Śaiva Advaita Before Appayya Dīkṣita (2015)

Tattva Journal of Philosophy, 2021

In a world of fragmented approach and the loss of a holistic vision, an integrated view is called for to save the human community and at large the universe from many perils. One such integrated outlook germinates in Raimon Panikkar’s understanding of the most cherished Indian philosophical concept of advaita. The altogether different outlook he passes into the understanding of advaita – which is the main elaboration in this paper – takes the lead to various ramifications to see the reality in diversified manner and still with an undifferentiated unity. He highlights that the entities should be seen in their polarities and not in-themselves. This perspective leaps into the felt need for a cross-cultural journey which is an indispensable one at the current scenario of a pluralistic phenomenon and the availability of many options. Still, elaborating on the cross-cultural odyssey is not the objective here and therefore such an exposition does not have space here. The emphasis lies...

An unpublished single grantha manuscript critically edited with notes and translation. It is a post-initiatory (dīkṣā) Śaiva manual containing 81 verses.

This paper argues that advaita principles can be applied to every day life with profit

Transliterations ix avagraha: ' daíÛa: | and || A revealer of treasures, a person that is acknowledged to have brought to light texts and other objects that supposedly have been concealed for some time. This tradition of treasure (gter ma) and treasure finder (gter ston) is first and foremost met with in rÑi¬ ma Buddhist and rDzogs chen-circles. A presentation of traditional views about this phenomenon can be found in Tulku Thondup Rinpoche (1986), pp.13f. and pp.57ff. and in Dargyay (1969) and (1977a), pp.85ff.. 8 For an attempt at dating the oldest kernel of the Bar do'i thos grol-cycles I should like to refer to Back (1987), pp.16ff.. 9 See Back (1987), pp.5ff., esp. p.10. 10 For further details on these and other Tibetan collections mentioned in this study the reader is referred to the appropriate database print-outs concerning the discussed text or group of texts in Appendix I, to enable quick reference, the appendix is preceded by a table of contents. 11 Published in Delhi 1967, see Appendix I, the text is coded there as 29.32, Zogai 614, (T.124) 12 See Karmay (1977), pp.32-36, esp. pp.34 & 36 13 This compilation is said to be reproduced from a manuscript-collection from the library of the late dPal tshul by Sonam Dakpa and is published in two volumes, Delhi 1975, it is also available in the IASWR-microfiche-edition, SB 774.II.8. 14 See e.g. Per Kvaerne (1972), pp.22ff.. ÌyupamÌíaì ariyamaggaì sañjaneti upariùùhimÌnaì saññojanÌnaì pahÌnÌya: ayaì vuccati puggalo antarÌ-parinibbÌyÎ. Idh'ekacco puggalo pañcannaì orambhÌgiyÌnaì saññojanÌnaì parikkhayÌ opapÌtiko hoti, tattha parinibbÌyÎ anÌvattidhammo tasmÌ lokÌ: so atikkamitvÌ vemajjhaì ÌyupamÌíaì upahacca vÌ kÌlakiriyaì 2 ariyamaggaì sañjaneti upariùùhimÌnaì saññojanÌnaì pahÌnÌya: ayaì vuccati puggalo upahacca-parinibbÌyÎ. Idh'ekacco puggalo pañcannaì orambhÌgiyÌnaì saññojanÌnaì parikkhayÌ opapÌtiko hoti, tattha parinibbÌyÎ anÌvattidhammo tasmÌ lokÌ: so asa¬khÌreía ariyamaggaì sañjaneti upariùùhimÌnaì saññojanÌnaì pahÌnÌya: ayaì vuccati puggalo asa¬khÌra-parinibbÌyÎ. Idh'ekacco puggalo pañcannaì orambhÌgiyÌnaì saññojanÌnaì parikkhayÌ opapÌtiko hoti, tattha parinibbÌyÎ anÌvattidhammo tasmÌ lokÌ: so sasa¬khÌreía ariyamaggaì sañjaneti upariùùhimÌnaì saññojanÌnaì pahÌnÌya: ayaì vuccati puggalo sasa¬khÌra-parinibbÌyÎ. Idh'ekacco puggalo pañcannaì orambhÌgiyÌnaì saññojanÌnaì parikkhayÌ opapÌtiko hoti, tattha parinibbÌyÎ anÌvattidhammo tasmÌ lokÌ: so avihÌ cuto atappaì gacchati, atappÌ cuto sudassaì gacchati, sudassÌ cuto sudassiì gacchati, sudassiyÌ 3 cuto akaniùùhaì gacchati, akaniùùhe ariyamaggaì sañjaneti upariùùhimÌnaì saññojanÌnaì pahÌnÌya: ayaì vuccati puggalo uddhaìsoto akaniùùhagÌmÎ. 1 Budsir IV, uppannaì. Note NPp, SÎ-, SyÌ-, uppannaì. 2 Note NPp, SÎ-, kÌll(?)akiriyaì. 3 Note NPp, SÎ-, sudassÌ. Cf. AN II, p.134, esp. p.710,; abhidhamma by Buddhaghosa fifth century AD: 4. Tattha antarÌ parinibbÌyÎ ti yattha katthaci SuddhÌvÌsabhave upapajjitvÌ Ìyuvemajjhaì appatvÌ va parinibbÌyati. Upahacca parinibbÌyÎ ti Ìyuvemajjhaì atikkamitvÌ parinibbÌyati. AsankhÌra-parinibbÌyÎ ti asankhÌrena appayogena uparimaggaì nibbatteti. SasankhÌraparinibbÌyÎ ti sa-sankhÌrena sappayogena uparimaggaì nibbatteti. Uddhaìsoto, AkaniùùhagÌmÎ ti yatthuppanno, tato uddhaì yÌva AkaniùùhabhavÌ Ìruyha tattha parinibbÌyati. 43 For instance in the KathÌvatthu see Kv II, p.366, ll.7-24 (vss.12-13, discussed below), where this viewpoint is associated with PubbaselÎya-s and SaìmitÎya-s. See also the UdÌna-commentary Param-atthadÎpanÎ UdÌnaùùhakathÌ (Ud-a p.92, l.20 -p.93, l.17), commentary by DhammapÌla on UdÌnaanthology ("verses of uplift"), the UdÌna-passage that is being commented upon hardly allows the discussion that "some people" are said to have generated on its behalf). Both an antarÌbhava and an antarÌparinibbÌyin pertaining to it are denied, the speculations concerning it are denounced as being based on misinterpretations of scriptural evidence (cf. the short commentary on the same passage in the SÌratthappakÌsinÎ (commentary by Buddhaghosa on S): Spk II, p.372, l.2) also denying an antarÌbhava on the same grounds). 44 AbhKBh III, p.411, ll.5-11 = Pradhan (1975), p.122, ll.2-7. (Vallée Poussin III (1926), p.38), the relevant part is cited and translated below. (Cf. AS p.90, ll.9-14 (trsl., Rahula, W. (1971), p.155): antarÌparinirvÌyÎ katamaâ | 1 upapattisaìyojane prahÎíe abhinivîttisaìyojane aprahÎíe [T.118a] antarÌbhavam abhinirvartt(?)ayann eva yo 2 mÌrgaì saìmukhÎkîtya duâkhasyÌntam anuprÌpnoti abhinivîtto vÌ antarÌbhave upapattibhavagamanÌya 3 cetayann eva yo mÌrgaì saìmukhÎkîtya 81 References marked with an "*" appear in the SphÙùÌrthÌvyÌkhyÌ by Yaºomitra only; the number between brackets refers to the page-number in the translation by Vallée Poussin (1923-31),

