Transcription
Wk 01Wed, Jan6Wk 01Wed, Jan6By FridayIntroduce yourself to the class in thediscussion thread on Canvas. Sign up for a 5-min slot to get acquaintedbetween W-F. Have your feedback at hand F duringsection to raise your unansweredquestions, discussion points. 1
Next Class, Mon Papers for Monday:– Potter 2001, Parametric typology of Karma– Bhattacharji 1982, on Fatalism– Ghosh Dastidar 1987, on Freedom / Autonomy– Reincarnation Aklujkar 2001 Optional: Perrett 1987, inductive proof of rebirthNext Wed Karma, Rebirth, and the Problem of Evil– Kaufman (2005)– Chadha & Trakakis (2007) Kaufman (2007)– Sharma (2008)2
TodayEastman on academic philosophy, ultimatepurpose Perrett on Indian Philosophy Potter on Karma – 1964: Naturalistic Principle of Karma– 1980: Details for Yoga & Advaita theories Lippner’s overview of karman ( karma)Eastman on(Western?) Philosophy3
Philosophy vs. Metaphysics Understanding the human predicament– Why do I exist?– What has meaning? Question of ultimate human fulfilment– What’s my purpose? Philosophy ought to be a tool to answerthis question– Critical thinkingEastman on Metaphysics “As human beings, we have a physicalcapacity, a psychological capacity, anintellectual capacity; and a metaphysicalcapacity which transcends the othercapacities in its ability to witness, reflectand explore every aspect of these othercapacities without itself being incorporatedinto them (5).”4
Similar Sentiments?“Science is organized common sense. Philosophy is organized piffle.”-- Bertrand Russell, philosopher and mathematician.“That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the endthey were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears,his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocationsof atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling,can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labours ofthe ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noondaybrightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vastdeath of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man’sachievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universein ruins--all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearlycertain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Onlywithin the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation ofunyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.-- Bertrand Russell, The Free Man's Worship, 1903PerrettIs Indian Philosophy comparable toWestern? What is “Philosophy”? – Descriptive v. Evaluative– Necessary Conditions: Secularity Argumentation Historicist Lexical Equivalence 5
Perrett, cont’d Western perception– Magisterial– Exoticist– Curatorial– Interlocutory questioning, critical, crosscultural Periodization– Our focus: Ancient Period (900 BCE-200 CE) early Classical (200-400 CE)Eastern “Philosophy” IsDifferent Primary purpose is: Freedom from bondage / karma Liberation6
Diff. from Western Philosophy West: “pure theory”– knowledge for its own sake– excludes religious practice, theology, dogma, tradition– critical thinking East: soteriological orientation––––focus on liberation, mokṣaadvocates transcendence of everyday worldcritical of mere theory“apologetics” for acceptance of Vedas, traditionIs this a valid distinction?Critique of reason/argumentation Use of reason to scorn orthodox Vedictradition– by heterodox opponents (Buddhists, Jains,materialists)Logician heretic! Analytic reasoning alone cannot providetruth of ātman. – logic useful in refuting opposing views7
Potter (1964)Naturalistic Principle of KarmaLaw v. Principle (39-40) Naturalism belief that only natural (asopposed to supernatural or spiritual) lawsand forces operate in the world. (OED) “paradox of human freedom (44)” – Freedom overcoming “habit” saṃskāra, vāsanā, bhāvanā Freedom from suffering (49)– habituation1 v. habituation2 (46)Potter (1965), cont’d“we will have renounced choice becausewe will have renounced all desires arisingfrom the not-self (47)” Corollaries to karmic principle: – Doctrine of reincaranation– Principle of beginninglessness8
Setup for Potter (1980)Yoga Advaita Vedānta Terms – Brahman– Dharma– Caste, varṇa x Life stage, āśrama– Vāmadeva mythYoga Every action 1. karma-āśaya, karmic residue1.2.dharma meritorious, puṇyaadharma unmeritorious, pāpa2. saṃskāra-s, dispositional tendencies [can be part of 1 above]– vāsanā-s, traces, which when activated produce1. kleśa-s, afflictions2. smṛti, recollection / memory At death, the karmāśaya determines1. jāti, birth genus for new body2. āyus, length of new life3. bhoga, affective tone of experiences in this new life9
