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Space
THE BUDDHIST VIEW OF SPACE: EXAMINED BY RAMĀNUJA
The Vedantist Rāmānuja urges that Space is perceived as a Real and hence it cannot be looked upon as a mere negation.
71
आकाश निरुपाख्यता न युक्ताभावरुपत्वेनाम्युपगतपृथिव्यादिवदाकाशस्यापि अवोधित प्रतीतिसिद्धताविशेषात् । प्रतीयत हि आकाशः अत्र श्येनः पतति अत्र गृद्धः इति, श्येनादिपतनदेशत्वेन ।
Just as we have perceptions of land etc., as positive abodes, we have the perception of Space also as a positive substance, as a place where, for example, a hawk is flying or a vulture is flying.
THE BUDDHIST VIEW OF SPACE: EXAMINED BY THE JAINA'S
On a similar line is the Jaina criticism of the Buddhist negative theory of Space. The author of the Tattvarthā-rājā-vārtika says,
स्यातेतत् नाकाशं नाम किंचिद् वस्त्वस्ति, आवरणाभावमात्रं हि तदिति । तन्न । किं कारणम् ? नामवत् तत्सिद्धेः । यथा तनामवत्रनादि अमर्तत्वादनावृत्त्पसदण्डीत्यम्युपगम्यते तथा आकाशमपि वस्तुभूतमित्यवेसयम् ।
It may be said that Space is no real substance in as much. as it is simply the negation of Avaraṇa or occupation This is not correct. Why? A name etc. are incorporeal and as such cannot be said to be occupied; still, they are known as existing. In the same way, Space also is to be admitted as a real substance.
Another argument in support of their doctrine of spatial unreality seems to have been advanced by the Buddhists which has remarkable similarity with that of Zeno, already noticed. If Space be the abode of all things, it must also have its own abode and this, too, in its turn and so on. This Regression or Anavastha goes to show that Space is not real. The Jaina's point out that only in the case of Space which is all-pervasive, it cannot arise the allpervasive Space being its own abode'.
The author of the Prameya-kamala-martanda says:
ननु निखार्थानां यथाकाशावगाहस्तथाकास्याप्यन्यस्मिन्नधिकरणेवगाहनेन
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