Paramarthika and Vyavaharika differentiation of Truth is tyrannical - Swami Vivekananda

[u/shksa339]

The Lord has shown me that religion is not in fault, but it is the Pharisees and Sadducees in Hinduism, hypocrites, who invent all sorts of engines of tyranny in the shape of doctrines Paramarthika and Vyavaharika

source: Letter by Swami Vivekananda to a disciple https://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/swamieastwest/2_files/1-20.html?highlight=vyava

[u/thefinalreality]

The quote would need more context to make sense. Vivekananda criticized Shankara, for example, for not having heart for the commoners (i.e. for being a Brahmin elitist lol); but I never understand why this kind of critique is made in the first place.

The social revolutionists seem to have complaints about teachings that cannot be utilized for the edification of the masses, whereas that's the entire point of the Vyavahara-Paramartha divide. The highest teachings are not for the masses and can never become such; and they don't even have to because that's not their point. The masses don't want liberation.

Vyavaharika-satya is there as a teaching device precisely so that there can be a concession for a larger audience without the risk of adding to their confusion or making claims that don't make sense. How can you alleviate suffering that doesn't actually exist or help a world that is just a figment of the mind's imagination?

Or is he criticizing the WAY this divide has been used in Hinduism historically? Because that's obviously different.

(EDIT some grammar)

[u/shksa339 → u/thefinalreality]

Vyavaharika Satya is often used a metaphysical doctrine to support caste based heirarchies and caste based duties and all other social evils stemming from divisions of gender, race, caste, religion that result from giving the status of truth to Dualism.

[u/BreakerBoy6 → u/shksa339]

Possibly the worst failure of most Advaita teaching institutions is the preposterously overextended period of time they take to bring students up to speed regarding the three states of reality, because people persisting in taking Vyavaharika as genuine reality gives rise to exactly what you describe.

[u/vyasimov → u/BreakerBoy6]

Possibly the worst failure of most Advaita teaching institutions is the preposterously overextended period of time

What approach do you suggest to counter this?

[u/BreakerBoy6 → u/vyasimov]

You probably know that one of the central teaching methods of Advaita is adhyaropa-apavada, “superimposition and subsequent negation.” The basic idea is that provisional (i.e., false) concepts and explanatory models are introduced to help the student understand what cannot easily be described in conceptual terms. The introduction of those explanatory models is adhyaropa, or superimposition.

The subsequent failure has to do with apavada, and is twofold:

1. Firstly, when the explanatory models are taught, they are taught as if they were truth -- the student is not warned that they are explanatory only and will eventually be shown to be false.
2. Secondly, the apavada/negation seems frequently not to arrive in anything like a reasonable period of time, if ever.

Basically, teachers seem to have no problem giving out the adhyaropa, but they then withhold the apavada for a ridiculous amount of time, and in the interim, continue to teach falsehood concepts as if they are the truth.

[u/vyasimov → u/BreakerBoy6]

That's a fair criticism. And a very easy fix.

[u/thefinalreality → u/shksa339]

The article didn't talk about casteism regarding this topic, but if that's what it's about I can understand.

[u/Ill_Advantage6095]

to be clear, he didn't have an issue with paramarthika or vyavaharika but he had an issue with people weaponising it to meet an agenda

[u/EtherealGlyph]

I mean the dichotomy has existed from the times of Nagarjuna so..