K.N.Neelakantan Elayath

Folklore in the AtharvaVeda

Published in NYAYA-VASISTHA (Felicitation Volume of Prof. V.N. Jha), Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar, 38, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata-700006, India, pp 51-55

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Vemuri RAMESAM

Model to Test the Operational Mechanism of Non-Dualism

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Summary: Ever since a capacity for abstract thinking dawned on man, he has been questioning the ‘what and whys’ of his existence and his relationship with the universe. His quest had urgency because of the inexorable natural forces he was exposed to and his own interest in conquering disease, decay and death. Each organism developed its own techniques of survival against the evolutionary pressures and the sum total of that knowledge is available to the human being stored in his brain. Invention of a fictitious ‘self’ helped him to distinguish himself as a distinct individual from the other and it helped in his self-propagation and procreation. However, it did not redeem him of the physical body problems nor could he conquer death. A few realized a way to dissolve the ‘self’ of body identity in an ineffable, indestructible, infinite and eternal nameless entity. Such people are known as ‘Jivanmuktas’ and the nameless Oneness they talked about is Non-dualism. The process of this transcendence from an individuating ‘self’ is Enlightenment or Nirvana.

Because enlightenment happens to an individual who still retains a body but with a changed ‘worldview’ of Universal Oneness, the change may have a correlate in his brain. Two distinct characteristics stand out as markers of Nirvana. One is the loss of a separating ‘self’ and another is ‘non-doership’ of actions. Modern neuroscientific techniques may help identify these markers either at a gross level of neuronal circuits or at a molecular level.

Desh Raj SIRSWAL

Human Beings Have No Identical Self

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Summary: In this article I have discussed Hume's conception of the personal identity with  special reference his Treatise on Human Nature.

'What am I' is the question which is generally asked and answered differently, since the history of thought. It is related to one's identity, so everyone gives different answer according to their personal history, physical features and circumstances. For Hume self is neither a body, nor a mind, nor a combination of both, nor an unknown substance as some thinkers generally say and defend. It is only a series of experiences, a strew of feelings, sensations, desires, thoughts, beliefs etc After that he considers the problem of personal identity by adopting the classical exposition of the positivist's theory of personal identity. It is the view of those thinkers, who adopted sceptical view and also think that the idea of self can be described in the empirical or linguistic formula. It is common to all positivist that they think self is an abstraction from the facts with no ontological status of its own.

R. RAJESH

If there is God, then there is one and only one God:
A Mathematical Proof

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Summary: This paper presents mathematical definition and modeling of GOD using set theory. This paper also proves, "If there is GOD, then there is one and only one GOD."

In this paper, we use set theory [1], [7], [9], [10], [11] to define the Universe and God. We also prove the fundamental theorem of God namely, "If there is God, then there is one and only one God".

The paper is organized as follows. Introduction followed by Section II dealing with mathematical modeling of Universe and God. Section III presents the conclusions.

tantidhAro

From Holy Beggar to Bhikkhu to Dervish

A Review Note on George Thompson's "Adhrigu and Drigu: on the Semantics of an Old Indo-Iranian Word"

Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 122, no.2 Apr-Jun, 2002

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Abstract: A well-travelled old Iranian word exposes the profoundly global nature of a morphing asceto-religious institution.

Jewels of the Doctrine
Stories of the Saddharma Ratnavaliya - Dharmasena Thera
Translated by Ranjini Obeyesekere
Bibliotheca Indo Buddhica Series No. 102
Sri Satguru Publications (Delhi), ISBN 81-7030-307-9.
xxx, 259 pages, Price: Rs. 250

Contents:

Introduction. The Saddharma Ratnavaliya: 1. The monk Cakkhupala. 2. Mattakundali. 3. The senior monk Nagasena. 4. The monk Tissa the fat. 5. The demoness Kali. 6. The monks of Kosamba. 7. The monk Mahakala. 8. Wearing the Ochre Robe. 9. The chief disciples. 10. The senior monk Nanda. 11. The pig-killer Cunda. 12. The lay devotee, Dhammika. 13. Devadatta. 14. Samandevi. 15. The two monks who were friends. Appendix, Glossary, Bibliography, Index.

Jojo Joseph

Consciousness: The Ultimate Reality

Convergence between Upanishads and the emerging science

Summary: According to the ancient Hindu philosophy, the Ultimate Reality is Brahman or “Pure Consciousness”. Brahman is divine intelligence and is the source as well as indweller of the universe.   Universe, which is distinguished as Prakriti is an evolving transient physical phenomenon while Brahman, its unseen source and matrix, remains as its unchanging transcendent indweller and driving force, distinguished as Purusha. When conceived as the indweller or inner Self of individual beings, Brahman is distinguished as Atman. Individual beings as well as the physical universe undergo change and death while the underlying reality of Brahman continues to exist even after the physical universe de-differentiates and submerges back into the source. The above scriptural concepts have been interpreted by several sages down the ages after getting internally convinced about their truth through intense spiritual pursuits.  This article attempts to project a futuristic view that the emerging scientific theories are likely to substantiate at least some of the Upanishadic concepts. The emerging views among information theorists and quantum cosmologists suggest that “Information” and “Consciousness” pre-existed the universe and that they hold the key to the existence of the universe.

Key words: Atman, Brahman, Consciousness, Information Field, Purusha,  Quantum Cosmology, Science-Religion dialogue, Theory of Everything, Ultimate Reality, Unified Field, Universe, Upanishad, Wave Function of Universe.

                   GILBERT RYLE ON DESCARTES' MYTH

 The aim of this paper is to critically examines the Ryle's conception of  "Descartes Myth". Ryle  has two objectives in his book The Concept of Mind: (i) To refute a current philosophical theory about mind. (ii)To substitute at least in blue print, a satisfactory alternative. This paper gives a descriptive analysis of what Ryle calls Descartes-Myth and arguments for it. Conclusion of  this paper drawn as he does not succeed in dispelling the myth but only substitutes a peculiar logical monism for Descartes' Myth.

S. Javad M. Meynagh

Rabindranath Tagore:
Sadhana as the Self-Realization

In this article we are trying to look at the concept of Sadhana in the thought of Tagore by analyzing it as a roadmap towards self-realization. The question of self-realization has been one of the most significant problems within human sciences globally and as a matter of fact it has proved to be one of those concepts which could bring various seemingly diverse intellectual traditions such as 'scientific', 'philosophical' and 'religious' (whenever they have been conceived as separate islands rather than an integral process of becoming) closer to each other. Tagore is one of those rare thinkers who has considered the question of realization not only as a matter of academic significance but as an important existential quest which without what we call human person would be an empty term without essence.

K N Neelakantan Elayath

Samkhya and Vaiseshika on the origin and evolution of matter

Indian Scientific Traditions published as Calicut University Sanskrit series 19, March 2003

The contribution of both Idealistic and Realist Philosophers of India to the general fund of Science and Scientific methodology cannot be underrated. Many basic scientific concepts and methods in the investigation of physical phenomena are dominant in their thought. In their investigation they discussed many issues like the criterion of truth, observation and fallacies of observation, theory of inference and ascertainment of causal relation. Among these the cause- effect relation is one of the major tools of scientific investigation employed by Indian philosophers. The examination of causal relation resulted in two apparently contradictory theories called the theory of change (parinamavada) and the theory of new creation (arambhavada) formulated by Sankhya and Vaisesika philosophers respectively. Both concepts are not hypothetical but the outcome of the observation of natural phenomena.