A Presentation of Indian Philosophy

1 Problem Definition

What is Indian Philosophy?

The term 'philosophy' has different meanings in different cultures. In India, philosophy addresses a few fundamental questions like the following.

• What is a 'human being'? Who am I?
• What is 'world'?
• What is my relationship with the world?
• Is there an aim of life? What is it? How do I reach it?
• Why do I do what I do?
• What is right and what is wrong?

There have been various 'models' proposed, based on which these questions have been answered. Traditionally, six distinct models have been identified. They are Nyaaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimaamsa and Vedanta. These models can be considered as a step by step refinement. Vedanta is the model which answers adequately all the questions asked by the modern minds. Vedanta has three variations: Dvaita, Visishtaadvaita and Advaita. Modern Advaita is a system, which accommodates all the three variations under one umbrella as the same concept seen with various preconditions. Modern Hinduism is based on this.

Philosophy and Religion

In India, the relationship between philosophy and religion is like that between science and technology. Religion is philosophy applied to everyday life. A philosopher is not one who reads, talks or teaches a particular philosophy, but one who lives it. A philosopher is invariably a religious person and vice-versa. The roots of Indian philosophy are in the Vedas. Thousands of years have passed since then. During the course of history of Indian philosophy and religion, several ideas and sects have formed, established, merged and assimilated. Thus the philosophy and religion has been very dynamic and continues to be so. The concepts of Indian philosophy, though are based in the Vedas, are not limited by them or to them. Everyday sees new sects being formed and some old sects being assimilated into others. New religious ideas are always welcomed with open hearts. The Vedas proclaim, "Truth is one. The wise call it by various terms." Note the term "wise". In India, the students of philosophy and the followers of religion are encouraged to question everything. If a system does not answer the questions, it deserves to be thrown out. If a new idea answers all the questions in a rational way, it is taken in. There are so many sects, paths, gurus, saints, etc and a person is free to choose any of them that appeals to him. The only requirement is the zeal to know the Truth and sincerity towards the zeal. This rational and open attitude is the hallmark of Indian philosophy and religion.

Problem of Indian Philosophy

If we repeatedly ask the question "Why?" to any aspiration, pursuit or activity, we will finally land up with either of the three answers:
  1. I cannot live without it.
  2. I want to know it.
  3. I will feel happy with it.
Beyond this, the questions "Why do you want to live?” "Why do you want to know?" and "Why do you want to be happy?" respectively, do not make sense. We take it for granted that we want to live, we want to know and we want to be happy. These three are the most fundamental urges of human beings. Every aspiration, pursuit and activity is an attempt to live, know and be happy. This is true of any pursuit - secular or sacred.

Every book on philosophy in India starts with one or more of these questions. We find these in the Upanishads, which are a part of the Vedas. We find these in all the books on philosophy and religion. These urges are expressed in various ways. "What happens to a person after death?" "How do I attain immortality?" "What is it that knowing which everything is known?" "Why is there misery in the world?" Thus, the questions asked and attempted to be answered by Indian philosophy are down-to-earth practical problems. They are the problems, which are driving the entire human race to do everything. They form the core of all other problems.

The ultimate state of liberation or Mukti is the fulfillment of these three urges. These being fulfilled, there is nothing more to be aspired for. That is the state of the sage. He is called a wise man, who has solved these fundamental problems of life forever. It is a path of no return. When the problems are solved, they do not arise again. Every one of us has to solve the problems for ourselves. No one else can solve the problems for us. The wise ones can guide us, but we have to solve the problems. This is the aim of life. Everything else is a means to this end.

This article tries to present a model of a human being, maps the problem to the model, discusses the nature of the solution, and identifies the obstacles and the means of removing them, which solves the problem. The entire discussion is based on the ideas found in the various scriptures of Hinduism.

