Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Traverses on less trodden path...
are. 24 To attain Buddhahood, it is necessary to remove this ignorance which is the root cause of all evil and suffering, Nirvana, therefore, is not something to be achieved but knowing reality as it is.
Asanga, also, calls Nirvana as vikalpopašama i.e, destruction of imaginary thoughts and things. Tativa or Reality is only real, Seeing everything as simple production of imagination, one can attain Nirvana or enlightenment bodhi. Realising everything to be imaginary, the Bodhisattva or realised one ceases to imagine anything at all. There is nothing to imagine for him. This is called eplightenment, 28 Therefore, it is called vikalpopasama.90 Nirvana is the regaining of sovereignty of consciousness by realising upreality of imagined objective world. Realisation of illusory-kälpanika existence of self and all elements is absolutely necessary for attainment of nirvana. The distinction between sansāra and Nirvana is also a thought -construction, fabrication of the mind. Asanga, like Nāgārjuna, declares that truly speaking, there is not even the sligbtest difference between Nirvana and saṁsāra, noumena and phenomena, Absolute and empirical. 87 Nirvana and samsära, noumena and phenomena are not two different sets of reality posited against each other. Phenomena viewed as relative, as governed by causes and conditions (pratityasamutpâda) constitute saṁsāra or world. This is bondage, product of ignorance. It is caused by the false notion of there being something external and real. The same reality viewed as free of all conditions is the absolute or nirvana. The nirvāņa viewed through the specie aeternitatis (vikal pa) is samsara, the world or samsāra viewed sub specie aeternitatis is the absolute or nirvana itself.98 Only from the empirical point, we distinguish between samsara and Nirvana. Asanga's intention is that the only reality is nijvāņa or dharmadhatu or tathata, everything else is delusion of the mind. The moment an individual realises that he is the reality, that samsara is identical with Nirvana, he becomes perfect Buddha. Avidyā or ignorance is the root cause of Bondage, nirvana means destruction of avidyā and the purification of defiled consciousness It is the state of samata, i.e., a state of consciousness or mind in which a man can no longer distinguish himself from the infinite elements of the universe. The realised one sees oneness everywhere. 29 All are one and the same in this state of nirvana.
24. Yathābhūtaparijñānam, MSA XIS-55. 25. Pasyatā kalpana mātram sarvametadyathoditam, akalpābodhisatvänäm prăptă bodhih
nirūpyate. MSA IX-81, 26. MSA. XVIII-81. 27. Na cântarain kincana vidyate' nayoh. MSA. VI-S. 28. Murti, T.R.V., Central philosophy of Buddhism, George Allen and Unwin, London,
1960 p. 274.