Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

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henroguy
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Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by henroguy »

I'm making a paper that proposes that the Universe is analog (unbroken, interconnected) in nature, manifesting itself as digital reality (discrete, separate from each other). But for my proposal to stand, I have to provide an example of prime analogness which I interpret as the Saguna Brahma concept of Hinduism. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Saguna Brahma concept requires a Nirguna Brahma concept which is Something non-dual/quality-less. So I support the Nirguna Bramha concept by equating it to the Tao concept of Taoism which is Something "nameless" and "only follows Itself".

Is the Buddhist "Sunya" (Void) the same as Hindu "Nirguna" and the Taoist "Tao" ? If yes, it will be consistent with Hindu and Taoist observations. If not, how does it relate to Nirguna and Saguna ?

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Wayfarer
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Re: Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by Wayfarer »

I think you would have to be a Sanskrit expert to really conduct such an analysis. (I'm not saying that as a Sanskrit expert" although I have studied fhe language). But there are very many differences between the Advaita and Buddhist views which are practically imperceptible outside the culture in which those debates took place. So from a 'universalist' perspective, it is always possible to argue that the different formulations are 'many paths up the mountain' or variations on a theme. But the advocates for the different schools will generally object to those kinds of analogies. After all thy spent centuries debating their differences and refining them, so it won't do to say they are really 'talking about the same subject'. So I think the case is quite easy to make from the viewpoint of comparative studies, but whether that would impress any of the traditional exponents of such views,who after all are the custodians of them in some sense, is a different matter.

So my suggestion is that you could use the examples that you mentioned, but I would be very careful about conflating them. I think you need to respect their differences.
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
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Astus
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Re: Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by Astus »

Emptiness (sunyata) in Buddhism means that things don't have a self-nature (svabhava). Emptiness is not a thing or being, it is the fact that things themselves are dependently arisen without a substance. So, it is not like Nirguna Brahman and/or the Tao at all.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
greentara
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Re: Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by greentara »

'Nirguna', the supreme reality without form, quality, attribute) signifies in Hindu philosophy that which pervades the Universe, considered without qualities (guna), as in the Advaita school or else as without material form, as in Advaita Vedanta, it is important to note it is neither Male nor female, beyond both.
Perhaps 'sunya' emptyness is a good way to describe it.
Jinzang
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Re: Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by Jinzang »

It's a good question. As I've said before, the difference between Hinduism and Buddhism is that where Hinduism sees an indescribable something, Buddhism sees an absence of anything.
"It's as plain as the nose on your face!" Dottie Primrose
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Huifeng
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Re: Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by Huifeng »

If it's nirguna brahma (or saguna brahma), then it's not sunya.

~~ Huifeng
Nikolay
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Re: Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by Nikolay »

Maybe ideas like tathagatagarbha, dharmakaya or dharmadhatu are more relevant to this question than emptiness?
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Rakshasa
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Re: Is Buddhist "Sunya" the same as Hindu "Nirguna" ?

Post by Rakshasa »

You should be careful in this subject because most of the Hinduism that you see today includes:

1. Obsolete Vedic ritualism.
2. Philosophical traditions like Advaita Vedanta.
3. Shamanistic traditions of worship of various different "Hindu" gods and goddess.
4. Tantrism

OUt of these (1) has nothing to do with Buddhism or Shramanism, (2) was heavily influenced by Buddhism, (3) again has nothing to do with Buddhism just like how Shintoism has nothing to do with Buddhism, and (4) was again heavily influenced by Buddhist Vajrayana.

So before comparing Hinduism and Buddhism, you should clearly mark the historical context along with clearly defining what you mean by "Hinduism".
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