Aristotle's Logic of Duality vs. 'sarvam Khalu idam brahma'

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Dear Members,

Learned members may note the critical points.

 

Here is the abstarct of "Aristotle's Logic of Duality vs. 'sarvam

Khalu idam brahma'", which was discussed @ WAVES conference, U Mass,

dartmouth, MA.

 

 

 

Aristotle's Logic of Duality vs. 'sarvam Khalu idam brahma'

 

The notion (or reality) of Brahman or Paramatman of the Astika

traditions is fundamentally different from that of God in western

traditions of the last 2,300 years. Likewise, definitions,

perceptions and practices of religions fundamentally differ in the

East from those in the West. It is proposed that this East vs. West

dichotomy resulted from Aristotle's logic of duality that separated

body and spirit indelibly in the West.

 

Aristotle kept our common God outside the universe, ushering in

several centuries of man-to-man conflicts, exploitations, slaveries,

wholesale murders, and tyranny. Gifted minds thus had to craft

uniformity through religions or statecraft to bring in peace in the

societies. Thus the Abrahamic religions and all schemes of statecraft

of West based on Aristotle's logic of duality are fundamentally at

variance with cherishing and preserving outer diversities, yet are

steady "improvements" over the Aristotelian thought.

 

For the Veda-s, this duality is a sure absurdity even in the tiniest

of an atom in the universe: "aNOraNIyAn mahatO mahIyAnAtmA guhAyAm

nihitO-sya jantOH" - It (spirit or Divinity) secretly exists in

everything manifest, in more tinier than the tiniest atom as well as

in more expansive than the most expansive. "yatO vAchO nivartantE,

aprApya manasA saha" - words do not reach There; It is beyond the

reach of the mind as well. And that "It" exists fully right here,

verily in us and in everything: "sarvan Khalu idam brahma". For some

religions, such as Christianity and Islam, all this is blasphemy, and

herein lies problem of interfaith dialogue.

 

In many respects, this dichotomy is similar to the intellectual

schism that surfaced in post-Buddha India between Bauddha-s and

Vaidika-s. The Great Buddha saw everything including Atman as

impermanence and advised detachment as a solution to human misery;

the Vaidika-s, notably Kumarila Bhatta and Shankara, saw an ever

existing, omnipresent/omniscient, and immutable Atman in everything

as the very and only real Happiness.

 

Veda-s declare that the Indivisible, One, immutable, and primal cause

exists wholely in every material entity. This thought, its practices,

and variations in one form or other have spread their influence

throughout East during later day Buddhism and Hinduism. Thus seeking

personal and societal happiness by "seeing" That One Divinity

everywhere has become the signature of most religious practices in

the East. This logic of Unity embedded in the eastern psyche is the

basis for social harmony and cherishing and preserving all physical

diversities. Whenever ignorance and divisions set in, saintly

thinkers and prophets reset the social discourse towards acceptance

of all paths on the singular basis that the One Indivisible Divinity

exists in each and all.

 

"Not detachment, but acceptance of all as the manifestations of That

omnipresent One God is the way to Happiness" was India's solution to

Bauddha-Vaidika schism. "Not tolerance, but acceptance of all faiths

as valid paths each inspired by the very inner singular Divinity" has

to be the basis for a harmonious solution to our current religious

and political conflicts. There may not be any other real basis.