World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 318

condition whatever.... thus many (Śruti) texts show Brahman in two forms according as it is known from the standpoint of avidyā or from that
of avidyā. The above distinction between absolute and relative standpoints makes the Advaitin move freely in both the levels of reality without any contradiction. From the relative point of view, Advaita admits plurality of distinctions. Of course, from the point of view of metaphysics, there is an apparent conflict between One and many. There are individual objects which differ from one another; and there is seeming plurality of objects. Epistemologically, there is subject object polarity as well as the problem of truth and error. Ethically, there is the problem of bondage and freedom. Yet, from the point of view of absolute reality, there is only Brahman/Atman-one and nondual." it means either an individual is involved in the relative level of duality or one realizes the non-dual Brahman as the ultimate truth. The multiplicity that is encountered at the relative or empirical level is the starting point of the philosophical enquiry. It is not the final truth.
According to Advaita, everything that is experienced or encountered by an individual is real in some sense or other. In this sense, Advaita epistemology is realistic for cognition points to an objective reference whether it is veridical or erroneous. Now the question that arises is: How real are the things that are experienced in the empirical world? The reply of an Advaitin is that the things in the empirical world are real as long as the empirical world exits. The division of real and unreal depends upon knowledge or experience that is real whose knowledge does not miscarry; the unreal on the contrary, is the object of knowledge which fails or goes astray. Therefore, it clear, according to Sankara, the real (sat) is that which endures forever. It suffers no sublation or contradiction, and is eternal. The objects of empirical existence are real until they are sublated or contradicted. They belong to a peculiar category of existence in the sense that they are neither real nor unreal (sadasatvilaksana), according to Advaita. They are illusory (mithyā) and indescribable (aniravacanīya). Since the objects of empirical world are experienced, they are not unreal. They are not real for they suffer sublation or contradiction. This criterion makes Brahman alone real and all other existents mere appearances. In fact, the distinction between one object and another, the existence of plurality of objects, the ascription of attributes to the absolute are all concessions to the truth made from the relative point of view. In order to explain the significance of the expression 'advaita', one must keep in mind that the expressions "absolutely real", "from the absolute point of view" are used contextually. Such expressions are used only to distinguish the real from the unreal. Strictly speaking, there is no need to call Brahman/Atman real. If one admits the existence of empirical
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