Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self: The School of Recognition on Linguistics and Philosophy of Mind PDF
Preview Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self: The School of Recognition on Linguistics and Philosophy of Mind
Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self This book examines the theory of consciousness developed by the school of Recognition, an Indian philosophical tradition that thrived around the tenth c. CE in Kashmir, and argues that consciousness has a linguistic nature. It situates the doctrines of the tradition within the broader Indian philosophical context and establishes connections with the contemporary analytic debate. The book focuses on Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta (tenth c. CE), two Hindu intellectuals belonging to the school of Recognition, Pratyabhijñā in Sanskrit. It argues that these authors promoted ideas that bear a strong resemblance with contemporary ‘higher-order theories’ of consciousness. In addition, the book explores the relationship between the thinkers of the school of Recognition and the thought of the grammarian and philosopher Bhartṛhari (fifth c. CE). The book bridges a gap that still exists between scholars engaged with Western traditions and Sanskrit specialists focused on textual materials. In doing so, the author uses concepts from contemporary philosophy of mind to illustrate the Indian arguments and an interdisciplinary approach with abundant reference to the original sources. Offering fresh information to historians of Indian thought, the book will also be of interest to academics working on Non-Western Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, Religion, Hinduism, Tantric Studies, and South Asian Studies. Marco Ferrante is a specialist in Indian philosophy, with a special focus on epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of language. He was Berggruen Fellow in Comparative Philosophy at the University of Oxford, UK. Routledge Hindu Studies Series Series Editor: Gavin Flood Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies The Routledge Hindu Studies Series, in association with the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, intends the publication of constructive Hindu theological, philo- sophical and ethical projects aimed at bringing Hindu traditions into dialogue with contemporary trends in scholarship and contemporary society. The series invites original, high quality, research level work on religion, culture and soci- ety of Hindus living in India and abroad. Proposals for annotated translations of important primary sources and studies in the history of the Hindu religious tradi- tions will also be considered. Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism in Bengal Social Impact and Historical Implications Joseph T. O’Connell, edited by Rembert Lutjeharms Vedic Practice, Ritual Studies and Jaimini’s Mīmāṃsāsūtras Dharma and the Enjoined Subject Samuel G. Ngaihte The Legacy of Vaiṣṇavism in Colonial Bengal Edited by Ferdinando Sardella and Lucian Wong Salvation in Indian Philosophy Perfection and Simplicity for Vaiśeṣika Ionut Moise The Goddess and The Sun in Indian Myth Power, Preservation and Mirrored Māhātmyas in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa Raj Balkaran Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self The School of Recognition on Linguistics and Philosophy of Mind Marco Ferrante For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ asianstudies/series/RHSS Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self The School of Recognition on Linguistics and Philosophy of Mind Marco Ferrante First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 Marco Ferrante The right of Marco Ferrante to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-0-367-51794-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-05853-3 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Apex CoVantage, LLC Contents Acknowledgments vi List of abbreviations viii Introduction 1 1 Historical and philosophical contexts 10 2 The Buddhist doctrine of non-self 26 3 The true nature of self-awareness 38 4 Self-awareness: Pratyabhijñā’s forerunners 50 5 A linguistic consciousness 63 6 Subjectivity and first-person stance 82 7 Self 91 Epilogue 109 Appendix: translations 113 Bibliography 137 Index 154 Acknowledgments This book has been researched and written at two different institutions, the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna and Wolfson College, University of Oxford. I am grateful to the Forderung Wissenchafts Funds (FWF) and the Berggruen Founda- tion for having financially supported me throughout the time I have worked on this book and for allowing me to pursue my research interests in such inspirational environments. In Vienna, my sincere gratitude goes to the three directors of the Institute of Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia (IKGA), with whom I had the privilege to work: the greatly missed Helmut Krasser, Vincent Eltschinger, and Birgit Kellner. They have provided me with intellectual and practical sup- port all through the almost five years I spent at the Institute, without the slightest doubt one of the most constructive and happiest periods of my life. I am particu- larly grateful to Vincent for allowing me to join the IKGA as a young post-doc researcher in one of his projects and to both him and Birgit for their support, guid- ance, and friendship that are still lively and ongoing. My sincere gratitude goes also to Marion Rastelli and Isabelle Ratié for having involved me in the FWF-funded project ‘A Śaiva Interpretation of the Buddhist Theory of Exclusion’. The undertaking was originally meant to inves- tigate Pratyabhijñā’s treatment of the Buddhist theory of apoha. Upon Isabelle’s appointment as professor in Paris, I was allowed to step in and to turn the project into an investigation of the relationship between Bhartṛhari and the Śaiva school. The first seeds of this book were sown in the two years I spent working under Marion’s