Advaita Vedanta and the need for evidence

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[sumitdutta]

Apart from Tibetan Buddhism Sam Harris also mentioned Advaita Vedanta.
I have heard a swami named Swami Sarvapriyananda too said that, he and Sam too had a discussion in his Waking podcast.

Swami Sarvapriyananda give lectures on Advaita and Buddhism too.

[MeisterFF]

This only proves that neither of these two gentlemen understand anything about Advaita Vedanta. I would hightly recommend some of the basic videos by Swami Sarvapriyananda for clear primer on the doctrine.

[Vedantin]

3:02 From the Advaita Vedanta perspective, the appearance of conversation—words being exchanged, thoughts arising, the sense of a "you" and a "me"—does not prove the existence of fundamental duality. It simply shows that duality appears within consciousness, not that it is ultimately real.

Here’s how to approach this:

1. Appearance ≠ Reality

Advaita makes a crucial distinction between what appears and what is. The world, the body, the mind, and even dialogue appear and function within awareness, like waves on the ocean. But they don't disturb the ocean's depth. So even though conversation seems to happen between two "people, " it's all taking place within the single field of consciousness.

[ishachakraborty]

Vimoh is a classic example of charvaka
And I agree

[kingkrith]

Vimoh sir, your knowledge on Advaida Vedanta is preety you said, "Are you Talking to your self" or like we all are one Consciousness in Parmarthik in Vyabharika there are many more things you have to learn about will say that if you can have a Translated version than Reed Advaitvaad by Swami Chidghanananda read it in Bengali so I don't know does it have a Bengali version or not

[NoThing-eckm]

*Asking Objective Evidence for Advaita Vedanta is like asking weight of Vacuum.*

[mikeaaron]

The evidence is “Self-evidence”. Subtle evidence meaning because nobody ever needed to inform me that I exist and that I am aware/conscious. People are inert ideas in existence shining as Consciousness. We have it backwards. The enlightened being sees life as it is and probably dismisses objects because they’re inert and he or she knows that all inert thoughts, perceptions and feelings depend upon existence/consciousness. Advaita Vedanta is non-dual. Reality is one existence appearing as objects that appear to the identified body/mind/person as many. The body is a thought, thoughts depend upon me as Existence. Vedanta is Self-evident to people who aren’t dull minded basically.

[dibyendusaha]

Evidence is there...search yourself... Why want spoon feeding... Laziness is the cause of ignorance..

[thebioinformaticsbro]

Vimoh and Ishan both don't understand Advaita Vedanta -- it would help to understand it first before dismissing as non-evidence based. It's no where close to "one mind, one mind experiencing all of it". Have you even read Mandukya Upanishad(just 12 mantras) or any Advaitic text? Your current understanding of world, that waking world is more real than dreams, is not based on evidence. For example, how do you know past exists or that continutiy of waking world is real? That is based on memory. Advaita teaches that, from our own experience, waking, dream, and deep sleep are all equally unreal -- and does so with pure logic and reason (read Gaudapada's Mandukya Karika -- it is only logic and evidence). The ego that is saying "I" disappears, so do all the people, places, things, in the waking and dream worlds, when you go to sleep -- this is from your own experience. However, the real you, the fourth (Turiya) is still aware of the happenings of the waking, dream, and deep sleep worlds, it is the substratum of all that exists. Since all that exists has no independent existence of that Turiya principle, all that exists is unreal, while only the Turiya, which you really are, is real -- that is, unchanging. Nothing in Advaita is taken based on faith -- you need to properly and honestly study before spreading false information. I am sure you will come to appreciate the highly intellectual and evidence-based foundation that Advaita is built on after honestly studying it yourself. Hari om.

[TrevorKamplain]

Must go beyond the awareness limited to the manomaya kosha

[ksb]

Advaita cannot be proven. It can only be realized.

[subramanya]

I am a student of Advaita Vedanta. I hope my comment gives a clarity about Advaita Vedanta to both who wants to refute it or interested in it.

1) Advaita Vedanta's conclusion is Consciousness(Brahman) alone is the Ultimate Reality and Universe of Subject-Object Duality is an appearance in the Consciousness and We are that Ultimate Reality which is Existence(Sat), Consciousness(Chit), Bliss(Ananda).

