Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s8.t2.6

v1.c7.s8.t2.6

**Samsara concept in Astikya** - About 300 BCE to early CE, Brahmanism developed “Astikya”, namely Sankhya, Yoga, Vaishesika, Nyaya, Mimamsa and Vedanta. In Samsara concept, Vedanta inherits the core idea of ancient scripture of Brahmanism. Its famous ideologist Sankaracarya (788-820 CE) adhered to the thought that “Brahman and Atman are one” in Upanishad, and thought that Brahman was same with the phenomenal world composed of innumerable ego and related things in nature. Everything in the world is Brahman in nature, and if people fail to realise it, they will get caught into ignorance and Samsara. Mimamsa holds that what makes people fall into the Samsara are proper dharma and improper dharma, and what produces proper dharma and improper dharma is behaviour (karma). If people want to jump out of Samsara, they should not hate the troubles confronted in the world, and realise that happiness is always associated with pain, and that they should give up enjoyment, so no karma will be produced, and “Atman” will no longer return to Samsara. According to *Samkhya*, Samsara is the combination of two entities - Prakriti and Purusha, divides Samsara into natural law, animal law and humanity, and believes that everything in Samsara is painful in nature. The way to be free from pain is to eliminate the mistaken understanding, make Prakriti and Purusha survive alone, in this way, Samsara can be eliminated. The Samsara concept of Yoga is similar to that of *Samkhya*, which thinks that everything in Samsara is painful. If people want to jump out of it, it is necessary to eliminate ignorance and practice yoga to achieve liberation. Vaisesika believes that the state of Samsara is the combination of “Atman” and the body, which results from the ‘invisible force”. Invisible force is generated by man’s good and evil behaviour. If there is no invisible force, there is also not the combination of “Atman” and the body; thus, no body will appear, so it will annihilate Samsara. Nyaya believes that the state of Samsara is “pain”. Pain evolves from “rebirth”, rebirth from “behaviour” (proper dharma and improper dharma), behaviour from “negligence”, and negligence from mistaken understanding. When people obtain the “correct understanding”, the mistaken understanding will disappear, thus, no mistaken understanding means no negligence, no negligence means no behaviour, no behaviour means no rebirth, and finally, no rebirth means no pain. Nyaya holds that to get the correct understanding is key to get rid of pain. Mistake and mistaken thought lead to Samsara, and the way to correct it is to obtain the “correct understanding”, thereby eliminating negligence and getting rid of Samsara.