at all, Michael.

 

In what is said below, is this not where faith in the scriptures/teacher

enters into it? Although I currently see what I think is a snake, the

scriptures/teacher tells me that it is in fact a rope. I have faith that

what they say is true now, in the present and then later, upon

enlightenment

in the future, I see the truth for myself. This is a perfectly valid way of

acquiring knowledge in advaita epistemology, isn't it?

 

Best wishes,

 

Dennis

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Srinivasji wrote:

 

 

The judgment that `this

world is real' may be mistaken, but any correction, according to

svataHprAmANyavAda, must be learned only later. Forward thinking

in the sense that correcting knowledge of this " falsity " would

occur in future is, epistemologically speaking, itself an untrue

proposition.

 

Regards,

Srinivas.

 

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Namaste Dennisji & Srinivasji,

Essentially what VP is saying (cf below) is that there is no special

mark, like a tag, which assures us that the perception we are having is in

fact a perception and not an illusion. Srinivasji, I know that you have a

firm grip on this point but it is perhaps worth repeating because of the

tendency towards scepticism that is engendered by the question: how do we

ever know that we are correct in our perceptions?

 

" That validity is due to the totality of causes producing knowledge in

general, and does not depend on extra merit, for there is no merit that

abides in all valid knowledge. Nor is the contact *with_a_large_number_of

parts (of the object) a merit of valid perception, for it is absent in the

perception of colour etc. as also of the self, and in spite of the

contact, the perception, " The conch is yellow " is an error. "

(from VP trans. pg.144)

 

To take the hallowed example of the snake. What persuades us that it is

not in fact a snake? Any number of tests will do this for us. VP speaks

of successful effort (pg.144). That is to say that when we poke the

'snake' it does not rear against us. When we hope to put money in our

purses we find only a piece of shell/nacre. Interestingly VP adds

recollection to this testing. On closer inspection the supposed

perception/experience does not have the features that we are accustomed

to. Our efforts then to establish it as a snake or a piece of silver are

unsuccessful. Up to that point the default assumption is that things are

what they appear to be.

 

Neverthless and this is important, it is not the case that everything is

an appearance until shown to be otherwise. Everything is as per our

perceptions until they are shown to be in error. - " there is no merit that

abides in all valid knowledge " . We do not seek to prove our perceptions

nor do we recognise any 'seal of sound perception' in them. Doubt only

occurs when we proceed on the basis of their presumed validity.

 

Best Wishes,

Michael