The University of Nalanda c16.24

c16.24

The first great champion of Non-dualism seems to have played a masterly game in popularising his doctrine. Knowing, as he did, the different tenets so well, he soon discovered the weakness of the Buddhist system. Non-belief in Soul was, he knew, one of the Achilles' heels of Buddhism; so also the theory of Śūnya or Void. How to convert the mass of people who were ingrained with the doctrine, yet sceptic and tired of it, was the problem with him. He was really a genius and acted most ingeniously. He propounded once again the theory of Ātmā, and side by side preached that the world was all Māyā, illusion, false from esoteric viewpoint, but true from strictly exoteric view. He thus effected a compromise between the extreme Nihilism of Nāgārjuna, Idealism of Asaṅga and the Realism of other Brāhmanic theories. And in support, like a clever and pious Jew, quoted scriptures—the Upanisads. Thus the literate as well as the illiterate found what they sought for. There was a personal god for the masses; and for the cultured few the improved edition of Śūnya as well as the reaffirmation, and reassertion of the theory of Ātman.