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Non-Absolutism
31 of knowledge record only positive findings. The Vedāntist, however, does not bank upon any one of these accepted instruments of knowledge. He maintains that the non-existence of differences is only a necessary deduction from the failure of the opponent to establish the existence of differences. All the arguments that can be advanced by the opponents would be shown to be inconclusive. After all, the experience of plurality is the sheet-anchor of the opponent. But this experience of plurality is not incompatible with the unity of the Absolute Brahman, which is divested of all differences, intrinsic and extrinsic. Consciousness, undifferentiated into modes and attributes, is the only reality, and experience of plurality is only an illusion. It is common knowledge that space is one and devoid of all differences and distinctions taken by itself. But the person suffering from a defect of sight would see it divided into lines. It is a truism that this experience of linear divisions in space is only an illusion. So there is no inherent impossibility in the association of plurality with the Absolute Brahman on the part of a person whose power of vision is infected with the defects induced by nescience. The contention of the Buddhist idealist who believes in the multiplicity of consciousness-units has no substance. He believes in the unity of each consciousness-unit, but denies the subjectobject polarization as due to the association of contents. The contents of consciousness are held to have no reality apart from consciousness. Thus when one becomes aware of blue, the awareness of blue does not establish the independent existence of blue. The 'blue' is only a content of consciousness and is non-different from it. It is due to the inherent proclivity of our thought movement for the belief in the separate existence of the content that the latter is not felt as identical with consciousness. To be more precise, the manifestation of consciousness informed with an apparent content has no raison d'etre out:side the separatist tendency of our thought-activity, which is the legacy of false knowledge or ignorance from which we all suffer.
1. yatha visuddham akaśam timiropapluto narah. sankirnam iva imátrābhir bhjnnábhir abhimanyate. tathe 'dam amalam Brahma nirvikalpam avidyaya. kaluşatvam ivă "pannam bhedarūpam prapaśyati. Attributed to Bharthari.
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