Relationship with Buddhism Advaita Vedanta

1 relationship buddhism

1.1 similarities buddhism
1.2 gaudapada
1.3 differences buddhism

1.3.1 atman , anatta
1.3.2 epistemology
1.3.3 ontology
1.3.4 shankara on buddhism

relationship buddhism

advaita vedanta , mahayana buddhism share similarities , have differences, relationship subject of dispute among scholars. similarities between advaita , buddhism have attracted indian , western scholars attention, , have been criticised concurring schools. similarities have been interpreted buddhist influences on advaita vedanta, while others deny such influences, or see them variant expressions. according daniel ingalls, japanese buddhist scholarship has argued adi shankara did not understand buddhism.

some hindu scholars criticized advaita maya , non-theistic doctrinal similarities buddhism. ramanuja, founder of vishishtadvaita vedanta, accused adi shankara of being prachanna bauddha, is, crypto-buddhist , , undermining theistic bhakti devotionalism. non-advaita scholar bhaskara of bhedabheda vedanta tradition, around 800 ce, accused shankara s advaita despicable broken down mayavada has been chanted mahayana buddhists , , school undermining ritual duties set in vedic orthodoxy.

a few buddhist scholars made opposite criticism in medieval era toward buddhist opponents. in sixth century ce, example, mahayana buddhist scholar bhaviveka redefined vedantic concepts show how fit madhyamaka concepts, , equate[d] buddha s dharma body brahman, ultimate reality of upanishads. in madhyamakahṛdayakārikaḥ, bhaviveka stages hinayana (theravada) interlocutor, accuses mahayana buddhists of being crypto-vedantins . medieval era tibetan gelugpa scholars accused jonang school of being crypto-vedantist. contemporary scholar david kalupahana called seventh century buddhist scholar chandrakirti crypto-vedantist , view rejected scholars of madhayamika buddhism.

the advaita vedanta tradition has historically rejected accusations of crypto-buddhism highlighting respective views on atman, anatta , brahman.

similarities buddhism

according scholars, influence of mahayana buddhism on advaita vedanta has been significant. advaita vedanta , various other schools of hindu philosophy share numerous terminology, doctrines , dialectical techniques buddhism. according 1918 paper buddhism scholar o. rozenberg, precise differentiation between brahmanism , buddhism impossible draw.

both traditions hold empirical world transitory, show of appearances , , both admit degrees of truth or existence . both traditions emphasize human need spiritual liberation (moksha, nirvana, kaivalya), different assumptions. adi shankara, states natalia isaeva, incorporated own system buddhist notion of maya had not been minutely elaborated in upanishads . similarly, there many points of contact between buddhism s vijnanavada , shankara s advaita.

according frank whaling, similarities between advaita vedanta , buddhism not limited terminology , doctrines, includes practice. monastic practices , monk tradition in advaita similar found in buddhism.

dasgupta , mohanta suggest buddhism , shankara s advaita vedanta represent different phases of development of same non-dualistic metaphysics upanishadic period time of sankara. influence of mahayana buddhism on other religions , philosophies not limited vedanta. kalupahana notes visuddhimagga of theravada buddhism tradition contains metaphysical speculations, such of sarvastivadins, sautrantikas, , yogacarins . according john plott,

we must emphasize again throughout gupta dynasty, , more after decline, there developed such high degree of syncretism , such toleration of points of view mahayana buddhism had been hinduized as hinduism had been buddhaized.

gaudapada

the influence of buddhist doctrines on gaudapada has been vexed question.

one school of scholars, such bhattacharya , raju, state gaudapada took on buddhist doctrines ultimate reality pure consciousness (vijñapti-mātra) , nature of world four-cornered negation, structure of māyā .

of particular interest chapter 4 of gaudapada s text karika, in according bhattacharya, 2 karikas refer buddha , term asparsayoga borrowed buddhism. according murti, conclusion irresistible gaudapada, vedanta philosopher, attempting advaitic interpretation of vedanta in light of madhyamika , yogcara doctrines. freely quotes , appeals them. however, adds murti, doctrines unlike buddhism. chapter one, 2 , 3 entirely vedantin , founded on upanishads, little buddhist flavor. further, state both murti , king, no vedanta scholars followed gaudapada ever quoted chapter four, quote first three. according sarma, mistake him [gaudapada] hidden or open buddhist absurd . doctrines of gaudapada , buddhism totally opposed, states murti:

we have been talking of borrowing, influence , relationship in rather general terms. necessary define possible nature of borrowing, granting did take place. (...) vedantins stake on atman (brahman) , accept authority of upanishads. have pointed out @ length nairatmya standpoint of buddhism , total opposition atman (soul, substance, permanent , universal) in form.

