The essential difference between the philosophers of The East and The West lies in fact that while those in the East relie on Direct Experience more, while those of the West go through Reason(Rationalists)
True there are also philosophers called Empiricists, who rely on Empirical experience,starting from John Locke.
But their experience is limited to Experience as a Tool and not anything more.
In India the experience which the Philosophers speak of is the actual feeling of Oneness with the Reality.
In the sixteenth century there was a reassessment of Scientific thoughts and Philosophy.
Though most of the earlier thoughts of Socrates, Aristotle and Plato were accepted, the Philosophers wanted to reason them out.
Also there was the Church Dogma.
In came Rene Descartes,a Great Mathematicians(Nearly all great Philosophers were great Mathematicians too,Descartes, Locke, Leibniz,Spinoza, Pythagoras,Bertrand Russel).
He wanted to find the Truth of the origin of the World.
He started by questioning his beliefs, for , to him, they were planted in his Mind by others.
He tested the senses , found that they do not give out the facts exactly(ex.You dip your hands in cold water, then in hot water;the warm water takes more time to be felt as warm, similarly with Cold water:another instance he quotes is that of a Man with jaundice, for him the World is Yellow-which it is not).
Therefore he discounted the senses as well.
In the same vein he discounted and rejected all the sources of Knowledge.
Then he observes,
Cogito ergo sum (French: “Je pense donc je suis“; English: “I think, therefore I am”)
“Ac proinde hæc cognitio, ego cogito, ergo sum, est omnium prima & certissima, quæ cuilibet ordine philosophanti occurrat.”
English: “This proposition, I think, therefore I am, is the first and the most certain which presents itself to whoever conducts his thoughts in order.”-Principles of Philosophy ,Rene Descartes.
that is you can doubt everything but never the fact that You Doubt.
Doubting implies a Doubter,
Thinker implies a Thinker,
So, ‘I Think, Therefore I am’
This has become the bedrock of Western Thought.
Now Sankaracharya,though a strict Vedantin , Gnana Yogi and Bhakthi Yogi takes the route of Skepticism to prove the existence of the Reality quite effortlessly.
Look at these lines.
”
Mano-Buddhy-Ahangkaara Cittaani Naaham
Na Ca Shrotra-Jihve Na Ca Ghraanna-Netre |
Na Ca Vyoma Bhuumir-Na Tejo Na Vaayuh
Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||1||Meaning:
1.1: Neither am I the Mind nor Intelligence or Ego,
1.2: Neither am I the organs of Hearing (Ears), nor that of Tasting (Tongue), Smelling (Nose) or Seeing (Eyes),
1.3: Neither am I the Sky, nor the Earth, Neither the Fire nor the Air,
1.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,Atma Shatakam or Nirvana Shatakam Sloka 1
Exactly what Descartes speaks of.
But the destination of Descartes was different.
But the method for the existence of the Self is the same.
Descartes assigns Two Realities Mind and Matter and brings in God in his Philosophy,Idealism
.
http://ramanisblog.in/2013/04/29/eighteen-principles-one-verse-nirvana-shatakam-adi-sankara/
http://ramanisblog.in/2013/04/29/who-owns-the-world-isa-upanishad-1/
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- Eighteen Principles ,One Verse Nirvana Shatakam Adi Sankara (ramanan50.wordpress.com)
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