This study is an analytic survey of the surviving religious literature of the Śaivas of India, predominantly prescriptive and predominantly in Sanskrit but also in regional languages, from the early centuries of the common era onwards, including the Śākta developments, with the primary aim of providing scholars with a chronologically ordered map of the main divisions of this literature, their interlocking religious contexts, and the regions in which the texts were composed where evidence is available. The survey takes in not only published works but also many texts at present accessible only in manuscripts, whose study during the last four decades by myself and others in tandem with the study of inscriptions and other non-prescriptive records is radically altering our understanding of the development, character, reach, and weight of the traditions that produced these texts. The survey is comprehensive to the extent that it covers all the major branches of the religion of which I have become aware during this period; but in the case of some of these branches, especially those that developed or continued to develop from the twelfth century down to the recent past, it has been feasible to mention only the major among the works that have reached us and, among minor and ancillary texts, such as anonymous ritual handbooks and devotional hymns, only some examples.

Emotions in Indian Thought-Systems (edited by Purushottama Bilimoria and Aleksander Wenta), 2015

Journal of Yoga Studies, and the Traditional Physical Practices of South Asia, 2023

Abstract: The tradition of Turco-Persian wrestling, including its programme of physical education based at dedicated gyms known as zurkhāneh (literally “houses of strength”), contains elements that would appear to merge Turkish, Iranian, Central-Asian, and Indian influences within a mystical (Sufi) Islamic framework potentially affected to a certain degree by Buddhism. The chapter discusses the relations and interaction between the Turco-Persian athletic tradition and the one existing in India on the basis of a parallel reading of four key textual sources, two from each tradition. On the Indian side we will draw on the analysis of the Mallapurāṇa and of the Mānasollāsa, while the Persian documents that inform our discussion are the Tumār-e afsāneh-ye Puryā-ye Vali and the Gol-e koshti of Mir-Nejāt Qomi known as Esfahāni. The chapter will first survey the evolution of the tradition of Turco-Persian wrestling from the middle of the 13th through to the end of the 16th century, and then make a comparative analysis of the connections between Turco-Persian wrestling and the Indian tradition of the jyeṣṭhī-mallas of Gujarat. Based on these observations it will then proceed to ask how one might explain the commonalities between the two traditions. Attention will be brought to the consideration that certain physical practices gain recognition thanks to being performed at royal courts, and, in India, also at temples, due to the intellectualisation, and hence legitimisation, of these borrowed practices by learned representatives of the dominant schools of thought present at the seats of political and/or spiritual power.

Tibetan Buddhists’ Samsara Informative Paper