Friday, September 1, 2017

Aadi shankara, Nagarjuna and Special theory of relativity


Aadi Shankara ingeniously embraced and transformed the Mahayana Buddhist's Madhyamaka principle of "shunyatha" into the "nirguna parabhrama" of Advitha. In a manner akin to Poincaré and Einstein's roles in the development of the special theory of relativity, Shankara astutely addressed what Nagarjuna had either overlooked or deliberately disregarded—the Brahminical concept of the eternal "soul." Shankara appropriated this concept and, in a groundbreaking move, asserted that "madhyamaka shunyatha" possesses an inherent eternity within its own argument.

Furthermore, Shankara demonstrated that Nagarjuna's notion of dependent arising and Advaita's exploration of the validity and invalidity of cognizance are exclusively applicable within the veridical world or Maya. When taken together, the philosophies of Nagarjuna and Shankara present a formidable challenge to the principles of the special theory of relativity. They emphatically assert that dependency (relativity) can only hold true within the confines of the Veridical world or Maya and cannot manifest as a causal or consequential factor within the absolute universe.

It is intriguing to note that concepts settled in philosophy more than 13 centuries ago continue to resonate within the realm of physics today.

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