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CONTEMPORARY VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY, IL
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and himself as an individual in it, and acts accordingly, although he knows better. (5) The fifth plane is that of release from illusion (moksha or videha-mukti), when all empirical objects, together with the world, time, and individuality, are not only rejected as unreal but completely forgotten and so no longer exist even as illusions. The individual body is freely given up and so dies empirically. Only the self (jiva, defined as Brahman distinguished into subjective and objective) remains. It is eternal, since there is no time, and one, since there is no distinction of individuals. Monopsychism (ekajivavada), implicit on the fourth plane, is explicit on the fifth, and the one self is God (Ishvara). Nevertheless, although all objects are gone, objectivity, which is the possibility of objects, remains; the form of objects, although not their matter, remains; the distinction of subject and object, although not the distinction of individuals, remains; in short, the objective attitude remains.“ Deep dreamless sleep is temporary ascent to this plane. (6) The sixth (third transitional) plane is the state of expecting, although not realizing, objectivity. It is best understood in the descending direction as Brahman's stirring ("Brahman felt alone,” as the Upanishads say)—the anticipation of, or in the ascending direction the negation of, that feeling of loneliness which characterizes the fifth plane. This is Brahman (not jiva or Ishvara), but Brahman subject to illusion. (7) The highest plane is absolute awareness. Objectivity vanishes, and with it all distinction whatsoever. The only reality is absolute being-consciousness-bliss, Brahman."
• Each plane has its internal ethics, but the transcendental ethical principle is the duty of self-fulfillment by rising to a higher plane. Whatever conduces to this is good. On the third plane this is altruism. There are no inter-plane obligations. While dreaming we may feel an obligation to help our fellow sufferers in the dream, but after waking it would be absurd to suppose an obligation to go back to sleep and recover the dream in order to
41 The discrimination of this plane is Chaudhury's most original contribution to Vedanta philosophy.
“? Realism is the correct epistemological theory on the first, third, and fifth planes; idealism, on the second, fourth, and sixth; neither, on the seventh.