Yoga Aṣṭāṅga yoga – Eight-limbed yoga– Weakens the karmic residue that causes rebirth1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8. restraint, yamaobservance, niyamaposture, āsanabreath control, prāṇāyāmasense-withdrawal, pratyāhāraconcentration, dhāraṇāmeditative absorption, dhyānaenstasy, samādhi5 kleśa-s, (causes of) affliction1.2.3.4.5.ignorance, avidyāegoism, asmitāattachment, rāgaaversion, dveṣathe will to live, ābhiniveśaKarma Theory in YogaFriday section10
Next: Setup for Advaita Vedānta 2ndkarma theory in Potter 1980, p. 249 ff.Brahman vs. Brahmā Bráhman – SacredUtterance– Brahman – ultimatereality, ground of allbeing Brahmā – creatorgod, post-Vedic. brāhmaṇa brahmin– member of highestHindu caste texts explaining Vedicritual, the Bṛāhmaṇas11
Scale of time The world passes through fourperiods, yugas of decliningvirtue: Krita-yuga1,728,000 yrsTreta-yuga1,296,000 yrsDvāpara-yuga 864,000 yrsKali-yuga432,000 yrsEntire cycle is a mahāyuga,4,320,000 years.At the end of a mahāyuga, a“minor” dissolution of world,followed by a mahāyuga ofrest and return to cosmic nondifferentiation.Approx. 1½ “Brahmā-minutes”A kalpa or 1000 mahāyugas,4,320,000,000 yearscomprises one day forBrahmā!Scale of time, cont’d At the end of each kalpa,4.32 billion years, there isa “major” dissolutionwhich lasts for a kalpa, anight for BrahmāA year of Brahmā is 360days and nights ofBrahmā.After 120 Brahmā-yearseverything, includingBrahmā dissolves. (120 x360 x 2 x 4.32 billionyears 373.248 trillionyears!)– Currently in 51st Brahmāyear12
SaṃsāraWe are in an infinite cycle of birth-agingdeath-rebirth, metempsychosis Purānic cosmology: 7 heavens, 21 or 28hells These are merely stops on the endlessjourney – reap the results of our actions Nature of birth determined by karma The Four Castes, varṇa-s“Twice-born”1. Brahmin–2.Kṣatriya–3.rulers, warriors, landownersVaiśya–4.Vedic priests, scholarstraders, merchants, farmersŚūdra–laborers, indigenousBG 4.13, cf. RV 10.90.1213
Four Stages, āśrama-s of life1.2.3.4. brahmacārī, studentgṛhasta, householdervānaprasthī, forest-dwellersannyāsī, renunciatevarṇa & āśrama determine one’s dharma– specific, viśeṣa-dharma– common to all, sāmānya-dharmaThe remainder to be reviewed Monday, Wk 02.Dharma1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.MeritDuty (Miller)LawVirtueMoralitySocial orderRightNature, property/characteristicYudhiṣṭhira!14
Human Pursuits, puruṣārtha-s1.2.3.4.DharmaArtha, material wealthKāma, sensory pleasuresMokṣa, liberationAlt. ranking: kāma, artha, dharma, mokṣaAdvaita Vedānta Non-duality– God, self, creation are identicalBrahman ātman / ātmā Three levels of reality – Absolute– Empirical– Dream Leading proponent: Śaṅkara, 8th cent. CE– Sureśvara, immediate disciple– ? Maṇḍana Miśra, contemporary15
Advaita Vedānta Triple Canon, prasthāna-trayī1. Upaniṣads2. Brahmasūtras3. Bhagavad Gītā Types of karma, [ritual] actsA. Prescribed, vidhi1.2.3.4.regular rites, nitya-karmanspecial occasion rites, naimittika-karmanrites to attain specific desires, kāmya-karmanrites for atonement, prāyaścitta-karmanB. Forbidden, niṣedhaAdvaita Vedānta 3 types of stores of karma1. prārabdha-karma, active in present life2. sañcita-karma, inactive, accumulated overpast lives3. āgāmī-karma, to be effective in the future kriyamāṇa-karman, in the making (Lipner 2012) 3 paths after death(Potter 1980, 251-2)1. uttarāyaṇa, devāyana, Northern path2. dakṣināyana, pitrāyaṇa, Southern path3. saṃyamana, world of Yama, lord of death16
Liberation in Advaita Vedānta Achieved through knowledge of identity– Brahman ātmā Neutralizes sañcita-karma, āgāmī-karma– Subsequent new karma doesn’t accumulate– Non-attachment Only prārabdha-karma remains and mustbe worked out– Already launched arrowKarma Theory in AdvaitaFriday in section17
Vāmadeva(Potter 1980, 255-6)Vedic sage (ṛṣi), considered author of the fourthmaṇḍala of the RV, and of the AitareyaUpaniṣad. Claimed knowledge of births of all the gods,while in his mother’s womb – As a result, became immortal, AiU 2 (4).5-6. Vāmadeva also mentioned in BU 1.4.10 asknowing himself as Brahman:– tadhaitat paśyann ṛṣir vāmadevaḥ pratipede’haṃmanur abhavaṃ sūryaś ceti.– On seeing [that one who realizes oneself as Brahmanbecomes the All], the sage Vāmadeva affirmed, ‘I wasManu, and also the sun.’Tension betweenTransactional & PhilosophicalTraditions pravṛtti, engaging in action– Transactional nivṛtti, withdrawal from action– Philosophical Karma reconciliation?18
3 types of stores of karma 1. prārabdha-karma, active in present life 2. sañcita-karma, inactive, accumulated over past lives 3. āgāmī-karma, to be effective in the future kriyamāṇa-karman, in the
