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... pure, blissful, consciousness, is the highest aim of life. But worldly experience and bappiness cannot be dismissed altogether as uoreal. To show the difference between empirical experience and mystic experience, he has accepted these two types of distinctions-lower and higher. In this respect, he seems to be inspired by the Upanişadic thoughts.
After Kundakunda, his followers always uphold this distinction between empirical and transcendental viewpoints. They have applied these two points of view to tackle different problems. Pujya pada in bis Samā dhirājatantra says that guru is required for giving spiritual instruction, only on vyavahåra level, but on the transcendental level, the self alone is its own guru, as it is responsible for its transmigration as well as liberation. 80
Buddhist's View : Hinayānism :
We find this type of distinction between empirical and transcendental truth in early Buddism. Kathāvastu mentions that Buddha has used two kinds of speech, conventional (Sammuti) and real (paramārıha), empirical and transcendental 81 Expressions like stttā (being), pudgaa (persion), deva (God) etc., are conventional (Sammuti) and those like anicca (impe. rmanence) duhkha misery), anatta (Soullessness), Khandha (aggregate), the Āryasaltas duḥkha, duḥkha samudaya, duḥkha nirodha and marga), protitya samutpada (dependent origination) and all dharmas (elements cf existence) are real and hence belong to the category of paramartha satya.
Mabāyāna Buddhism
Mabāyānists accept this distinction but their interpretation of conven. tional (Samvrti) and real (Paramartha) trtuh differs entirely from that of Hinayanists. Mahāyānists criticise the Hinayapists for their failure to understand the real teachings of Buddha and maintain that real truth called by them is a matter of conventional and not real truth.
Almost all the great Mahāyānist thinkers such as Ašvaghoşa, Nagarjuna, Asanga and Vasubandbu, have adopted these two standpoints in their writings. Absolute suchness and conditional suchness of Asvaghoşa (1 A.D.) stands for these two distinctions. Nāgārjuna (2nd A. D.) makes clear cut distinction between empirical and transcendental truth, by saying that 'the teachings of Buddha are based on two kinds of truth, viz., empirical (Samvrti) and Absolute (paramārtha). 82 He points out that, those who do
30 Samadhirajatantra-75. 31 Kathāvastu-P. 33-38. 32. Dve sat ye samupăsritya buddhānām dharmadesana. Lokasavvyt i satyam ca satyam
ca paramárthatal-Madhyamika Kārika XXIV-8.