Dreams and Reality: The Sankarite Critique of Vijnanavada

Images of Śaṃkara: Understanding the other

“…He holds that the exegetical context of Advaita is so far removed from the interests of the modern Western student that it has to be disregarded if Advaita's philosophical arguments are to be appreciated (Deutsch 1969: 5-6). Is Other writers also stress that Indian philosophical arguments need to be considered in and of themselves, regardless of the context in which they arose (see, for example, Mohanty 1992Mohanty , 1993Ram-Prasad 1993).…”

“…His key arguments seem equally directed against S~rv~tivada and Vijfianavada. Ram-Prasad (1993) though argues that S .amkara's discussion of idealism does engage with the kinds of arguments found in Vasubandhu (fourth century CE).…”

A Questioning Approach: Learning from Shankara's Pedagogic Techniques

“…It is not my intention here to adjudicate on whether Shankara's arguments for 'the general conditions' needed 'for a systematic cognitive order' are more plausible than the Vijnanavada Buddhists' (for a rigorous discussion, see Ram-Prasad, 1993). What I have said so far should be sufficient to support my point that reasoned argument in a public arena, not simply the production of straw men, is important to Shankara and for his pupils -and this is borne out in the application of such arguments between teacher and pupil in his Thousand Teachings.…”