Consciousness in Indian Philosophy: The Advaita Doctrine of Awareness Only (Routledge Hindu Studies Series)

202 Pages·2008·1.17 MB·English

by  Sthan Timalsina

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Consciousness in Indian Philosophy
This book focuses on the analysis of pure consciousness as found in Advaita
Vedanta, one of the main schools of Indian philosophy. According to this
tradition, reality is identified as Brahman, the world is considered illusory,
and the individual self is identified with the absolute reality. Advaitins have
various approaches to defend this argument, the central one being the doc-
trine of ‘awareness only’ (cinmatra). Following this stream of argument, what
consciousness grasps immediately is consciousness itself, and the notions of
subject and object arise due to ignorance. This doctrine categorically rejects
the plurality of individual selves and the reality of objects of perception.
Timalsina analyzes the nature of consciousness as understood in Advaita.
He first explores the nature of reality and pure consciousness, and then
moves on to analyze ignorance as propounded in Advaita. He then presents
Advaita arguments against the definitions of ‘object’ of cognition found in
various other schools of Indian philosophy. In this process, the positions
of two rival philosophical schools of Advaita and Madhva Vedanta are
explored in order to examine the exchange between these two schools. The
final section of the book contrasts the Yogacara and Advaita understand-
ings of consciousness. Written lucidly and clearly, this book reveals the depth
and implications of Indian metaphysics and argument. It will be of interest
to scholars of Indian philosophy and Religious Studies.
Sthaneshwar Timalsinais Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious
Studies, San Diego State University, US. His research interests include
Tantric traditions, literary theory, and ritual studies. His first book, Seeing
and Appearance, was published in 2006 by Shaker Verlag.
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ROUTLEDGE HINDU STUDIES SERIES
Series Editor: Gavin Flood, University of Stirling
Former Series Editor: Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Harvard University
The Routledge Hindu Studies Series, in association with the Oxford Centre
for Hindu Studies, intends the publication of constructive Hindu theological,
philosophical and ethical projects aimed at bringing Hindu traditions into
dialogue with contemporary trends in scholarship and contemporary society.
The series invites original, high quality, research level work on religion,
culture and society of Hindus living in India and abroad. Proposals for annot-
ated translations of important primary sources and studies in the history of
the Hindu religious traditions will also be considered.
EPISTEMOLOGIES AND THE CLASSICAL SfvKHYA AND YOGA
LIMITATIONS OF An Indian Metaphysics of Experience
PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY Mikel Burley
Doctrine in Madhva Vedanta
Deepak Sarma SELF-SURRENDER (PRAPATTI)
TO GOD IN yRhVAItwAVISM
A HINDU CRITIQUE OF Tamil Cats and Sanskrit Monkeys
BUDDHIST EPISTEMOLOGY Srilata Raman
Kumarila on Perception
The ‘Determination of Perception’ THE CAITANYA VAItwAVA
Chapter of Kumarilabhatta’s VEDfNTA OF JhVA GOSVfMh
Slokarvarttika When Knowledge Meets Devotion
Translation and Commentary Ravi M. Gupta
John Taber
GENDER AND NARRATIVE IN
SAMKARA’S ADVAITA VEDANTA THE MAHfBHfRATA
A Way of Teaching Edited by Simon Brodbeck and
Jacqueline Hirst Brian Black
ATTENDING KxtwA’S IMAGE YOGA IN THE MODERN WORLD
Caitanya Vaimpava Merti-sevaas Contemporary Perspectives
Devotional Truth Edited By Mark Singleton and
Kenneth Russell Valpey Jean Byrne
ADVAITA VEDfNTA AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN INDIAN
VAItwAVISM PHILOSOPHY
The Philosophy of Madhusedana The Advaita doctrine of ‘awareness
Sarasvatc only’
Sanjukta Gupta Sthaneshwar Timalsina
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Consciousness in Indian
Philosophy
The Advaita doctrine of
‘awareness only’
Sthaneshwar Timalsina
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First published 2009 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2009 Sthaneshwar Timalsina
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Timalsina, Sthaneshwar, 1965–
Consciousness in Indian philosophy : the advaita doctrine of
‘awareness only’ / Sthaneshwar Timalsina.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Advaita. 2. Consciousness. I. Title.
B132.A3T56 2008
181′.482—dc22
2008018729
ISBN 0-203-88917-7 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0-415-77677-5 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0-203-88917-7 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978-0-415-77677-6 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978-0203-88917-6 (ebk)
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Contents
Preface viii