advaitins have traditionally challenged buddhist influence thesis. modern scholarship accepts gaudapada influenced buddhism, @ least in terms of using buddhist terminology explain ideas, adds gaudapada vedantin , not buddhist. gaudapada adopted buddhist terminology , borrowed doctrines vedantic goals, buddhism adopted upanishadic terminology , borrowed doctrines buddhist goals; both used pre-existing concepts , ideas convey new meanings. while there shared terminology, advaita doctrines of gaudapada , buddhism fundamentally different.

differences buddhism
atman , anatta

advaita vedanta holds premise, soul exists, , soul (or self, atman) self evident truth . buddhism, in contrast, holds premise, atman not exist, , an-atman (or anatta, non-self) self evident .

in buddhism, anatta (pali, sanskrit cognate an-atman) concept in human beings , living creatures, there no eternal, essential , absolute called soul, self or atman . buddhist philosophy rejects concept , doctrines associated atman, call atman illusion (maya), asserting instead theory of no-self , no-soul . schools of buddhism, earliest days, have denied existence of self, soul in core philosophical , ontological texts. in contrast advaita, describes knowing 1 s own soul identical brahman path nirvana, in soteriological themes buddhism has defined nirvana blissful state when person realizes or has no self, no soul .

some buddhist texts chronologically placed in 1st millennium of common era, such mahayana tradition s tathāgatagarbha sūtras suggest self-like concepts, variously called tathagatagarbha or buddha nature. these have been controversial idea in buddhism, , eternal self concepts have been rejected. in modern era studies, scholars such wayman , wayman state these self-like concepts neither self nor sentient being, nor soul, nor personality. scholars posit tathagatagarbha sutras written promote buddhism non-buddhists.

epistemology

the epistemological foundations of buddhism , advaita vedanta different. buddhism accepts 2 valid means reliable , correct knowledge – perception , inference, while advaita vedanta accepts 6 (described elsewhere in article). however, buddhists in history, have argued buddhist scriptures reliable source of spiritual knowledge, corresponding advaita s Śabda pramana, buddhists have treated scriptures form of inference method.

ontology

advaita vedanta posits substance ontology, ontology holds underlying change , impermanence of empirical reality unchanging , permanent absolute reality, eternal substance calls atman-brahman. in substance ontology, other philosophies, there exist universal, particulars , specific properties , interaction of particulars create events , processes.

in contrast, buddhism posits process ontology, called event ontology . according buddhist thought, particularly after rise of ancient mahayana buddhism scholarship, there neither empirical nor absolute permanent reality , ontology can explained process. there system of relations , interdependent phenomena (pratitya samutpada) in buddhist ontology, no stable persistent identities, no eternal universals nor particulars. thought , memories mental constructions , fluid processes without real observer, personal agency or cognizer in buddhism. in contrast, in advaita vedanta, other schools of hinduism, concept of self (atman) real on-looker, personal agent , cognizer.

the pali abdhidhamma , theravada buddhism considered existence dhamma, , left ontological questions reality , nature of dhamma unexplained.

according renard, advaita s theory of 3 levels of reality built on 2 levels of reality found in madhyamika.

shankara on buddhism

a central concern shankara, in objections against buddhism, perceives nihilism of buddhists. shankara states there must beyond cognition, namely cognizer, asserts self-evident atman or witness. buddhism, according shankara, denies cognizer. considers notion of brahman pure knowledge , quintessence of positive reality.

the teachings in brahma sutras, states shankara, differ both buddhist realists , buddhist idealists. shankara elaborates on these arguments against various schools of buddhism, partly presenting refutations standard in time, , partly offering own objections. shankara s original contribution in explaining difference between advaita , buddhism argument identity , argument witness . in shankara s view, buddhist internally inconsistent in theories, because reservoir-consciousness [they] set up, being momentary, no better ordinary consciousness. or, if [they] allow reservoir-consciousness lasting, [they] destroy [their] theory of momentariness. in response idealists, notes alaya-vijnana, or store-house consciousness, runs counter buddhist theory of momentariness. regard sunyavada (madhyamaka), shankara states being contradictory valid means of knowledge, have not thought worth while refute , common sense (loka-vyavahara) cannot denied without discovery of other truth .

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