Knowledge and the Means of Knowlede - 32

[Guest guest]

Madathil-ji wrote:

Namaste Michaelji.

 

I am intrested in what you say, although often your words go above my head

due

to your sublime style of weaving them.

 

These are the basic fundamentals of advaita which can never be compromised

upon:

 

1. Everything that we know of is made of the " stuff of Consciousness " ,

which is

Me.

 

2. Everything that we know of is in the category of 'objects' - i.e. the

" other

than me " category, which includes the brain, neuronal activity, sense

organs and

even our thoughts and ideas.

 

Vedanta is the reconciliation of the apparent contradiction between the

above

two statements, i.e. the effective dissolution of (2) in (1).

 

I don't know if Acharya Sadaji meant anything different. I have missed a

lot of

his series.

 

Best regards.

 

Madathil Nair

 

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Namaste,

Thank you Madathi-ji

for your interest. It is an important topic and it matters because it is

not true to say that modern knowledge about the mechanics of perception

brings you closer to a fundamental understanding of _how_ perception is

possible. Modern psychology simply takes it as a _given_ that perception

is possible. The difference between the two points of departure is clear

and it is marked by treating them as two different subjects, Metaphysics

and Psychology.

 

You will recall that Shankara in his preamble to the B.S.B. begins by

saying that perception _ought_ to be impossible but as this is not the

case the question arises as to how. As you rightly pointed out unity is

the answer.

 

Moreover it is not the case that the ancient writers were not aware of the

illusions etc that bedevil perception. They were acutely aware of them

and deployed their critical intelligence in discussing the epistemological

i.e. knowledge branch of metaphysics, fallout. V.P. has profound things

to say about this which I think have not been given their due in the

standard treatments. But that is another topic.

 

Best Wishes,

Michael.