A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1Dasgupta, Surendranath
Religion
A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1
Dasgupta, Surendranath
Hindu philosophy; India -- Religion
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[Footnote 1: See _Mâdhyamikav@rtti_ (B.T.S.), p. 160.]
145
nature (_prak@rti_), not from themselves (_svabhâvât_), nor from the Lord
(_îs'vara_), nor yet are they without cause; know that they arise from
ignorance (_avidyâ_) and desire (_t@r@s@nâ_).
51. Know that attachment to religious ceremonies (_s'îlabrataparâmars'a_),
wrong views (_mithyâd@r@s@ti_) and doubt (_vicikitsâ_) are the three
fetters.
53. Steadily instruct yourself (more and more) in the highest morality,
the highest wisdom and the highest thought, for the hundred and fifty one
rules (of the _prâtimok@sa_) are combined perfectly in these three.
58. Because thus (as demonstrated) all this is unstable (_anitya_) without
substance (_anâtma_) without help (_as'ara@na_) without protector
(_anâtha_) and without abode (_asthâna_) thou O Lord of men must become
discontented with this worthless (_asâra_) kadali-tree of the orb.
104. If a fire were to seize your head or your dress you would extinguish
and subdue it, even then endeavour to annihilate desire, for there is no
other higher necessity than this.
105. By morality, knowledge and contemplation, attain the spotless dignity
of the quieting and the subduing nirvâ@na not subject to age, death or
decay, devoid of earth, water, fire, wind, sun and moon.
107. Where there is no wisdom (_prajñâ_) there is also no contemplation
(_dhyana_), where there is no contemplation there is also no wisdom; but
know that for him who possesses these two the sea of existence is like a
grove.
Uncompromising Idealism or the School
of Vijñânavâda Buddhism.
The school of Buddhist philosophy known as the Vijñânavâda
or Yogâcâra has often been referred to by such prominent teachers
of Hindu thought as Kumârila and S'a@nkara. It agrees to a great
extent with the S'ûnyavâdins whom we have already described.
All the dharmas (qualities and substances) are but imaginary
constructions of ignorant minds. There is no movement in the
so-called external world as we suppose, for it does not exist. We
construct it ourselves and then are ourselves deluded that it exists
by itself (_nirmmitapratimohi_) [Footnote ref 1]. There are two functions
involved in our consciousness, viz. that which holds the perceptions
(_khyâti vijñâna_), and that which orders them by imaginary constructions
(_vastuprativikalpavijñâna_). The two functions however mutually
determine each other and cannot be separately distinguished
(_abhinnalak@sa@ne anyonyahetuke_). These functions are set to work
on account of the beginningless instinctive tendencies inherent
in them in relation to the world of appearance
(_anâdikâla-prapañca-vâsanahetukañca_) [Footnote ref 2].
All sense knowledge can be stopped only when the diverse
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[Footnote 1: _Lankâvatârasûtra_, pp. 21-22.]
[Footnote 2 _Ibid._ p. 44.]
146
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