supervision. In Oxford, I am obliged to the Wolfson College for providing me a wonder- ful working environment and in particular to Richard Sorabji for his generous, friendly support and for the fascinating discussions we had during our ‘philosoph- ical lunches’. I am likewise filled with gratitude for Diwakar Acharya and his stu- dents at Oxford’s Faculty of Oriental Studies. Re-reading with them Utpaladeva’s kārikās during Hilary Term 2019 has given me new insights into the text and much food for thought. Several friends and colleagues have helped me in one way or another over the course of the years. I am particularly thankful to Elisa Freschi for back- ing and appreciating my work since the very beginning. I am also indebted to Daniele Cuneo, Hugo David, Camillo Alessio Formigatti, Alessandro Graheli, Acknowledgments vii Patrick McAllister, Nina Mirnig, Cristina Pecchia, Gianni Pellegrini, Ernst Prets, and Toshikazu Watanabe. Furthermore, I am grateful to Routledge’s anonymous reviewer for the helpful suggestions and constructive criticism. Last but absolutely not least, this book could not have been possible without the encouragement and support of my teachers. I had the enormous privilege to be first exposed to the doctrines of the Pratyabhijñā through the teaching of Raffaele Torella, the world-leading expert on the topic. His dedication, the way in which he compounds a highly specialist expertise with the capability to situate ideas well beyond the original context, together with an innate ability to speak to the hearts of his students, have been and will always remain a source of inspiration. I am likewise greatly indebted to Vincenzo Vergiani. Many moons ago, he ignited in me the passion for Bhartṛhari, and he has gently guided me through the process of learning how to approach a difficult author. I still owe to him uncountable sugges- tions and insights on various aspects of my work. In the end, this book came to combine the main research interests of my gūrūs. In classical India, it was quite standard practice for a pupil to discuss the work of his teacher(s) later in life. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have not been able to follow this (wise) approach. I hope nonetheless to have been able to achieve at least something close to the high scholarly standard of Raffaele and Vincenzo. On a more personal level, I will be forever thankful to Gino, Rosa, Gaetano, Antonietta, Aldo, Maria, Roberto, Mimma, Sandro, Stefania, and Laura. This book is dedicated to Mara, Federico, and Alessandro: “il mio universo in voi”. Abbreviations ABh Abhinavabharati of Abhinavagupta ĪPK Īśvarapratyabhijñākārikā of Utpaladeva ĪPKVṛ Īśvarapratyabhijñākārikā–Vṛtti of Utpaladeva ĪPV Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī of Abhinavagupta ĪPVV Īśvara-pratyabhijñāvivṛtivimarśinī of Abhinavagupta MA Madhyamakālaṃkāra of Śāntarakṣita MK Mūlamadhyamakakārikā of Nāgārjuna NS Nyāyasūtra of Gautama NSB Nyāyasūtrabhāṣya of Vātsyāyana PS Pramāṇasamuccaya of Dignāga PSV Pramāṇasamuccaya–Vṛtti of Dignāga PV Pramāṇavārttika of Dharmakīrti PVin Pramāṇaviniścaya of Dharmakīrti ŚD Śivadṛṣṭi of Somānanda Sp.Kā Spandakārikas of Bhaṭṭa Kallaṭa ŚSū Śivasūtras of Vasugupta TS Tattvasaṃgraha of Śāntarakṣita TSP Tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā of Kamalaśīla VP Vākyapadīya of Bhartṛhari VPVṛ Vākyapadīya–Vṛtti Introduction Consciousness is possibly the most decisive feature of mind and surely the most puzzling. Its definition has long been a philosophical concern, and it is today one of the most hotly discussed questions in philosophy of mind and cognitive sciences. Whether conceived as an ability that is explainable in terms of brain activity or as a peculiar capacity that is impossible to reduce to physical processes, consciousness is still resisting a shared definition. This book analyzes the way in which some classical Indian philosophers living in the second half of the first millennium CE discussed the problem of conscious- ness and produced sophisticated and original insights on its nature.1 Its main characters are authors who belonged to the so-called ‘School of the Recognition’ (Pratyabhijñā in Sanskrit), a Śaiva religious–philosophical tradition that flourished in Kashmir between the ninth and the eleventh c. CE. The main exponents of the school, Utpaladeva (925–975) and Abhinavagupta (975–1025), were primarily prompted by apologetic reasons, that is, by the desire to defend the idea of person- hood, of self, from the sharp criticism the Buddhist traditions had voiced against the notion for centuries. With this basic purpose in mind, these authors devel- oped an innovative discourse on consciousness that was arguably one of the most refined in the premodern world. The main claim of this book is that Utpaladeva, the leading theoretician of the school, proposed a theory of consciousness that today would be categorized as a higher-order one. This means that he conceived consciousness as the result of the activity of second-order mental states operat- ing on first-order ones, which are those that directly derive from experience. In addition, Utpaladeva regarded this activity as conceptual and language depend- ent, thus arriving at the conclusion the consciousness has ultimately a linguistic nature. Finally, he also clearly claimed that mentality is an inherent component of all things, thus endorsing a form of panpsychism. In drawing part of this pic- ture, Utpaladeva was heavily influenced by the ideas of an earlier philosopher, the grammarian Bhartṛhari (460–510). All this results in a complex and intellectually engaging situation, in which the Pratyabhijñā thinkers formulated their theories in opposition to those advanced by the Buddhists but with the crucial support of notions that are traceable to the work of Bhartṛhari. Accordingly, to appraise the originality of Utpaladeva’s philosophy of consciousness, it is absolutely vital to keep in mind the contributions of the two other parties of our story.
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