Early Advaita Vedānta and Buddhism

Richard King is Lecturer in Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Stirling, Scotland.

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionRecent Work on the Gaudapadiya-karika Outline of the Monograph 1. The Date and Authorship of the Gaudapadiya-karikaThe Identity and Date of GaudapadaAuthorship of the Gaudapadiya-karikaThe Relationship Between the First and Second PrakaranasThe Relationship of GK II, III, and IVThe Gaudapadiya-karika and Bhavaviveka The Author of the Fourth Prakarana and Buddhist ScholasticismConclusion 2. The Vedantic Heritage of the Gaudapadiya-karikaThe Three Foundations (Prasthanatraya) of the Vedanta-DarsanaThe Upanisadic Heritage of the Gaudapadiya-karikaCosmogonic Speculation in the UpanisadsPsychology in the UpanisadsThe Four States of ExperienceThe Mandukya Upanisad The Bhagavadgita and the Gaudapadiya-karikaThe BrahmasutraDoctrines of the Brahmasutra3. The Abhidharma Context of Non-Origination (Ajativada)The Non-Origination Date of Dharmas--Absolutism and the Svaghava Debate in BuddhismThe Sarvastivada AbhidharmaThe Nature of Samskrta and Asamskrta DharmasThe Sautrantika Position: Asamskrta-NairatmyaThe Unique Particularity of Dharmas--A Mahayana CritiqueThe Non-arising (Anutpada) and Immutability of Dharmas4. Non-Origination in the Gaudapadiya-karika: Early Vedantic Ontology and Madhyamaka BuddhismMahayana Buddhism and the Fourth Prakarana of the GKThe Two Truths in the Mahayana Tradition: The Nature of SamvrtiThe Two Truths in the Gaudapadiya-karika Foundations of Non-Origination: The Paradox of ChangeNagarjuna's Refutation of Absolutism (Svabhavavada) and the Gaudapadian ResponseEmptiness (Sunyata) and Non-dualism (Advaita)Non-Origination and Emptiness: The Madhyamaka and Advaita Perspectives5. Asparsa-yoga in the Gaudapadiya-karikaAsparsayoga as a Meditative TechniqueThe Four States of Experience in the Agama-Prakarana (GK I)Meditation on the Phoneme OMAsparsayoga as a Description of the Ultimate StateThe Attainment of Gnosis (Jnana) in the GKAsparsayoga: The Gaudapadian Phenomenology of PerceptionNon-contact (Asparsa) and Representation-Only (Vijnapti-matra)The Yogacara Phenomenology of PerceptionThe Non-Veridicality (Vaitathya) of Waking and Dream Experience in the GKMaya in the Gaudapadiya-karika The Meaning of the Term 'Asparsayoga'6. Gaudapadian Inclusiveness and the Mahayana Buddhist TraditionThe Gaudapadian Conception of BuddhismThe Theory of Non-Conflict (Avirodhavada) in the GKInclusivism in the Gaudapadiya-karikaThe Bhavavivekan Response to the Vedantic Inclucivism of the GK7. Absolutism in the BK and the Mahayana: the Tathagatagarbha TextsThe Tathagatagarbha TextsThe Systematization of Indian Tathagatagarbha: The RatnagotravighagasastraA Question of Hermeneutics: Is There a Mahayana Absolutism?Tathagatabarbha and Two Types of Emptiness in Tibetan MahayanaThe Gaudapadiya-karika and Tathagatagarbha BuddhismConclusionsAppendix: A Running Translation of the Gaudapadiya-karikaNotesBibliographyIndexIndex of Verses

"The complex relationship between the Vedantic world of ideas and that of the Mahayana Buddhists has for a long time been either completely ignored by traditionalist Hindu scholars, or summarily paid lip service to by Western scholars as a form of 'crypto-Buddhism.' Therefore, a thoroughgoing and well-documented investigation of each and every major Vedantic work's indebtedness to the Buddhist conceptual framework is of great importance for the understanding of Indian philosophical progress." -- F. G. Sutton, Pace University"King's fine grasp of Mahayana thinking enables him to read the Gaudapadiya-karika with insight and develop his argument with cogency." -- John P. Keenan, Middlebury College