2 Constitution of a Human Being

Three bodies

The human being is modeled to consist of three bodies - the physical, the subtle (or mental) and the causal. They are called "Sthoola", "Sookshuma" and "Kaarana" sharira. The physical body occupies space. It consists of the physical body and the various chemical and electric reactions happening in it. It exists in the physical universe of matter and energy. The subtle body or mental body consists of the mind, intellect, emotions, memory, ego, etc. It exists in the mental universe of thoughts and ideas. The relationship between the physical body and the mental body is like a sheet of paper and something written on it. The paper is a medium to put down an idea. The physical body is an instrument to manifest ideas. The world of thought does not occupy space, but it has the time dimension. The concept of time arises in the faculty of memory to remember the past moments. A more subtle body is the causal body. This is the fundamental concept of limitation. The distinction between "I and not I" is a faculty of the causal body. Without this, there will be merely a homogenous, eternal infinite one. It cannot be described in words because words are in the realm of the mental body and this is beyond it. It can only be intuitively inferred. The causal body is the apparent identification of parts in the whole. It is the fundamental concept of finitude and limitation. At the background of the three bodies is the infinite.

Five sheaths

The three bodies, operating in different planes cannot interact. This is enabled by two interfaces in between. The three bodies with the two interfaces in between them form the five sheaths. The physical sheath is called "Annamaya" kosa. The mental sheath is called "Manomaya" kosa. The interface between them is called the sheath of life - "Praanamaya" kosa. The causal sheath is called "Aanandamaya" kosa - the sheath of bliss. The interface between the mental and the causal sheaths is called the sheath of intellect - "Buddhimaya" kosa. The physical sheath is the body. It is the same for a living and a dead body. What the dead body lacks is the sheath of life. It is responsible for all involuntary activities in the body like circulation and digestion, and also acts as the link between the mental sheath and the physical sheath to effect voluntary activities like lifting a hand. The mental sheath receives sensory inputs from the sheath of life and makes sense out of them. It has memory, emotions and intellectual faculties to aid in this. It is merely a computing engine. The sheath of intellect does the decision-making. The causal sheath gives the concept of individuality. The sheath of intellect manifests that concept in the mental sheath as a voluntary conscious decision. The concept of responsibility of actions is the role of the sheath of intellect. Behind the causal sheath is the infinite, which forms the basis of everything.

Three natures

Now, coming to the functioning of the human being, three natures are identified - "Tamas" (inertia), "Rajas&qquot; (activity) and "Sattva" (harmony). These applied in physics is what the three laws of Newton about. Indian Philosophy applies these three natures to all human aspirations and actions.

Inertial nature consists of lethargy, sensuality and grossness. The main characteristic of an inertial person is that he identifies himself with the physical body. He lives in the physical world of objects. He values people and things by their looks. This is called the animal nature.

Active nature consists of hectic activity, lack of direction and a lot of wastage of efforts. An active person identifies himself with the mental body. He lives in the world of thoughts and ideas. He is highly creative, but restless. He values people and things for their utility and artistic nature. This is called the human nature.

Harmonious nature consists of balanced, peaceful and rightly paced life. A harmonious person is highly efficient in his actions and very clear in his aims. He identifies himself as an individual beyond the limitations of the body and mind. He values people and things for their intrinsic value beyond looks and utility. He never wastes anything and considers everyone with great respect. This is called the divine nature.

Beyond these three natures is the person who has reached liberation.

3 Solution to the Problems

Mapping the problems to the bodies

The three fundamental problems or urges identified can be mapped on to the three bodies. The problem of immortality belongs to the physical body. We want to live forever. To put it in more generic terms, we want to exist forever. The problem is that we die; or rather, the physical body dies. The limitation of the physical body poses this problem. The problem of knowledge belongs to the mental body. We want to know everything. The problem is that it is impossible to know everything. The limitation of the mental body poses this problem. The problem of happiness belongs to the causal body. We want to be happy. The problem is that it is not possible to be absolutely, unshakably, eternally happy. Misery always crops up from somewhere. Thinking deeply, we can find that as long as there is something that can be considered as an object apart from ourselves, there is a possibility of misery. The limitation of the causal body poses this problem.

Overcoming the problems

Now let us come to the crux. How to overcome the problems? The solution given by Indian Philosophy is to rise to the next level. As long as we identify ourselves with the physical body, the problem of life and death exists. We are able to withstand any amount of physical pain for the sake of our cherished ideas and our loved ones. Thus, the way to overcome the problems in the physical world is to rise up to the mental world. The problem may not get actually solved, but it becomes irrelevant to us and no longer poses a threat to us. One may think that this is escapism. It is not so because we are not running away from the problem. We still face the problem - not as a weak coward, but as a brave hero. We look down upon the problem from a higher world. The problem exists, but it does not affect us. This is the way to overcome the problems; similarly in the mental plane. The problem of the mental body - limitation of knowledge - is overcome by identifying ourselves with the causal body. There the mental problem does not pose a threat. It becomes irrelevant. And ultimately, going beyond the causal body can solve the problem of happiness. Identifying oneself as the infinite removes all misery.

