moksa 0 Report post Posted November 7, 2003 I am just going to leave this as an open question for discussion. How is the question of 'Do we see things as they are?' answered in the different traditions of Indian thought? moksa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted November 7, 2003 We see things through the filter of our own desires. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anadi 0 Report post Posted November 7, 2003 VrajanAtha: In the first Sloka of DaSa-mUla, the Vedas are accepted as the sole evidence (pramANa); whereas the other pramANas, such as pratyakSa (direct perception), are accepted as evidence only when they follow the Vedas. However, philosophies such as nyAya and sANkhya have accepted further types of evidence. Well-versed readers of the PurANas have accepted eight types of pramANa: pratyakSa (direct perception), anumAna (inference based on generalized experience), upamAna (analogy), Sabda (revealed knowledge), aitihya (traditional instruction), arthApatti (inference from circumstances), sambhava (speculation), and anupalabdhi (understanding something by its non-perception). Why are there so many opinions regarding pramANa? And if direct perception and inference based on experience are not counted among the perfect pramANas, how is it possible to get real understanding? Kindly enlighten me. BAbAjI: PratyakSa and other types of evidence depend on the senses, but since the senses of the conditioned jIva are always subject to bhrama (illusion), pramAda (error), vipralipsA (cheating), and karaANpATava (imperfection of the senses), how can the knowledge acquired through the senses be factual and faultless? The fully independent possessor of all potencies, Sri Bhagavän Himself, personally manifested as perfect Vedic knowledge within the pure hearts of great mahaRSis and saintly AcAryas who were situated in full samAdhi. Therefore, the Vedas, which are the embodiment of svataH-siddha-jnana (self-manifest, pure knowledge) are always faultless and fully dependable as evidence. Source Jaiva Dharma, Chapter PramAna and the commencement of prameya Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gaurasundara 0 Report post Posted November 8, 2003 Are you thinking along the lines of the 'Matrix' movies? /images/graemlins/smile.gif Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
