Nearly two years ago I picked up a book titled Seven Systems of Indian Philosophy by
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute and disciple
of Swami Rama. Till then I had always associated Vedanta with Indian philosophy
and was pleasantly surprised to know that in
(Courtesy and Copyright Himalayan Publishers)
http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/Six-Systems-of-Indian-Philosophy-1.aspx
Sanjeev Nayyar
The Sanskrit word for philosophy is darśana, which means direct vision. The
words symbolize the difference between modern Western philosophy, which mainly
relies on intellectual pursuit and Indian philosophy that relies on direct
vision of truths and pure Buddhi (reasoning). Darśana is divided into two categories namely, Astika (believer in
the Vedas) and Nastika (non-believer in the Vedas). Astika are Nyaya,
Vaisheshik, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta. Nastika are Charvaka, Jainism
and Buddhism. Others are a mixture of the ideas of these systems.
Although each school of philosophy is unique, all of
them have certain common characteristics. These are direct experience,
acceptance of authority, harmony amongst schools, parallel growth and coexistence
of a number of schools, open mindedness, support of logic and reasoning, belief
of eternity, law of karma, moral and ethical teachings, acknowledgement of
suffering, thoroughness and practicality.
Friends after I finished this piece, asked myself a
simple question: why is it that Indians of those times were so creative? I mean,
nine schools of philosophy followed by many gurus thereafter. Each guru
analyzed scriptures in a unique way, in a manner that there was something new
to learn.
Let me attempt an answer. One of the ways to foster
creativity is open mindedness and sharing. We were always open to new ideas and
thoughts, believed there was always a better way of thinking—doing things. When
we believe that direct experience is the key to realization, we do not accept
anything till we have understood it. In such cases we are compelled to use our
intellect. The emphasis then was on gaining knowledge to remove ignorance and
sharing thereafter. Exams were more in the nature of question and answer sessions,
not for getting a job. There was extensive interaction between the guru and
pupil as well as amongst pupils. All this promoted creativity and helped human
thought blossom.
My first boss Dicky S said “the day you believe you
know all is when your career graph starts moving southwards. Life is a
continuing learning process.” Sounds like a modern management mantra. It is
something the Vedic Rishis imbibed and practised thousands of years ago.
Today we have classrooms packed with anywhere between
35 to 50 children. It is a one-way street where the teacher comes and vomits
out what she has to say for the day. Interaction, cross-questioning is rare.
Children are encouraged to follow the beaten track—agree to what is being
taught—not encouraged to think, let their imaginations run wild—no rebels
wanted is the motto. Teaching is standardized something like mass production.
The object of studying is doing well in the exams, acquisition of material
objects, period. To some this style might inculcate a sense of discipline
but for others it amounts to stifling creativity.
If
Before we get into an in-depth reading of each system
here is a brief introduction.
Nyaya
The
Vaisesika
Kannada is the founder of this School, which is
associated with the Nyaya system. This school discusses seven major topics:
substance, quality, action, generality, uniqueness, inherence and
non-existence. This school is called Vaisesika because it considers,
uniqueness, as an aspect of reality and studies it as a separate category.
Under the topic of substance, it deals with the physics and chemistry of the
body and the universe. The theory of atomic structure was established by this
school. Its practical teaching emphasizes dharma, the code of conduct that
leads man to worldly welfare and to the highest goal of life.
Samkhya
Kapila is traditionally cites as the founder of this
school, although his Samkhya Sutras have been lost. The Samkhyakārika of
Isvarakrishna, the oldest text on this philosophy, cites the name of Kapila,
Asuri and Pancasikha as previous teachers of this school. It is considered to be
the oldest of the philosophical systems.
Samkhya is a dualistic philosophy that believes in the
coexistent and interdependent realities, conscious Purusha and unconscious
Prakrti. Purusha is ever pure, wise and free but it becomes a subject of pain
and pleasure when it identifies itself with Prakrti. Prakrti is the material
cause of the universe and is composed of three guņas—sattva, rajas and tamas
that correspond to light, activity and inertia, respectively. The state in
which the guņas are in equilibrium is called Prakriti but when disturbed the
state is called Vikriti. Disturbance of the equilibrium of Prakriti produces
the material world, including the mind, which is supposed to be the finest form
of material energy.
Samkhya philosophy explains the dynamics of the body
and nature of mind. It is the mother of mathematics as well as Ayurveda, and is
indeed the very basis of Eastern philosophy.
Yoga
Yoga and Samkhya are allied systems. Although Yoga
philosophy was known even in the Vedic and pre-Vedic periods, it was not
formally systematized until it was codified by Patanjali in about 200 BC. The Yoga Sutras contain 196 aphorisms, which
are divided into four sections. Yoga studies all aspects of human personality
and teaches one how to control the modifications of the mind through practice
of meditation and detachment and surrender to higher consciousness. It prescribes
a holistic system of practice beginning with the yamas and niyamas
(ethical and behavioral codes) and proceeding through the āsanas (physical postures), prāņāyama
(breathing exercises), pratyāhāra
(control of senses), dhāraņā
(concentration), dhyāna (meditation)
and culminating in samādhi. In this
system the individual self is the seeker and pure consciousness is the ultimate
reality that he finds within. Practicality is the main feature of this system.
Mimamsa
Jamini was the founder of this system that accepts the
Veda as the final authority on all questions. It provides a comprehensive
method for interpreting and understanding the underlying meaning of the Veda.
It lays great emphasis on rituals, worship and ethical conduct and provides a
systematic lifestyle and direction. Mimamsa offers guidelines for practical
application of Vedantic theory. This school is foremost in the analysis of
sound and mantra.
Eventually this school was divided into two groups: the
school founded by Prabhakara and the one founded by Kumarila Bhatta. According
to the former there are five sources of valid knowledge: perception, inference,
comparison, testimony and postulation. According to the latter there is only
one source of knowledge—noncognition.
Vedanta
Vedanta was taught and practiced by the sages of the
Vedas and Upanishads and was handed over through a long line of sages. But Veda
Vyasa, who codified these teachings in the Brahma Sutras, is considered its
founder. Until the time of Sankara, Vedanta was mainly transmitted through oral
tradition but sometime between the 6th and 8th centuries ad Sankara reorganized
the system of this monistic school of thought. After him numerous teachers
wrote commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, interpreting it in various ways and
thus establishing various schools within the single system of Vedanta.
The major Schools of Vedanta are Advaita
(nondualistic), Dvaita (dualistic), Dvaitadvaita (both dualistic and non
dualistic), Vishishtadvaita (qualifies nondualism) and Vishuddhadvaita (pure
non-dualism). Of these schools Sankara’s Advaita and Ramanuja’s Vishistadvaita
are the most important. Sankara’s Advaita Vedanta covers all the other systems.
The main teachings of Vedanta is that self-realization is the actual goal of
life, that the essence of the self is the ever existent consciousness and
bliss, the Self is free from all qualifications and limitations, that the self
is essentially Brahman, supreme consciousness and this Brahman is the absolute,
transcendent, attributeless reality but it eternally embodies itself within
itself the capacity or power called Maya, which is the basis of mind and
matter.