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Superimposition//Confusion?

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Namaste Advaitins,

Do we understand what superimposition is? When we are offered the

analogy of confusion to give us the sense of what superimposition

is have we thereby understood superimposition? Or is it the case

that we cannot comprehend superimposition? It is something that

we cannot understand because understanding must be from a

subjective perspective? Because the superimposition for which

confusion is an analogy works on account of the unity of the

substratum, the subjective grasp which is at the core of an

intellectual understanding cannot comprehend superimposition.

The very success of the analogy of confusion or the fact that it

is readily intelligible, misleads us into thinking that we now

have got what superimposition is. What we are doing then is

turning the analogy into a parallel an error which Sankara

corrects frequently.

 

From Preamble to B.S.B.:Opponent:..... For everybody superimposes something else on what

is pereceived by him in front....Advaitin: ......Nor is there any rule that something has to be

superimposed on something that is directly perceived through the

senses....

 

Best Wishes,

Michael.

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Namaste Michael-ji.

 

A very astute observation, indeed, Michaelji.

 

AdhyAsa analogies have become so obsessive with us that they are now

a virtual superimposition on actual adhyAsa itself! The result is a

mutual mix-up of adhyAsa and analogies. High time we recognized the

imperfections of each analogy vis-a-vis Knowledge (brahmajnAna),

which is Perfecton, and returned to the crucible of thinking (your

own expression from the past) to subjectively understand what adhyAsa

really is.

 

Analogies are inert in themselves. They need something from our

inside to light up and reveal their real import. And that something

is nothing other than our self-evidence.

 

By the way, can someone tell me where or by whom in our tradition was

this word 'adhyAsa' first used? Although we have discussed adhyAsa

ad infinitum, no one, at least to my knowledge, seems to have

mentioned anything about the entry of the word from Sanskrit lexicon

into vedAnta.

 

Best regards.

 

Madathil Nair

________________

 

advaitin , " ombhurbhuva " <ombhurbhuva

wrote:

 

> Do we understand what superimposition is? When we are offered the

> analogy of confusion to give us the sense of what superimposition

> is have we thereby understood superimposition? Or is it the case

> that we cannot comprehend superimposition? It is something that

> we cannot understand because understanding must be from a

> subjective perspective? ......

> The very success of the analogy of confusion or the fact that it

> is readily intelligible, misleads us into thinking that we now

> have got what superimposition is. What we are doing then is

> turning the analogy into a parallel an error which Sankara

> corrects frequently.

...........

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advaitin , " Madathil Rajendran Nair "

<madathilnair wrote:

> By the way, can someone tell me where or by whom in our tradition

was

> this word 'adhyAsa' first used? Although we have discussed

adhyAsa

> ad infinitum, no one, at least to my knowledge, seems to have

> mentioned anything about the entry of the word from Sanskrit

lexicon

> into vedAnta.

>

> Best regards.

>

> Madathil Nair

 

Dear Michael-ji and Nair-ji,

 

The word `adhyAsa' has been used by Shri Shankara himself in his

adhyAsabhAShya. This is not a concept exclusive to advaita. Each

system of philosophy has its own explanation of how superimposition

takes place. Shri Shankara has referred to some of these views in

his adhyAsabhAShya. What we refer to as adhyAsa is referred to also

as khyati, meaning that it is nothing other than erroneous cognition.

I have given short notes on the various theories of erroneous

cognition at

 

http://www.geocities.com/snsastri/khyati.pdf

 

Best wishes,

S.N.Sastri

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