Originally Posted by
devotee
Namaste Renuka,
There is no contradiction. You are using the logic wrongly and that is why this issue. Vedas is pranANam because Vedas only say that "Aham BrahAsmi" or "Thou art that" or whatever. This stage is where one has not yet realised the reality and has to depend upon PramANas available. In that state, Veda is PramANa. So, when a discussion takes place or argument has to be made on this issue, the Vedas have to be used as PramANa.
However, when the (Ultimate reality) state is realised, there is no need for any pramANa. Why ? Say, a man is has never ever tasted Sugar and before tasting he wants to make sure how it tastes. So, he must depend upon some external pramANa like a friend's assertion/testimony, writing in a book etc. However, when he tastes sugar and knows how it tastes, does he need any pramANa ? No !
I hope you know the difference between pre-requisite and pramANa. A pramANa may not be pre-requisite for anything to happen. Vedas tell you that "Everything is Brahman", "You are Brahman" etc. and that is to be used as PramANa as Vivekachudamani says. Now, the realisation of Brahman doesn't depend upon Veda's study or once written in Veda's everyone gets enlightenment. Reading in a book that Sugar is sweet, you may have this valid knowledge about taste of suger. However, reading book cannot give you the taste of sugar ! So, pramANa and pre-requisite for happening of an event are completely different things.
If you adopt a wrong way of reasoning, you will reach a wrong conclusion and that is what has happened here.
Guessing is full of hazard. Please stay away from it if you want to know the truth.
*******
Finally, there is very little common in what Buddha taught and what Advaita VedAnta teaches. Only when MahAyAn Buddhism came after the death of Buddha in the form of Diamond Sutras and Prajnaparamita, striking similarity between the two doctrines became prominent (Turiya state similar to Buddhahood). In spite of that, a great difference still remained : Absence of God (and also Self) in Buddhism and denying even the illusory existence of "self". The Ultimate state in Buddhism is Emptiness and it has not been deliberated upon in Buddhism how emptiness can give rise to this intelligent world. In Advaita, Self is equated with Fullness and not emptiness.
In fact, the similarity of Buddhahood with Turiya also is not the handiwork of Shankaracharya. This came in Atharva Veda (refer MAndukya Upanishad) and that happened long back before Shankara was even born.
OM
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