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Samkara: The Indian Philosopher

It is generally thought that Samkara (sometimes spelled Sankara or Shamkara) was born on the West Coast of the Indian peninsula in 680 A.D. Early in his youth he showed promise as a scholar, devouring with great enthusiasm the writings and ideas of Vedic learning. He studied under the philosopher, Gaudapada, who taught him the central principles of the Advaita system. Avaita is the term given to the school of Vedanta philosophy which says that there is only one reality--the Brahman (the Hindu creator)--and that any other way of viewing reality with multiplicity is merely illusion.

Samkara was a prodigy. He had early in his life a distinct view of the beauty and holiness of life, and he traveled from place to place, engaging himself with leaders of many schools of thought. Sankara established four monasteries, one in the Mysore Province, and the others at Puri, Dvaraka, and Badarinath in the Himalayas. Several sources agree on one incident which seems to portray Samkara's youthful brashness and enthusiasm. He performed the funeral rites for his own mother in open defiance of the rules of his order, the Sannyasins. He is sometimes thought to be lacking in color and joy of living, but this is often said of those who follow a life of high spiritualism.

His greatest achievement was the development of the Avaita system which was a way of reconciling the contemporary standards of knowledge and ancient beliefs. Although Buddhism was already declining, Samkara incorporated many of the tenets of Buddhism into his own teachings, compiling the best of all philosophies and religions that were available at the time to into a system that was understandable and workable for many people. According to legend, Samkara died at the age of thirty-two. His diverse gifts took him into the domains of the philosopher, poet, savant, saint, mystic, and religious reformer. In many ways he has been regarded as a universal mind because he was...

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Samkara: The Indian Philosopher. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:57, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1681146.html