At least in Taiwan, not writing in Chinese seems to be an advantage…
More than one cause at once: Veṅkaṭanātha on sacrifices and other causes UPDATED
What if one offers a Citrā sacrifices, but does not obtain the promised cattle? And what if one after the sacrifice does obtain some cattle, but only because one has received it as a gift?
32nd DOT in Münster: a thought-provoking experience
The 32nd DOT (Deutscher Orientalisten Tag, i.e., Assembly of the German Orientalists) took place from the 23rd to the 27th September in Münster (W). It was surely the biggest DOT ever and its 1,300 participants made it a bigger event than many (most, I would say) World Sanskrit Conferences. Was it also more interesting than them?
IIGRS 5
It is always a pity to miss an IIGRS (International Indological Graduate Research Seminar), although I am now too old to take actively part to it. You can read the program, and decide to fly to Bochum and enjoy some great indological chats, here. If you do, please carry my best wishes to all with you!
Index Buddhicus at Brill looking for researchers
Brill Academic Publishers is looking for two to four indexers for its new classified bibliography for Buddhist Studies edited in close collaboration with the Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
It is intended that the Index Buddhicus will be the main academic bibliographical reference in the field of Buddhist studies. It will consist of classified bibliographical records for monographs, reviews, chapters in edited volumes, journal articles, reference works, electronic resources, and whatever else is thought relevant in Western language secondary literature.
Supervisor: Richard Mahoney
Workspace: Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany
Requirements:
MA (or higher)-level knowledge of Buddhist studies
The indexers will be appointed on a project basis, but in the longer term a fixed position within the framework of the project is possible. Initial duration: 12 months. Salary is an hourly basis ranging from E 15–E 18. Indexing a sample of articles will be part of the selection procedure.
Official start: December 2013 or January 2014
Deadline for applications: October the 22nd.
Further details are available here:
http://www.ceres.rub.de/en/news/all/en-20131002-job-index-buddhicus/
Please direct all enquires to Prof. Sven Bretfeld, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, FNO 01/176, 44780 Bochum.
sven.bretfeld[at]rub.de
Who are the Vedāntins?
Who wrote the following quotes?
There is an Upaniṣadic sayiong that the Brahman is one only, without a second. But the existence of something different than the Brahman refutes this. To this we say: in the mention of “without a second” what does the compound intend? Is it a tatpuruṣa or a bahuvrīhi (attributive compound)? […]
Moreover, which consciousness modifies itself (vivṛt-) in the form of the deployment (prapañca)? To begin with, it is not the notion of [simple objects] like a pot, since the [deployment] is seen also when such notions are not present. And since it is not the case that one can say that if such a notion were not produced, or if it were destroyed, the whole world would not exist. And if one were to say it, [one’s assertion] would be invalidated by one’s sense-perception. […]
If X appears without Y, even Y appears also without X. For instance, [a cloth] appearing even without a pot [and] a pot itself [appearing] without a cloth.
You have surely understood that we are within a Vedāntic framework (i.e.: using the Upaniṣads as one’s foundamental point of reference, evoking the brahman). What else?
Would you have understood that the framework is not-Advaitin? Probably so, given that the last verse mentioned refutes the sahopalambhaniyama (the rule according to which if two things are simultaneously grasped, like cognitions and external objects —which are only grasped through cognitions— they are not different). However, you might be surprised to know that the author is Yāmuna (in his Āgamaprāmāṇya).
In the light of that, what does the distinctive contribution of Śrī Rāmānuja consists in, apart from systematization and more accurate treatment of many detailed features?
You can read some more open questions on Rāmānuja by clicking on the category “Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta”.
Orality and definitive texts
Although Sanskritists know that the Veda was and is memorized in a way as to preserve all its features, it is hard not to think of oral texts as open texts. Especially performed texts tend to be conceived as texts which are open to modifications at each performance, whereas writing (and even more printing) tends to be hold responsible for the canonization of a single text. Reality is, thanks God, always more complex than theories about it.
Is peer-review the best way to get crap published?
If you are interested in the debate, read this post.
The post discusses the key topic of whether peer-review is really the best solution for controlling the quality of research. It seems that reviewers tend to express more often negative judgements in the case of broad theories they have objections to, rather than in the case of minor assessments. The result is the “triviality that many continental philosophers associate with analytic philosophy”. Are you among them? And how do you review articles?
Call for Papers SASA
Why a SASA (South Asian Studies Association) conference? Because the conferences about Asian studies are way too broad and South Asian specialists either don’t participate or come back dissatisfied. In case you are wondering: Classicists are also invited.
शब्दनित्यत्वविषये शबरवेदान्तदेशिकयोर् मतौ
मीमामसाशास्त्रे, सूत्रषु ६–२४ अनेकाः पूर्वपक्षाः (तेषामुत्तराणि च) कथ्यन्ते । शब्दः कर्तृक इति ते पूर्वपक्षिन मन्यन्ते । यद्येवं स्यात्, शब्दस्यार्थेन नित्यसम्बन्धो ऽप्यसम्भव एव । एतस्मात् करणात् ते पूर्वपक्षाः न मीमांसकानामुक्ताः, अपि तु नैयायिकादीनाम् ।
सूत्राणाम् १।१।६–११पर्यन्तात् शबरस्वामिनः भाष्यं स्वल्पमेव । श्रीवेदान्तदेशिकैस्तु स्फोटनिरासः, केषांचिच्चोपनिषद्वाक्यानां व्याख्यमपीह लिखितम् ।
६-सूत्रम् “कर्मैके तत्र दर्शनात्” इति । भाष्यपठणात्पूर्वम् “शब्द कर्म एव, इति केचिद्वदन्ति, क्रियानन्तरं शब्दस्य दर्श्नात्” इति मयावगतम् । शाबरभाष्ये ऽपि शब्दो ऽनित्यः क्रियमानत्वादिति व्याख्यातम् ।
श्रीवेदान्तदेशिकानां सेश्वरमीमांसायां तु “कर्म” इति शब्दस्य वाचक्तवं, न तु शब्द एव । “तत्र दर्श्नात्” इति च “संकेते सति वाचकत्वदर्शनात्” इति ।
यथा कात्यायनवार्त्तिके अादौ “सिद्ध शब्दस्यार्थेन संबन्धः“, तथा मीमांसासूत्रेषु १।१।१–१।१।५ अपि शब्दार्थसंबन्ध एव नित्यः, न तु शब्द स्वयम् । नैयायिकास्तु शब्द नाद एव इति मन्वानः शब्दस्यानित्यत्वं स्वीकुर्वन्ति ।
अतः मीमांसादृष्टौ वेदान्तदेशिकमतं युक्तमेव । नैयायिकदृष्टौ तु शबरस्वामिनः ।
एतस्मिन् “ब्लोगे” संस्कृत“पोस्ट्” मासे मासे प्रथमे सोमवासरे पठितव्यानि ।