Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

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

Page 48

Doctrine of degrees of reality...
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not know the deeper meanings of these two standpoints cannot know the real meaning of Buddha's teachings. 83 Samvști is empirical truth, it is a sort of screen which covers up the real; it is, therefore, called Samvşti (i.e. cover or envelope). All worldly things belong to tbis category. The existence which is relative, conditioned by the subject-object duality, is called empirical existence, in the ultimate analysis. it is not trutb at all. The real is really beyond this empirical truth, paramārtha Satya is real and it is just Śünya-indescribable, beyond the categories of thought, calm and blissful, non-dual and it can only be directly realized.84 Nāgārjuna emphasises the transcendental reality. For him except Absolute reality which is non-dual (advayamtat tram), non conceptual, everything else is empirical, unreal. He categorises the whole phenomenal existence as Samvştisatya and does not analyse the empirical experiences in detail. But his followers Candrakirti (circa 6 A. D.) and śāntideva (7th A. D.), further destinguished the phenomenal reality into two kinds viz. tathyaSamvqli that which is empirically true and that which is empirically falsemithya Samvști, 8
Asanga (Circa-4th A. D.), the great exponent of Vijñāpaväda Buddhism, has also accepted two kinds of truth-empirical (Saṁvşti) and Absolute (paramartha). 30 Samvști is the same as illusion (māyopama). It conceals the real-truth. This Samurti Satya conceals the truth and projects nonexistent un-real objects. 87 Things of this world have no more existence than magical figures created by a magician. The entire phenomenal world comes under the samvştisat ya. Ultimately it has no existence of its own. The Paramärtha is beyond this empirical existence. It is un-originating and un-decaving 88 The transcendental truth is uncaused, un-conditioned, nondual, free from subject-object duality and non-conceptual consciousness 89 Asanga, being a great speculative thinker tried to give constructive theory of phenomena advocating three kinds of truth unlike Nāgarjuna's doctrine of two truths. The Phenomenal truth (Sarvști) is further divided into imagined and dependent (parikalpita and paratantra) and paramarthu is also called parinis panna. Asanga's constructive analysis of all empirical experiences 33. Ye anayorpavijānanti Vibhāgam Satyayordvayoh. Te tattvam na vijananti gam
bhiram buddhaśä sane. M. K. XXIV-9. 34. Aparapratyayam Santam prapancairaprapancitain. Nirvikalpamanänărtham etat
tattvasyalakşaņam. M. K. XVIII-9. 35. Madhyamikakärikävytri of Candrakirti; See also Bodhjcaryavatara of Santideva. 36. Laksanam sarvştisatyalaksanam paramārtha Saiya Jakşa namca-Mahāyāpasūtra
lankāra-XI-3-Com. 37. Tattvam samchadya bālānām atattvam khyāti sarvatah-M. S. A, XIX 53. 38. Mahāyānasatralan kāra-V1-1. 39. Tattvamyat satatam dvayenarahitam, bhrāntesca sanniśrayah. Sakyam naiva ca
sarvathābhilapitum yaccaprapancãtmakam.-M. S. A. XI-13.