vedānta vs. Śaiva tantra

7/31/2019 Vednta vs. aiva Tantra

1/12

Chris WallisREL271 M.H.P.8 May 1999

Anuttara vs. BrahmanBeing a Rejoinder against Advaita Ved nta Philosophy by the Great

Lord, the Master Abhinavagupta

~ OMRRAMBHUN TH ~

Pa dit ankar carya of the Advaita Ved nta school has argued

numerous metaphysical points which shall now be refuted or refined.

Claim the first: Consciousness does not know itself. It has been argued

that the Self cannot know itself upon the following logic. If the Self knew

itself, it would have to be divided into two parts, the knowing part and

the known part. The knowing part would also need to know itself for

Self-knowledge to be complete. So the knowing part would also need to

be divided into two parts, the knowing and the known. But the knower

of the knower would also need to know itself for self-knowledge to be

complete. Therefore it must divide into two parts as well, so now there

is a knower of the knower of the knower. Clearly this leads to an infinite

regression to the point of absurdity. Hence the Self cannot know itself.

We of the Trika Kaula school say otherwise. Supreme

consciousness can and does self-referentially double back on itself and

experience its own being (this is called vimar a ). (Singh xii) The reductio

ad absurdum argument given above is incorrect by the following

reasoning. Like a stainless crystal assuming form by the sundry colors


2/12

it reflects, even so the Lord [i.e. the Supreme Self] is the formfulness of

gods, humans, and living things.1 Consciousness (citi) manifests itself

as the form of this universe. Though She is one, she assumes a plurality

of forms. External objective existence is felt only as an expression of

the Self or Divine Consciousness. (Singh 3) Since every form is an

expression of Citi, it must have purest Citi only as its essence, though it

may appear to be otherwise on the surface. The Self has no form that is

not the Self. (P39) Therefore, by knowing the essence or the ultimate

nature of any of these apparently external forms, we know

Consciousness. Since the knower is Consciousness also, it is

Consciousness knowing Consciousness. This is our preliminary

refutation of the opponents claim.

Here the objection is raised: what you say may be true, however,

individual consciousness cannot know itselfas itself, on the principle

that nothing can be both a subject and object, and by the reductio

argument given above. A good point, but one based on flawed

presuppositions. Firstly, individual consciousness as an independent

construct is illusory. Consciousness, the inner spirit that governsand

finally ones own individuality: all this is merely the conventional. Truly,

it does not exist ultimately. (P27) There is only one Divine

Consciousness, which is known through sam ve a or sam dhi. In this

case, it is not Consciousness seeing itself per se, but rather being

itself. The transcendental state of meditative absorption is the

1 Paramrthasra, verse 6 hereafter cited in the form P6 (translation by D.R. Brooks).


3/12

experience of being immersed in the ocean of Divine Consciousness, of

being that ocean. Thus, it is knowing in a sense different from that of

the knowing of objects of ordinary perception. The opponent has

presumed that the process of knowing necessitates a subject and an

object. In conventional reality, this may be true, but when the Self

knows itself, there is no paradox of it simultaneously being both subject

and object because in that state, there is no object. It is therefore a kind

of knowing qualitatively different from conventional knowing. The Self

simply becomes fully aware of its own being without any of the

tangential, confusing epiphenomenons of consciousness. By knowing

the nature, then, of true Self-knowledge, no confusion arises regarding

the opponents infinite regression hypothesis, which is demonstrably

false. The very fact that he would make such a mistake implies to us

that he has not in fact experienced the transcendental sam ve a state,

the state of pure being.

Claim the second: There is only one aspect to the divine:

brahman, the passive all-knowing witness. Though he claims to be an

advaitin with his declaration of a singular divine aspect, the opponent

actually postulates a kind of functional dualism. On the one hand, there

is the Self, the witness of all, which is the Real. On the other, there is

the material world, which he thinks unreal. The true advaita doctrine is

that both Self and world are real, because they are both expressions of


4/12

one Consciousness. Just as a watery juice becomes thick and thicker

still, lumpy sugar and refined sugar are all only sugarcane juice, so all

phenomena are merely different states of iva the Lord in his universal

aspect. (P26) How can the Lord be both real and unreal? It is

impossible for something to be simultaneously real and unreal. To

understand this problem, in the Trika Kaula school we speak of two

(equally real) aspects to the Supreme. iva is the great Lord, the Self in

all beings, the witness of which ankara speaks. akti is ivas

dynamic, creative aspect. It is She who has become all this. It is She

who pulsates as the very fabric of reality, vibrating in each particle of

existence. She sings in the wind, roars in the ocean, twists in the

tornado, and sighs through the flight of a butterfly. When this is the

case, it is clear that the world is far from unrealit is the very form of

the Lord! Furthermore, we would argue, the Lord is not passive, but

both passive and active. This alleged monist would have us believe that

the universe is One, and its substratum and true nature is the absolutely

quiescent brahman. How can this be, when this world is inherently

dynamically active and throbbing with life? The divine ambhu, in his

form as the supremely free akti , is constantly expanding (unme a ) and

contracting (nime a ). He reveals himself and then conceals himself

again and again in his blissful dance. The two aspects of the Divine

taken together are like a stream of oil, moving and yet still.


