[INDOLOGY] Sunya

[Satyanad Kichenassamy]

On Mon, 25 Jul 2022 05:26:45 -0700
Howard Resnick <hr at ivs.edu> wrote:

> Might one say that sunyata may arise where sunya is well understood?

The question raised by Harsha Dehejia is complicated for several reasons. First, there are different concepts of zero, leading to different mathematical and philosophical problems. In particular, if zero is a number that may be subject to subtraction, then it is necessary to introduce negative numbers (minus five as zero minus five for instance). Now this step was first taken by Brahmagupta in his Braahmasphu.tasiddhaanta (chap. 18), which happens to be roughly the time of the first attestations of the lingodbhava theme, in which we find a two-sided infinite (see my paper in the volume on "Mythes d'origine", as well as my communication at the French Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in 2018 -- full references are on my web page). Thus, there are several philosophical ideas involved here, not just the idea of vacuity, but also those of: infinity, absence of origin, infinite universe.

In addition, there are several words for the same mathematical notion of zero. Thus, the word kha and synonyms, referring to an empty place, are equally important. 

About Hellenistic mathematics, it is true that zero is not considered, but even the monad ("one") is not a number: the smallest number is supposed to be two. There have also been at a realtively late date, what may be called negative reactions to negative numbers.

I hope this helps,

Best regards,

           Satyanad Kichenassamy


> 
> > On Jul 25, 2022, at 4:08 AM, Harsha Dehejia via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
> > 
> > Friends:
> > 
> > Thank you for the many useful responses.
> > 
> > While it is clear that no definite scientific evidence is forthcoming to suggest that the mathematical concept of sunya arose from the Mahayana concept of sunyata, it is difficult to dismiss that the similarity of the two words is accidental. 
> > 
> > Sunya can only rise in an ethos where the concept of sunyata is well understood.
> > 
> > Kind regards,
> > 
> > Harsha
> > Prof. Harsha V. Dehejia
> > 
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-- 
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Satyanad KICHENASSAMY
Professor of Mathematics
Laboratoire de Mathématiques de Reims  (CNRS, UMR9008)
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne
F-51687 Reims Cedex 2
France
Web: https://www.normalesup.org/~kichenassamy
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