Tag Archives: Śaṅkara

The Role of Language and Silence

Posted on October 19, 2025 by Vajragoni

The problem of language is as old as philosophy itself, and nowhere is this problem more acute than in the spiritual traditions of India and East Asia. To speak of the Absolute is already to betray it, for the very act of naming establishes boundaries, predicates, and relations that the Absolute does not admit. Yet, to remain wholly silent is equally impossible, for silence alone does not guide, does not liberate, and cannot awaken one who is still lost in the dream of ignorance. Thus the masters of both Advaita Vedānta and Unborn Mind Zen confront an enduring paradox: words must be used, but used only in such a way that they reveal their own insufficiency. read more

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The Sacred Doctrine of Brahman and Absolute Nothingness in Advaita Vedānta (Part One)

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Vajragoni
  1. Setting the Stage: Advaita’s Vision of Reality

If Unborn Mind Zen offers us the language of Suchness and the Unborn, Advaita Vedānta offers us a parallel but distinct vocabulary: Brahman, the Absolute. For Advaita, the ultimate aim of human life is not simply liberation from suffering, but the realization that one’s deepest Self (Ātman) is identical with Brahman, the unconditioned ground of being. read more

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Śaṅkara

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Vajragoni

Before the continuation of our series, reference needs to be made to the most renowned exponent of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, Adi Śaṅkara (700-750 CE), since we shall be utilizing from time to time his commentary on the Māṇḍukya Kārikā. Some have placed his death at 32 years of age but the dates, 700-750, grounded in modern scholarship, are more widely acceptable. He wrote numerous works during his brief stay on this earth, but his monumental work, Brahmasūtrabhāṣya , is considered to be second to none in Indian metaphysics. His teacher was Govinda, who in turn was originally taught by Gauḍapāda. His primary assent to truth is psychological and religious rather than logical; thus, he is perhaps best known as a prominent religious teacher rather than a philosopher in today’s modern terminology. read more

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