5/12

Do not all living things have two parents, whose combined

qualities produce a single offspring? Similarly, the Mother of existence

is the akti , the universal Divine Energy which expresses its stamina in

ever fresh creativity that is inspired by pure, absolute autonomy. (Singh

1) She is ever becoming, ever expanding, ever creative in her capacity

to express herself in a thousand different forms. The father of existence

is iva, who is perfect and complete in Himself, not lacking anything

whatsoever. (ibid.) We clearly see these two aspects of reality in

everyday life. We experience the stillness and pure awareness of iva

in meditation, and the pulsating dynamism of akti in the manifestations

of the world, such as music and dance. Thus we see that all things are

the Self manifest in two aspects, the Transcendent (Parama iva ) and the

Embodied Cosmos (kaulik - akti ). The opponents claim has been

refuted.

O fool! Do you think that the Supreme LordIs so limited that He cannot manifest in many different forms

As part of His divine play?He is so free that He can, out of Himself, create Another

And that divine other is the brilliantly blazing Citi aktiHis perfect consort the pulsating creative power of consciousness

Thus the highest brahman appears as two:The witness, the purnoham vimarsha, the peaceful iva

And the active power, the creative force, the dynamic aktiSupreme Mother of this universe

Claim the third: The world is sams ra; it keeps us from

experiencing the Self. The opponents school has argued that this world


6/12

is an illusion, and that it must be renounced utterly in order to attain the

Self. ankara and his followers believe that only knowledge, not action,

can bring salvation, and that the things of this world cause only the

bondage of attachment and aversion. Thus they leave their homes and

families, and go into the forests and the mountains to renounce.

Now, it is true that order and disorder, heaven and hell, birth and

death, happiness and suffering, societys classes, lifes stages, and the

likecome into being perforce by confusion. (P29) However, this does

not mean that they are unreal, nor that they cannot have more than one

effect. The opponent expresses a kind of fatalism in his belief that the

things of this world can lead only to bondage. Rather, we wish to argue

that the world is the source of both bondage and liberation. In fact, you

need the world to experience the Self. How can this be understood?

Quite simply. When one has a thorn in ones foot, does one deny its

existence or does one remove it with another thorn? Clearly the latter,

and yet the opponent seems to think if he renounces the thorn, it will

somehow vanish of its own accord. We see in everyday life that when

one trips and falls, the very same ground that caused one to fall is the

ground one uses to push oneself back up again. True mastery over the

poison of existence is obtained not by avoiding it or ignoring it, but by

assimilating it into ones being and nullifying it. For this reason, in

ancient times it was said the s dhus drank with Rudra from the poison

cup ( gveda 10.136) . The Lord brought forth as this universe both


7/12

Power ( akti ) and Obfuscation (m ya ). (P4) These are of course the

same thing seen from different angles. The sweetness of His Divine Play

is that in this very world of suffering are planted the hidden tools we can

use to reach Him. What are these tools? They include the secret and

powerful energies hidden in different substances (kaulik - akti ), in the

vibratory power of words (mat ka- akti ) and in the human body itself

(ku dalin - akti ). Furthermore, by observing the principles at work in

the natural world, we can deduce the means by which a goal is achieved

most effectively. Since this world is the creation of the Supreme Lord

and is not illusory, every principle of action and being in it relates also to

our own beings, which are a microcosm of the universe. Therefore we

have much to learn from the world of immediate relevance to s dhana.

This world is not sams ra in and of itself; only a bound,

conditioned, fearful, limited experience of the world is sams ra. When

the truth is perceived, the world is seen not as sams ra, but as source of

blissful enjoyment (bhukti). It is said in our scriptures, Lok nanda

sam dhi sukham the bliss of the world is the happiness of sam dhi.

Every experience of worldly happiness is not illusory or false, but rather

a limited version of the joy of sam dhi. When the aspirant realises that,

he is motivated to seek the ultimate liberation (mukti) of Self-realisation.

