Sambodhi 1984 Vol 13 and 14

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, Ramesh S Betai, Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 31

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Y. S. Shastri
consciousness which is free from subject-object duality, indescribabl beyond determination of thought-categories and non-dual. Asanga is n ready to accept the view of Nagarjuna that the phenomenal world is pure conceptual and lacks any basis. His aim was to find out the ground phenomena-an apparent world on which it appears. There mu be some basis for this worldly appearance. Phenomena, thoug unreal, must be rooted in some reality. This line of thinking, leads him 1 come to the conclusion that the base or the ground for this appare phenomenal world is nothing but pure-consciousness. Consciousness itse appears as subject-object quality on account of transcendental illusion Appearance of a form of consciousness as something objective an independent is illusory. But the ground for this appearance is real, it i the reality-pure-consciousness. In other words, pure consciousness free of the false duality of subject and object is the Absolute. Phenomena ar the veiled form or false appearances of the Absolute. Phenomena do no completely cut us from reality. They are appearances and appearance point to that which appears, i.e., pure consciousness.
According to Asanga, the highest reality which is non-dual, indescribable and non-determinate, transcends all opposites and in it the positives and negatives are one and the same. The nature of the highest reality is such that it is neither existence nor non-existence. It is neither born nor destroyed. It is neither pure nor impure. It is Dharmadhatu i.e., essence of all elements. It is the substratum of all phenomena, permanent, background of world of phenomena. It is the principle of unity underlying the entire phenomenal world. It is essentially identical with all elements (dharma) and yet it cannot be defined in terms of any elements, it transcends all of them.11 It is like the sky (aknia) which pervades every thing and is affected by nothing. It is unimaginable, immeasurable and all-pervading. It is the highest reality which is permanent and eternal.14 It is uncaused unoriginated, and self-existent. It is pure knowledge.15 It is unlimited bliss. 16
If the nature of reality is such, then the problem is how this non-dual pure consciousness appears as phenomena. In other words, how is this Absolute related to the unreal manifold world of phenomenal world? To solve this problem of relation between noumena and phenomena, appearance and reality, one and many, Asanga has advocated the theory of illusion (maya) as an explanatory factor. This doctrine is a logical necessity for all the Absolutists to explain, the otherwise inexplicable relation between the universe and the Absolute. This doctrine of illusion is introduced to satisfy the natural curiosity to