________________
idea ultimate reality.ch
way in which extremely
114
ARCHIEJ. BAHM reason and will have no status or value in This principle, which denies rationality ultimate reality but also the difference to ultimate reality, has molded Hindu between them, presupposed as extremely ideals throughout the centuries. Anyone important by the way in which Western who describes the aesthetic in words which civilization insists on being plagued by it, fail to entail this principle falls short of is regarded as utterly insignificant. Conse- ultimacy. The ultimate intuition of intrinquently, the aesthetic, as viewed from sic value must itself be indistinct from these opposing moods, is conceived as hav- such pure indistinctness. That such intuiing antithetical natures. Generalization tion remains unavailable to human minds about the nature of the aesthetic, difficult should be obvious, though Hindu tradition enough when attempted within any one of holds out the hope that some especially the major civilizations, often appears im- favored saints may attain jivanmukti, a possible when the seemingly contradictory beatific vision, while still lingering in bodily character of ideals of different civilizations connection. Just as indistinctness and discomes to be understood.
tinctness appear to be contradictories, so Taking reason first, let us observe how Hindu and Western ideals appear to remain Hindus typically eliminate it from ultimate poles apart. Just as the Western mind reality. Advaita Vedanta calls ultimate idealizes distinctions sharpened to perfecreality "Nirguna Brahman,” being without tion, hence divided by a "Law of Excluded qualities. Samkhya-Yoga philosophers call Middle," so the Hindu mind idealizes inthe ultimate state of purusha (soul) kai- distinctness so completely that the distincvalya, perfect liberation from all limita- tion between distinctness and indistinctness tions. Theravada and Sunyavada Buddhists is itself regarded as indistinct. If Western call it "Nibbana" (Nirvana, no wind), minds cannot apprehend as significant both whether conceived as bhavanga or sunya. the metaphysical, logical, and epistemoAll alike, despite their other metaphysical logical ultimacy of the Principle of Fourdisagreements, depict ultimacy as pure in- Cornered Negation, they remain unable to distinctness. Hence it is beyond reason, for appreciate Hindu ideals of the aesthetic. reason begins to act by making distinc- But just as Westerners idealize God tions, and rationality exists only where "alone as truly beautiful" because perfect there are ratios, relationships, differences, (where perfection, as omnipotence, embodand distinctnesses. Reason cannot appre- ies and, as omniscience, knows all actual hend it, for it is utterly non-relational and possible distinctions, after Aquinas, Attempts to reason about it must begin by Calvin, Spinoza, Leibniz, J. Edwards, and saying, relative to every distinct thing, "It Whitehead), so Hindus idealize ultimate is not this, it is not that, it is not the reality as "Nirvana" because perfect other...." Yet, since ultimate reality does (where perfection consists in complete abnot cease to be, and to be what it is, when sence of distinctions). Hindus idealize predicates are asserted, one may also say, omnipotence as power to eliminate all relative to each distinct thing, "Its reality distinctness, and omniscience as intuition is not different from this, its reality is in- of such perfect indistinctness. All-goodness distinct from that, its reality is identical (not "omnibenevolence," which involves with the other...." The epitome of rational good will) is ananda, the blissful being and attempts to apprehend ultimate reality is awareness of such perfect indistinctness. to be found in the "Principle of Four- The ultimate in the way of the aesthetic Cornered Negation," the negation of all consists in such bliss. Art objects may sugnegation (or difference): Regarding any gest, symbolize, or lead us toward such thing, quality, predicate, difference, or dis- bliss, but, generally speaking, so long as we tinction, here symbolized by "x," one may devote our attention to art objects we resay of ultimate reality that "It neither is main distracted from the best way to the x, nor is not x, nor is both x and not x, nor aesthetic goal. If painting, sculpture, pois neither x nor not x." 6
etry, or music can transport us toward in
such perte
epitome of dentical
