Humanism of Haribhadra

Author(s): Christian Lindtner
Publisher: Z_Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_1_002105.pdf and Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_2

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The Humanism of Haribhadra
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111. [The materialists say :) "Earth, water, fire and wind are [the four
elements, or] principles. Bodies, senses, objects and ideas are based on their union. Consciousness is like the power of an intoxicating draught. Souls are like bubbles on water. The spirit is a body with consciousness."
112. "Bodies, objects and senses are material. Nevertheless, stupid (teachers]
teach (their students) that it is something else (namely an 'immaterial
soul') that is an active principle". 113. "This world only extends as far as do the objects of our senses. So,
charming young lady, it is a foot-mark of a wolf (made in the snow by some deceitful villagers] that those who have not learned very much are talking about".
114. "Austerities, various [self-]torments, self-control, fraud with regard
to eating, rituals such as Agnihotra are (all) seen to be like childish play".
115. [Those who believe in plurality, say :] "Causes are quite different, and
effects are also different. Therefore, for sure, karma has no meaning in the three periods of time".
Refutation :
1. The opinions of those who believe in the creation (of the world) are
not alike. They themselves cannot reach an agreement. I will now show how (all their opinions) are in conflict with logic.
The origin of the world that exists and does not [yet] exist would have to be from a previous cause. However, there cannot be [a creator of a world that already) exists, nor can there be a creator of one that does not exist. This is because being and non-being cannot occur
together 3. The creation of something that does not exsit certainly cannot take
place in any of the three periods of time. An example (of something unreal would be] the horn of an ass. Therefore the world is a natural
one [the causes of which cannot be explained in terms of time). 4. (The opinion) of the Jainas : As a whole no material and immaterial
thing really suffers destruction or change. However, in a certain sense one can say that a thing usually does change its mode of being.