If sensual experiences are pleasurable, how much more pleasurable

must be the source of those experiences, of which they are but a


8/12

contracted form? This is an example of how worldly experience may be

used as a tool for liberation.

Finally, the opponent fails to realise that the world is the very form

of the experience of the Self. It is the stage on which the play of

s dhana is acted out, and on which the fruit of s dhana is enjoyed. This

is the key of understanding: to experience oneness, there must be

multiplicity. Otherwise, what has become one with what? It is the

experience of many different forms having one supreme Essence that is

the joy of Self-realisation. What would be the joy in experiencing

everything as the same? Where is the sweetness in that? The joy is in

the thoughts the divine akti has become all these diverse forms,

Look! there He has become a stone, and there He has become a dog

how amazing! What would be the joy or the revelation in the thought

iva has become iva? It is the very multiplicity of the world itself

which holds out the possibility of experiencing oneness. Therefore it has

been demonstrated that, far from keeping us from experiencing the Self,

the world is a means of liberation, as well as the context in which that

liberation is experienced.

For you, ankara, difference is the problem; we know that

difference itself is grace.

O friend ankara, do you not realiseThe truth is right there if you open your eyes

And see that plurality of objects is realWithout having your doctrine of oneness to steal


9/12

Claim the fourth: Only through knowledge (j nam tra) is

liberation attained. The opponents argument for this point has been

elaborated elsewhere.2 The refutation goes thus. Our tradition begins

with the authority of the Vedas, and those hoary texts clearly are almost

entirely about the efficacy of action. How can ankara declare himself

part of the orthodoxy and yet render the Veda meaningless? Our

ancestors in the Dvapara Yuga sacrificed and performed daily rituals,

fortnightly rituals, monthly rituals, and annual rituals in order to support

and uphold the cosmic order ( ta ) as well to align themselves with that

order. It was through performance of action that the forces of chaos

were held at bay, and salvation for the individual was rendered possible.

Now, in the Kali Yuga, new texts have been revealed by the Supreme

iva (the Tantr gama s) appropriate for the modern age. New mantras

have been shown to be efficacious. Though they are new, they continue

in the unbroken steam of tradition from time immemorial. Revelation

( ruti ) is not a one-time historical event, but an ongoing process. The

Lord is constantly revealing more of himself, and we Tantrikas receive

that fruit.

Knowledge is important, yes, but so is skill in action. Lord K s a

said this also in the G t . Through the power of ritual and the efficacy of

mantra, we seize the deadly cobra of worldliness, reveal its true nature

2 In the midterm paper for this class.


10/12

as a rope, then use it to bind attachments and other obstacles to our

will, whereas before we were beholden to them. We embrace the

danger with skill and knowledge, realise it as the other within, and gain

power over it through that very intimacy.

The Supreme Lord has five powers (pacamukha) that of

consciousness, bliss, will, knowledge, and activity. The opponent would

deny the last of these. But is it not an activity for the Lord to bring forth

the universe, maintain it, reabsorb it, conceal and reveal His own

presence in it? Certainly it is, and since we are the very form of the

Lord, we perform these five actions (pacak tya ) as well. We create our

world through our experience and perception of it, we maintain that

worldview as well as our self-image (the two are inextricably linked), and

we dissolve them when the light of true knowledge shows those

perceptions to be limited. We conceal, forgetting our own true nature,

and we reveal when we regain our original freedom. As a human is a

microcosm of the Divine, it could not be otherwise. While we agree that

action based in attachment or the other kle a s can only bind, ritual

performed properly and dedicated to the Supreme can only be effective.

Thus the opponents claim has been refuted.

It has clearly been shown that several of the opponents views are

untenable. In conclusion, we of the Trika Kaula school assert the

following truths: the transcendental nirgu a Supreme Consciousness

manifests, by the power of his akti, as the different forms of this world;


11/12

every self is an epiphenomenon of the Self, and therefore not illusory

and worthy of investigation; Consciousness knows itself; there are two

aspects to the Divine ( iva and akti), which explain the nature and

functioning of the cosmos; the world is a means to liberation; and

liberation is attainable through both action and knowledge.


12/12

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brooks, Douglas Renfrew. The Param rthas ra, or The Essence of Ultimate Reality. Translation. Unpublished manuscript.

Feuerstein, Georg (1998). The Yoga Tradition. Prescott, Arizona: HohmPress.

Mukt nanda, Swami. Nothing Exists Which Is Not iva. South Fallsburg,NY: SYDA Foundation, 1997.

Singh, Jaideva. A Trident of Wisdom; a translation of Par tr ik -vivarana. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1989.

vedānta vs. Śaiva tantra

Documents