The Crown Jewel of Discrimination - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Crown Jewel of Discrimination is one of Sankara's works that expounds on the concept of Vedanta philosophy. Many consider Adi Sankara as the most important philosopher of Advaita Vedanta. Like many Indian philosophies, the text tries to answer the ultimate reality behind daily experiences in the world. The book is a masterpiece among the works that address the discrimination that exists between the real and unreal. There seems to be a general agreement that the basic practices of the path constitute meditation, action, devotion, and faith. Sankara (800), which takes the form of a dialogue between a guru and his disciple, explores many relevant topics. Like many of Sankara's works, The Crown Jewel of Discrimination is an attempt by Sankara to teach the common people about the message of Vedanta, which is non-dualistic.

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Sankara's view of Brahman is that he is the only one without a second. That there is a oneness between Brahman (Absolute) and Atman (Self). Sankara also argues that the non-real (Mithya) is the many fold world of appearance. These principles or guidelines provides the reader with a good picture of Sankara's understanding of Brahman. Sankara understands or views Brahman as the ultimate reality. As a result, the nature of ultimate reality is of existence and infinite knowledge. That means that one who gains the understanding of self has acquired the knowledge of Brahman. The author argues that a person's reality can only be perceived by one's spiritual perception rather than through other people's eyes. The author contends that self-knowledge can only be achieved through self-less actions which in turn leads to liberation. On the other hand, ignorance is the enemy of freedom as it leads to human bondage. Ignorance is the thing responsible for the connection that exists between individuals and that which is not self and hence creating the wheel of embodied existence. The wisdom that arises from the discrimination of real from the unreal burns the growth of ignorance to its roots. The author views the quest to achieve the state of freedom from duality as the real purpose in life. Therefore, Sankara regards Brahman as a means to liberation in which an individual achieves by attaining the knowledge of the oneness that exists between Atman and the Brahman.

With these theories, Sankara makes The Crown Jewel of Discrimination a meaningful basis of quintessential Vedanta theory and practice. In summary, Sankara's philosophy is that of non-dualism and is made up of the following primary principles. The Brahman or the absolute alone is real, and the self is the absolute (Sankara, 800). Brahman is pure consciousness, does not have any form, attributes, parts, limitations, or changes. According to Sankara, Brahman is unvarying pure consciousness. Brahman is self-luminous and transcends all life forms. Brahman is one only, without a second (Sankara, 800). Since there is oneness between Brahman and Atman, the self, is describable as ever free and made up of pure consciousness. Since Sankara (800) is concerned with the discrimination that exists between the real and unreal, the observed world is the non-real. It is merely an illusion that is born out of Maya, an illusion, and ignorance. The critical and essential things of Advaita is the pure non-difference of self and Brahman.

Reflection

I am very intrigued by Advaita Hinduism conception of the divine. The philosophy seems like a refined version of western theism. From the surface, Advaita's perception of the divine seems different from Western theism, but close analysis reveals many parallels between these two philosophies. The Advaita model removes the personification of the divine and turns it into a specific end or goal. Brahman is more of an ultimate reality that can only be realized through practices that will lead to liberation. If one thinks of it, the Advaita's version of the divine uses the ultimate reality in place of heaven. When I compare the Advaita model to western theism, it almost seems like an elaborate system to perceive. Western Theism is built upon simple principles. That the world and everything in it exist as a result of divine being. The model of the west has personified the divine. Despite the difference, one needs to consider and realize that Advaita model resembles western theism in some aspects. For example, in Advaita Hinduism, the ability of a person to achieve liberation is dependent upon his or her actions. That is the principles proposed by the western model which has a set of rules that followers have to abide by so that they can enter heaven where the divine dwells. It appears both religions advocate for a particular set of practices to achieve the ultimate goal of existence. Additionally, I have noticed that both philosophies emphasize the difference between the real and unreal. According to the western model, the earthly possessions or the things that one acquires in the world are temporary and therefore a non-priority. Instead, the philosophy advocates for the pursuance of heavenly wealth which is considered as the real wealth. As a result, the goal of every individual should be to inherit the spiritual wealth, which is everlasting. On the other hand, the Advaita Hinduism considers the empirical world as unreal.

From a philosophical view, I think there is a lack of philosophical coherence in both Advaita Hinduism and western theism. The theism of the west fails in its perception of the divine because of the personification of the deity, which leads to dualism. Human beings have limitations both physically and mentally. As a result, to try to embody the divine using a human form creates boundaries upon the divine because the divine cannot be all powerful or supreme while holding a particular persona. In that aspect, the Advaita concept of the divine is better than the western model because Brahman is not a being or an object that one can touch or see. Brahman is more of existence, which makes it possible to describe it as all-powerful because there are no physical or mental limitations to define the deity. It also makes it relatable because the divine is more of the end rather than a being. However, Advaita Hinduism has its weaknesses. According to the Advaita model, the Brahman is the source of everything physical and non-physical. As a result, Brahman is the ultimate reality that is transcendent and imminent. According to Advaita model, nothing is real and that we are an illusion locked in a constant cycle of death and rebirth. That means that the world is a conception of the mind. However, the philosophy does not explain the reason for different people having the same perception of the same object or event. For example, if the existence of a tree is an illusion to person A, then how comes person B perceives the same tree with the same features. These arguments show that both lines of cases are problematic and lack some form of philosophical coherence.

Reference

Sankara, A. (800 CE). The Crown Jewel of Discrimination. (R. Maharshi, Ed.) Retrieved from Never Not Present: http://www.nevernotpresent.com/source-texts/crown-jewel-discrimination-2/