Wednesday 12 September 2018

Teachings And Indian Philosophy

See:

Indian Philosophy, Part III
Teachings II

Atman is Jainism and Samkhya-Yoga.
Atman-Brahman is Advaita Vedanta.
Anatta is Buddhism.

Thus, these three teachings correspond to five of the nine Indian philosophical systems.

Advaita is one interpretation of the Vedanta system. Dvaita Vedanta refers to Atman and to a personal deity: Isvara, Krishna, the Goddess etc.

Thus, the systems and their interpretations incorporate every theoretical possibility:

materialism
soul pluralism
polytheism
monotheism
pantheism
impersonalist idealism
syntheses
less definable positions

Two Syntheses
The Yoga system accepts the atheist soul pluralism of the Samkhya system but incorporates theist devotion as bhakti yoga by redefining the object of devotion as a discarnate soul.

Qualified Non-Dualism synthesizes theism with monism by regarding matter and selves as God's body.

One Less Definable Position
Buddhists:

reject souls and the creator but not gods but do not worship gods;
replace reincarnation of souls with rebirth of karmic consequences;
regard impermanence and interaction as more fundamental than mind or consciousness;
thus, agree with dialectical materialists except about gods and rebirth which, however, are not necessary for the practice of Zen.

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