World of Philosophy

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

Page 849

as the plurality of phenomena just as in dream a plurality of facts is experienced though it is one Consciousness that only exists and is felt and thus existence of one absolute Brahman is not contradicted by perceptual experience. This is because even in dream as in wakeful experience, the consciousness of action is different from that of the agent because dream contents are produced by different memory impressions.26
The viewpoint that the indeterminate (nirvikalpa) cognition which cognises existence of Brahman cannot be accepted as source of our experience, because we never perceive what is not determined by space, time and what is not other than the knowing self. On opening our eyes we perceive specific existence determined by space, time, otherness and the like.27 Granting that indeterminate cognition is a kind of valid source of knowledge, it must be accepted that, it will not only take note of what Brahman is, but, will also take note of what Brahman is not and thus, it leads to dualism of Brahman and non-Brahman28 Even the argument that perception has no power to deny the Reality, it only affirms, is baseless because affirmation always implies negation, a thing cannot be affirmed to be yellow without denying that it is black. Thus, affirmation and negation which are presented together are the positive and negative aspects of a single Reality. Our perceptual experience instead of proving one Brahman, proves difference to be as integral to Reality as identity.29 If perception only affirms Reality i.e. Brahman, then why not to state that it affirms this plurality of phenomenal world also. If it affirms both, then there is a dualism of Brahman and the world. Thus argument of the Vedāntins that perception only affirms positive Reality, is not justified by our experience. If Brahman is only real and this world is false, then Brahman could have been known in the first case of our normal experience and not this pluralistic phenomenal world.30
Even the Non-duality of Brahman cannot be proved on the basis of pure logic also. When Vedāntins argue that Ātman is un-born, un bound and always freed and thus, in reality, there is neither bondage nor liberation, etc., this is purely fabrication of mind and to prove such kind of Atman by inference will be completely imaginary. The consequence of this is attainment of an imaginary liberation." Bondage and liberation are facts and both cannot be regarded as illusory. Denial of distinctions between them in definanee of experience is nothing but embracing the Scepticism or Universal nihilism.53
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