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Degrees of Reality in Jainism Buddhism and Vedanta
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are in this world, we cannot take it to be uoreal. It is a practical reality. When Sankara character ises the world as 'mithya', all that he means is that, it is not ultimately real, though it appears to be real for all practical purposes. This world is not absolutely real as it is sublated in a stiil higher experience. Wheo Brahman consciousness arises the reality of the empirical world suffers contradiction. Though, empirical experiences cannot be reduced to the level of dream objects, still this world can be compared to a long dream, because it is contradicted by a still higher experience of Brahman.59 Brahman-consciousness which servis to contradict the world of our waking state does not suffer contradiction, because it is pure consciousness at any level or at any tinie.60 It is the same in all waking, dreaming and deepsleep. Realization of Brahman is called paramartha-the highest state, the highest aim. This level is mystical experience of oneness. or unity of Jiva with Brahman. This is the only reality and as compared to it, the other two are merely appearances under certain conditions. The pratibhāsika and vyāvahārika are relativa, henee not real, ultimately, while pāramārthika (the transcendental reality) is beyond all kinds of relative viewpoints. At the paramārthika level ordinary experience is transformed into intuition.
Our entire worldly activity is on account of Avidya-ignorance. Right knowledge removes ignorance and it connot be sublated. The falsity of the dream-object is realised when the dreams break up and we are awake. And even then when these dream objects are sublated, the consciousness that the dreamer bad experienced these objects in the dream is not sub. lated even in the waking state. Consciousness therefore is eternal and real.61 According to Sankara, the whole plurality of appearance is dus to avidya (ignorance).62 From the päramärthika point of view, there is only one Absolute, Brahman, one without a second, 63 It is unchanging and immutable, absolutely permanent, completely independent of all contingencies, ever the same and most stable. It is neither contradicted nor contradictable. It is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss, 64 It is level of self-luminous universal self of all. 65 At the päramärthika level there is no difference between individual souls and Brahman.66 This pluralistic vision of selves is empirical standpoint while unity of all selves is pära. märthika. Just as the sun or the moon appears many on acconnt of the reflection in different vossels of water 67 or just as the same space appears different spaces, similarly the same self appears as so many phenomenal selves on account of adjuncts. 68 He rightly states that, "as light, ether, Sun and so on appear differen'iated as it were, through their objects, such as fingers, vessels, water and so on, which constitute the limiting
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