Buddhist and Brahmanical truths

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

"L.S.Cousins" <selwyn at NTLWORLD.COM> wrote:

>1. I would have no doubt that Gau.dapaada shows strong influence from
>Madhyamaka sources.
>
>2. That does not mean that what he says is identical to what they are
>saying.

The issue of Gaudapada and Madhyamaka has been debated so
often and in such detail that I kept mostly out of it here.
Numerous authors have commented upon the almost pada-by-pada
similarity of gauDapAdIya kArikAs with the mUlamadhyamaka
kArikAs. Given all the similarity, I think one should focus
a little on where the padas differ. Those are the places
where the different direction taken by the Advaitin comes
out well.

My point is simply that those who maintain that upanishads
contain no idea of two-truths are quite mistaken. or already
committed to some non-Advaita school of Vedanta. Beyond that,
I agree with your comments about mutual debate and influence
among Buddhist, Jain and Brahminical schools, and about the
common historical background of Buddhism and early upanishads.
After all the mutual influence, the schools have distinct
things to say, and it is not as if mahAyAna is crypto-Vedanta
or as if advaita vedAnta is crypto-Buddhism. I am amazed at
the number of people for whom this doesn't seem to be clear!

>>So also with respect to the sAMkhya-yoga elements in the
>>Mahabharata, which are derived from the early upanishads.]
>>
>Well, that is more debatable. I think there is strong Buddhist influence
>there.

May well be. Except for the Gita, I haven't read the MBh
texts in any detail, and I would not deny a possible Buddhist
strand in them a priori.

Best wishes and season's greetings to all,
Vidyasankar
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