Guest guest Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Namaste All Followers of this thread, What one ought to remember is that analogies are an adjunct to reasoning and not a substitute for it. They are in effect quasi inferences from very different spheres. Even the word 'real' as used in 'Brahman alone is real' is an analogical use of the word 'real' which gains its immediate intelligibility from the everyday use. Analogies are suggestive and creative, not logical instruments. They give us a sense of the possibility of connections and they are in no way knock down arguments that prove some point. When Shankara is asked a question which arises out of an understanding that an analogy is some sort of parallel that has a quasi-logical force he will answer the question using that level of understanding. The answer is tailored to the question and this I think is an important contextual element that is sometimes overlooked. An analogy is I suggest a one time use item that is context related and more ornamental than structural. Shyam-ji, B.S.B. IV.i.4 is one of those texts that hovers slightly beyond the tip of my mind. He seems to be saying 'be where you are'. Best Wishes, Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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