2) It comes to this conclusion through different methods called Adhyaropa Apavada Prakriyas.
One such method which I being a student of Advaita Vedanta found more rational is Avasthaatraya prakriya, the analysis of our own experience of three states Waking State, Dream State and Deep Sleep State to know ourselves as the Ultimate Reality. This analysis is found in different Upanishads.

3) Advaita Vedanta after a lot of arguments based on Logic and our experience of Three states shows that Waking state and Dream state are having same Grade of Reality from the viewpoint of Experiencer who experiences them. These states cannot remain independent of the Experiencer of those states but Experiencer can remain independent of Object as in Deep Sleep state.
The Experiencer of all the states which is Unchanging but witnesses all the changes within the state is our true Self.
Deep Sleep state from Waking state perspective is called a State but it is our real nature which is Non Dual and Bliss as per Advaita Vedanta in which Waking state and Dream state appear and disappear.
Deep Sleep is one common state which we all experience same where all our Identities of Waking and Dream states are not there. Time and Space are also not experienced in Deep Sleep but are experienced within the states such as Waking or Dream.

4) When Advaita Vedanta says that Ultimate Reality(Brahman) cannot be known or beyond our comprehension, what it means is it can never be known as an object because it is the pure Subject which experiences the object.
It is the very Self of the person who is trying to find it or reject it.
A good analogy to explain this is that eyes can see almost anything but not themselves. Similarly Brahman or Atman can not be known because it is the Knower.

5) Advaita Vedanta though initially accepts the Law of Karma, Omnicient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent God who is the Creator, Creation and Existence of Universe, the Three states, Maya etc for the purpose of Teaching finally refutes and rejects them because all of these are appearances in the Brahman.

6) Definition of Consciousness, Why Universe is an appearance, Definition of Real and Unreal, Grades of Reality, Subject and Object, Difference between Objective Knowledge and Subjective Beliefs, Ignorance and Superimposition, Bandha(Bondage) and Jivanmukthi(Freedom from all sufferings while being alive), Ethics and Morality, Aesthetics, Afterlife Beliefs, Rituals, Practices etc as per Advaita Vedanta are shown by Shankaracharya in his commentary on Upanishads, Bhagavad Geeta and Vedanta Sutras through a lot of Arguments, Objections and there Refutations. Those who are interested can go through those works in Sanskrit or any of the true translations done in English or any Indian languages.

7) Universe is nothing but Mind is the conclusion of one of the subschool of Buddhism called Vijnana Vaada not Advaita Vedanta. In Advaita Vedanta, Mind is also an appearance in the Consciousness.
None of the Buddhism's subschools accept a permanent Self(Athman).
I don't know if Vijnana Vaada philosophy accepts multiple minds or one mind because I have not studied their original works in depth.

8) Advaita Vedanta has no interest in extra ordinary experiences but interested in who is the experiencer. Hence it doesn't give much importance to any kind of special experiences and miracles etc.

Hi Vimoh, I like your articulation skill and clarity of thoughts.

[debsinhas]

advaita or nonduality does not posit any objective reality, which needs evidence or verification . The concept of objects apart from experience or consciousness is negated in nondual traditions .

[jayaram]

I think if you are opposing another one's point of view, it is better to study and understand it before you oppose it, otherwise all ideas will get dismissed.

[debsinhas]

advaita differs from subjective idealism and solipsism in the area that it posits that experience and the object of experience are not two things . " nondual " term is used in that reference . advaita doesnot say one being exists .

[jiteshmathur]

I will follow your guidelines for commenting. So, you say that Advait Vedanta does not gives evidence to back its claims. That's not entirely true. They don't offer any external material evidence because their argument is based upon experience. They tell you to find out for yourself. An Advaitin never asks anyone to follow the vedantic philosophy or believe in Vedanta. They only ask you to try for yourself. If you get help, great, go for it. If you find no help, that's equally great, move forward and find something else out. Its great that you ask questions from this philosophy.

[lingammunuswamy]

Its sad when people try portraying so much of confidence when they are ill read and ill informed...

[eliecher]

if consensus is the metric for truth, then won't most popular religion be the accepted truth?

[saurabhbhargava]

vimoh what do you think about wave particle duality ?? 😅 if you read

[stockintellect]

2 questions If I may ask sir

1)what's your take on law of attraction ?
2) when people talk about how it benefited them to use their gut feeling/intution/ 6th sense in certain conditions .