Being and Nothingness

- Brahma and sunya -

Orh Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja

We have submitted before the readers the proposition that Buddha and Acarya ~ankara's siddhantic conclusions regarding the universe are the same. If the universe is without essence, illusory or temporary, and a mere spark of illumination, then what is the real and lasting essence?-This is the present consideration: whether the Mnya or "nothingness" of the monistic Buddha is sat or real and nitya or lasting, namely, that the knowledge of Mnya (sunya jndna) is the ultimate goal; or the other, whether the brahma or "being" of the brahmavadi ~ankara is real and lasting, namely, that the ultimate goal is the knowledge of brahma (brahma-jnana).

It has been previously stated that ~ankara's philosophy is yahdra pratTti nai tahai sat, "that which is imperceivable is sat or real," and also for Buddha it has been understood that "the non-perceivable is the sunya, the essence of nothingness." By the word brahma, Sarikara wanted us to conclude "What more is there to concern us with than this?"readers should make a note of this. Our opinion is that, assuming all considerations regarding Mnya, or nothingness, and brahma, or being, they are merely the same concepts. What the Buddhists regard as Mnya and what ~ankara calls brahma only reiterate the same thing. Therefore Mnya and brahma are non-different propositions. We will now proceed on to further re-inforce these concepts with a few more proofs.

Buddha's sunyavada

His Concept of Nothingness

In the sixteenth sutra of the Prajnd-Pdramitd Sutra (one of the most authoritative of Buddhist scriptures) this is observed

dkdsam iva nirlepam nisprapancarh niraksaram

yas tam pasyati bhavena sa pasyati tathd-gatam

"One who perceives you with contemplation as unattached, vacuous and silent like the sky, perceives the nonexistent or the state of sunyatd or nothingness."

In the second part of the Asta-sahasrika PrajndParamitd [the longer version of the Prajua-Pdramita Sutra] it is explained like this

sarva-dharma api deva-putra rnayopamah svapnopamah pratyag buddho'pi mayopamah svapnopamah pratyag buddhatvam apt. mayopamam svapnopamam samyak sambuddho 'pi mayopamah svapnopamah samyak sambuddhatvam apt. rnayopamam svapnopamam.

Sugata Buddha (Sakyamuni) is explaining to the devaputras, the sons of demigods

"All dharmas, or religions, are like an illusion, like a dream. Each and every buddha is like an illusion, like a dream. All states of buddhahood are like an illusion, like a dream. The sum-totality of all buddhas are like an illusion, like a dream, and the totality of the complete state of buddhahood is like an illusion, like a dream."

sudurbodho 'si mdyaiva drsyase na ca drsyase

"You (§iinya) are extremely difficult to understand. Like an illusion, you are seen and not seen."

In the second sutra of the same book it is ex-

In the scripture by the name of Sarva-Darsana Sarigraha, Sayana Madhava has expounded upon this Buddhist philosophy in some fifteen sentences

mMhyamikas tavad-uttama prajnd ittham acikathan. bhiksu7pada prasarana-nyayena ksana-bhanga dyabhi-dha mukhena sthdyitvanukula-vedanaya-matranuga-tatva sarvasatyatva-bhrama vydvartena sarva-sunyatdydm eva paryjvasdnam. atas tat tvam sad-asad ubhayanubhayatmaka catus koti vinirmuktarh sunyam eva

"The mddhyamika Buddhists who have first-class wisdom and detachment have spoken like this: the material existence's momentariness, namely, its past impressions of momentary, principal categories or

titles, that which is favorably sensuous, and every kind of truth is ephemeral, ultimately culminating in §itnya or nothingness. Therefore both sat and asat, the true and untrue, and are ontologically §unyatva, that is, they originate from the §f-nya."

In the twenty-ninth sentence of the same book this reference is made:

kecana bauddhah bahyesu gandhadisu antaresu rupadiskandhesu satsv api tatrahastham ntpadayiturh sarvarh sunyam iti prathamikdn vincyan acikathan

"Some Buddhist adepts have declared to their students-External aspects like smell, mind, and form, and the other skandhas (constituent elements), are able to produce changes in the sat and asat because all is §unya; this world is full of these categorical changes."

Sakya-Simha Buddha has also described this in the twenty-first chapter of the Buddhist scripture, LalitaVistara. The adherents of Sakya-Sirnha Buddha's doctrines. of voidism (§unyavada) and non-self (nairdtmavada), taking up the powerful bow of knowledge, have vanquished the enemies of the sufferings of sayhsara-in this way it has been explained: samarthah dhanur-grhitvd Minya -nairatniavadinaili klesa-ripitn riihatva-and other statements like this. .

From the proofs of various Buddhist scriptures we have understood that the form of maha-nirvana is essentially §unya, nothingness, like the sky, attributeless, and mundane, namely, its causal form and activity is sitnya or illusory. The root of the material momentariness or "suchness" is the §unya. The Prajiii-Parantita Sutra has said, "If the tasteful quality of the mango is removed, the mango becomes a part of the sunya, nothingness." Safikara's nirguna bhrarnavada, his philosophy of the attributeless brahma or being, is thus synonymous with this. Buddha has said, "What does not have gtina or quality and attributes (karya), is §~tnya, nothingness." Salikara has also said, "What has no gtuta or quality, is brahma, being."

His Holiness Dalai Lama

Reads Rays of The Harmonist

After bringing Rays of The Harmonist to the United States, Kisore Krsna Dasa Brahmacari distributed a copy of The Rays of The Harmonist, which was recently presented to His Holiness Dalai Lama via Ambarisha Dasa.

Upon reading an article on Buddhism (ref. Vol. II No. I & Il), His Holiness.was engrossed in a discussion on the subject matter with his secretary.

The series of articles on mayavada philosophy, Sankaracarya, and Buddhism hove created several positive reactions, and will be continued in response hereof.