Realistic Reasoning and the Unreal World
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: The ancient Indian philosopher/theologian Gaudapada (probably fifth century ce) is credited with having founded the school of Advaita Vedanta. He unfolds his doctrines in four separate but related treatises which tradition has always transmitted under the title Gaudapadiya-karika. Gaudapada's treatises evince a persistent tendency towards illusionism; he uses logic to argue for the unreality of the perceivable world. Especially in book 4, he develops his argument that the world was never created, that therefore it is an illusion or magic, maya, and that it is only our perceiving consciousness. What is most baffling is the fact that in order to develop his arguments against the reality of the world, he uses the logical terminology and methodology of the early Nyaya, a school whose outlook on the world is realistic and thus the exact opposite of the outlook Gaudapada is espousing. This article will try to discuss and resolve the seeming contradiction between Gaudapada's illusionism and the realism of early Nyaya.
Source: Religions of South Asia
DOI: 10.1558/rosa.36474
Author: Victor A. Van Bijlert
Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2793389360