[Buddha-l] Re: Emptiness

[Mr Michael A. La Torra]

As Richard has already pointed out, "Emptiness has no connection at all 
with the four-stage model of
Sankara's interpretation of the upanishads."

But that's not the only complication in using the waking, dream, deep 
sleep and Turiya model. In Advaita Vedanta there is also said to be 
Turiyatita ("beyond the fourth"), the utterly transcendent state 
described in the Turiyatita-Avadhuta Upanishad. The existence of this 
5th state implies that one does not merely "wake up" from the dream of 
ordinary life into Turya, but must in turn awaken from the latter state 
into a deeper (or deepest) state.

Here's a useful quote from Sri Nisargadatta on this subject:

"In the Supreme the witness appears. The witness creates the person and 
thinks itself as separate from it. The witness sees that the person 
appears in consciousness, which again appears in the witness. This 
realization of the basic unity is the working of the Supreme. It is the 
power behind the witness, the source from which all flows. It cannot be 
contacted, unless there is unity and love and mutual help between the 
person and the witness, unless doing is in harmony with the being and 
the knowing. The Supreme is both the source and the fruit of such 
harmony. As I talk to you, I am in the state of detached but 
affectionate awareness (turiya) . When this awareness turns upon 
itself, you may call it the Supreme State (turiyatita). But the 
fundamental reality is beyond awareness, beyond the three states of 
becoming, being and not-being."

[from http://www.srinisargadatta.com/realisation.htm ]



>Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 11:25:13 -0400
>From: mc1 at aol.com
>Subject: [Buddha-l] Emptiness
>
>I have a class coming up on Emptiness and intend to use the Advaita
>Vedanta model of waking, dream, deep sleep and Turiya. Where each satta 
has its
>own individuality/ego (viswa, taijasa, prajna) - waking is no different 
from
>dream (with technical exception); dream is the same and different from 
deep
>sleep. But deep sleep is what? Sankara says Consciousness (with a tricky
>difference). His evidence is waking up with the memory of a good sleep. 
Thus memory = Consciousness. How might Madhayamika relate Emptiness to 
this model? 
>
>Â 


---------------------------
Regards,
Michael LaTorra
mlatorra at nmsu.edu
College Associate Professor
Department of English
New Mexico State University