This self-identification with the various bodies is not as easy as it sounds. It has to get to the core of our nature. Rising to each higher level is an entire change in the outlook. It is an entire shift in the way we look at ourselves, others and objects, and the value we give to things. It cannot be forced. We have to evolve. It is a lifetime project.

Obstacles at various levels

As we cannot force ourselves to rise up from one plane to the next, the only way is to identify the obstacles and remove them. This will cause us to naturally rise from one level to the next.

Indian Philosophy identifies three primary obstacles, one at each level, and three secondary obstacles, which are derived from the primary ones. The obstacle that prevents us from rising from the physical plane to the mental plane is the craving for sense pleasure. This is termed as "Kaama". Though this is translated as "lust", it should be understood to mean craving for all sensory pleasures. Lust ties us to the physical body and prevents us from rising to the mental level.

The obstacle that prevents us from rising from the mental plane to the causal plane is the craving for possessions. This is termed as "Lobha". This is translated as "greed". Any longing to possess anything and to hold on to possessions is called greed. This ties us to the world of ideas and prevents us from rising to the causal level.

The obstacle that prevents us from rising above the causal plane is egoism. This is termed as "Matha". Being proud of ourselves ties us to the sense of individuality and prevents us from facing the infinite.

These three primary obstacles give rise to the secondary obstacles under various conditions. When the pleasure, possession or recognition is denied, it gives rise to anger. This is called "Krodha". When they are made available to someone else, it gives rise to jealousy. This is called "Maatsarya". When they are made available to us, they give rise to delusion. This is called "Moha". We gets so involved with them that we loses sight of everything else. Removing the primary obstacles will automatically remove the secondary ones.

Way to clear the obstacles

Each of the primary obstacles has an antidote. Craving for sense pleasure is to be countered with intense activity. This is called "Yagna". We should force ourselves to work. This will remove our identification with the body and free us from inertial nature. We will naturally rise to the next level. The intense activity we get involved in will bring a lot of possessions. The attachment to the possessions has to be countered with charity. This is called "Dhaana". We should force ourselves to give away the possessions. This will remove our identification with the mind and free us from active nature. We will naturally rise to the next level. The intense activity and charity will bring a lot of fame and recognition. The pride that tends to develop should be countered with renunciation of doer ship. This is called "Tapas". We should force ourselves to renounce recognition of our actions.

Renunciation of doer ship is done by two methods. The first method is to enquire into the nature of the subject. Any thought that arises in the mind has an object. The subject stands behind the mind. We should try to catch the subject in our mind. As the mind can only catch objects, it will catch something in the attempt, but it cannot be the subject. We should try again and keep repeating this. Eventually, the subject will shine forth all by itself, without any object. By repeating this exercise, in due course of time, we will get disassociated from the sense of individuality. This will free us from the causal plane and take us beyond the three natures.

Another method is to accept that everything is predestined to the details. This cannot change any external thoughts or actions because that will negate the very concept of destiny. It is merely a change of attitude. By accepting this concept unconditionally and completely, the individuality slowly vanishes. We will rise beyond the causal plane. There are no more problems to solve. Both these methods are complementary. They can work together to make us free.

Nature of freedom

When one is free, the infinite is seen as a fulfillment of the three urges. As there is no duality, one sees oneself as Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. These are called "Sat", "Chit" and "Aananda" respectively. This is the description of the state beyond all the problems. Various people call this by various names. This is Reality. This is Truth. This is God.

4 Summary

Thus, all human aspirations, pursuits and actions can be traced to three basic urges, or problems. The urges can be mapped on to three distinct planes of human existence. Identification of an individual with each plane is characterized by a nature. The limitation in each of the planes is the root cause of all our problems. The way to overcome the problem at each level is to rise to the next higher level. One cannot forcibly rise. Each level has a primary obstacle. When the obstacle is cleared, one rises to the next level naturally. Each obstacle has an antidote using which it can be removed. Here is a table summarizing this.

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