Posted on: 21 Dec 2021
[Shri Anil asked: Buddhist’s Shunyavada says nothing exists. However, You refuted it saying that something shall exist to experience that nothing exists, which is awareness or soul. Now, based on this, even though world and God exists, if a soul goes to deep sleep, in that state nothing exists for the soul and the soul itself also does not exist to experience anything since it has gone to basic inert energy. Thus with reference to the existence of the soul, during the time of deep sleep can we say that Shunyavada is applicable? Similarly, in the Mahapraylaya when all souls are withdrawn into inert energy, can we say that state is also a Shunya state?]
Swami replied: Shuunyavaada says that everything including God is non-existent. If Shankara says that God exists, Buddhists will not believe it because they are atheists. In order to face this danger, Shankara told that awareness or soul must exist in order to receive the non-existence of everything. Now your doubt is that awareness or soul is existent and hence, can’t be the part of the relatively existing world. If soul is existing, it means that soul is absolute reality. Shankara agreed to this and told that soul is absolutely real and hence, soul is the ultimate God. But, we have analyzed this topic deeply and concluded that God or absolute reality is different from the soul or world, which is relative reality (soul is a tiny part of the world). If the entire world is non-existent, the soul, which is a part of this world becomes non-existent along with the world. In such case, what is the awareness, which is absolute reality that receives the non-existence of the world and souls?
Such awareness is the unimaginable awareness of unimaginable God, which is totally different from the relatively real awareness or soul that is generated from the food. The awareness of God is without any background like inert energy and nervous system and this unimaginable awareness is generated from the omnipotent God and not from food. Since atheists will not believe about God, there is no scope for Shankara to mention this unimaginable awareness of unimaginable God. Shankara simply uttered the word ‘awareness’ irrespective of imaginable or unimaginable and Buddhists took this awareness as soul since they do not deny their own souls. Here, the necessity of existence of awareness alone shall be taken in view of this context. Hence, the existence of awareness alone is sufficient in this context without further details. Based on this point, even some schools of Buddhism accepted the existence of awareness (Prajñāvāda). Once the existence of awareness is agreed, Shuunyavaada (which says that nothing exists) gets condemned and the purpose is closed. Soul is relatively real, absolute reality is God alone etc., are not necessary as far as this context is concerned.