Judy wrote: > Vaj is more than usually confused and incoherent > this evening... > Not to mention the fact that neither Shankara nor Gaudapada, the founders of Advaita Vedanta, did not quote the Rig Veda in their expositions on the Consciousness Only purport.
There's no mention of 'Consciousness Only' school in the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda is a dualistic pre-Vedanta scripture composed in the fourteenth century B.C., long before the origin of the Vedanta. GAUDAPADA: http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/gaudapada.html The Consciousness Only school if Advaita Vedanta is obviously derived from the Buddhist Vijnanna school of Vasubandhu, which came before the of the Mandukya Upanishad. "Gaudapada is much influenced by Mahayana, Yogacara and Madhyamaka. In fact, it can be said that Gaudapada represents the best in Nagarjuna and Vasaabandhu." Excerpt from Mahayana Sutra Lankara by Asanga: "Pure conciousness is the only Reality. By its nature, it is Self-luminous." (XIII, 13). "Thus shaking off duality, he directly percieves the Absolute which is the unity underlying phenomena (dharmadatu)" (VI, 7, Sharma, p. 112-113). Source: 'A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy' by Chandrahar Sharma, M.A., D. Phil., D. Litt., LL.B. Shastri, Dept. of Philosophy, Benares Hindu U. Rider, 1960. p. 114.