Acknowledgements x
Abbreviations xii
Introduction xv
PART I
Sat 1
1 Establishment of ‘awareness only’ 3
Cinmatra (awareness only) 3
Awareness as non-dual ‘seeing’ 5
FbhAsa and DQMNisQMNi 8
Ignorance (avidya) 10
Difference (bheda) 11
Cinmatra and cittamatra 12
2 Svaprak4ïat4 (self-awareness) 16
Preliminary remarks 16
Consciousness is svaprakaza 18
What is meant by svaprakazata? 25
3 Ekaj<va: the doctrine of solitary self-awareness 34
Introduction 34
The position of VimuktAtman 35
VyAsatCrtha and MadhusEdana on EJ 40
PrakAZAnanda’s defense of EJ 43
Parallels: jcva and cittasantana 45
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vi Contents
4 Existence and awareness 50
Degrees of reality 50
The Advaita perspectives on satta 52
Jñataikasatta 53
Conventional truth (vyavaharikatva) 56
Rejection of conventional truth 59
PART II
Anirvacan3ya 61
5 Avidy4 63
Preliminary remarks 63
The nature of avidya 64
How can fictitious avidya construct the world? 67
Error, fantasy, or verbal construction 69
The scope of avidya 72
PART III
Asat 83
6 A critique of difference 85
Historical background 85
Perceiving difference 87
A critique of svarepa and bheda 89
Bheda, anyonyabhava, and pqthaktva 92
Difference and ‘prejudgemental awareness’ (nirvikalpa-jñana) 94
Inferring difference 95
Knowing difference through anupalabdhi 96
A critique of abheda and sahopalambha 97
Vastu and anubheti 99
7 A critique of ‘object’ 103
Background 103
Examining the definitions of an object 105
Modified definition on the basis of functioning 106
Udayana’s definition of object 106
Examining another definition of an object proposed by Udayana 112
Modifying the definition 115
Examining YAlikanAtha’s definition of object 116
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Contents vii
Another definition of object 118
Examining the definition of DharmakCrti 119
Conclusion 120
PART IV
Comparisons 123
8 Cinm4tra and cittam4tra: the Advaita critique of Yog:c:ra 125
Background 125
Evaluation of Ya{kara’s criticism 127
The critique of vijñapti in subsequent Advaita 132
Advaita and VijñAnavAda 138
Awareness is identical to bliss 140
Notes 143
Bibliography 165
Primary sources 165
Secondary sources 168
Indices 174
Cited primary sources 174
Proper names (primary sources) 174
Proper names (secondary sources) 175
Technical terms 176
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Preface
The Routledge Hindu Studies Series, published in collaboration with the
Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, intends primarily the publication of con-
structive Hindu theological, philosophical, and ethical projects. The focus is
on issues and concerns of relevance to readers interested in Hindu traditions
in particular, yet also in the context of a wider range of related religious
concerns that matter in today’s world. The Series seeks to promote excellent
scholarship and, in relation to it, an open and critical conversation among
scholars and the wider audience of interested readers. Though contem-
porary in its purpose, the Series recognizes the importance of retrieving the
classic texts and ideas, beliefs and practices, of Hindu traditions, so that the
great intellectuals of these traditions may as it were become conversation
partners in the conversations of today.
Philosophical idealism, in a weak version that there can be no account
of the world independent of human consciousness and in a strong version
that the world is identical with consciousness, has been a strong feature
of Indian philosophy. In this book Sthaneshwar Timalsina develops an
account of ‘awareness only’ in the Advaita tradition. He describes the two
views entailed by the idea, firstly that the essence of everything is pure
consciousness and secondly that the myriad appearances of the world are
identical with consciousness. On the one hand we have a pure non-dualism
on the other we have an emanationist view that the world is a manifestation
of consciousness. The author traces how the first view predominates in
yankara’s philosophy while later texts exemplify the world as a manifesta-
tion of consciousness. The book deals with these issues both in terms of
philosophical argument and as the history of ideas which grounds these argu-
ments in particular texts and traditions.
There is a great depth of scholarship in this book and the author draws
on a wide range of sources, presenting Advaita arguments and dealing with
the encounter with rival schools such as the mind-only, Yogacara school of
Buddhism. The view that consciousness is never divided in its true nature
and that to understand consciousness in terms of subject and object is an
ignorant mode of understanding, is the central philosophy of non-dualistic
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Preface ix
Vedanta, expounded and developed with great lucidity here. This is a wel-
come addition to the Hindu Studies Series and an important contribution
to Indian philosophy.
Gavin Flood
Series Editor