Mysticisme Et Rationalite En Inde Le Cas Du Vaisesika

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided text, focusing on Johannes Bronkhorst's exploration of mysticism and rationality in India, specifically through the lens of the Vaiśeṣika school:

The text, "Mysticisme et Rationalité en Inde: Le Cas du Vaiśeṣika" by Johannes Bronkhorst, delves into the complex relationship between mysticism and rationality in ancient India, challenging Western assumptions about their opposition.

Bronkhorst begins by differentiating two common understandings of "mysticism":

1. Mystical Thought: This refers to philosophical or scientific theories that posit occult qualities or mysterious agents beyond rational explanation. By definition, this is opposed to rationality.
2. Mystical Experience: This refers to altered states of consciousness, often ecstatic experiences interpreted religiously. Bronkhorst argues that there's no inherent reason for mystical experience to be opposed to rationality, a view not prevalent in ancient India.

He then examines the presence of "mystical thought" in ancient India, citing the Brāhmaṇas as a prime example. These Vedic texts reveal a search for deeper reality through ritual, suggesting "the gods love what is hidden." However, Bronkhorst notes that the authors of these texts didn't necessarily seek altered states of consciousness, demonstrating that mystical thought and mystical experience are not intrinsically linked.

Addressing the difficulty of identifying "mystical experience" in ancient Indian texts due to the lack of personal narratives and the prevalence of generalized descriptions, Bronkhorst points to the Upaniṣads. While often associated with mysticism, the figures are legendary, and their insights, like the identity of the self and Brahman, can be seen as extensions of earlier magical identifications rather than necessarily requiring mystical experiences.

Despite these challenges, Bronkhorst asserts that mystical experiences were sought and occurred in ancient India. This is supported by the emphasis on withdrawal from society for spiritual goals, introspection, and the introduction of techniques (likely influenced by Buddhism) to access altered states of consciousness.

The interpretation of these experiences, Bronkhorst notes, is always culturally and religiously contextualized. The primary goal of Indian mystics is liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara), which is driven by karma. This liberation is achieved by realizing that the true self (soul) is inherently inactive and distinct from all activities, including mental ones.

Bronkhorst then explores how Indian rational thought reacted to these mystical pursuits. He finds that rational philosophical systems were adept at incorporating mystical experiences and developing frameworks to explain them. All orthodox Hindu philosophical systems, including Sāmkhya and Vaiśeṣika, address this, offering diverse solutions and positing their study as a prerequisite for liberation.

The author then focuses on the Vaiśeṣika school, often perceived as primarily a philosophy of natural science. Vaiśeṣika is characterized by its highly rational approach, aiming to provide a comprehensive inventory of reality through categories like substance, quality, and action. It meticulously enumerates and subdivides these categories.

Crucially, Vaiśeṣika attempts to explain the spiritual realm using the same categories as the physical world. The soul (ātman) is a primary substance, conceived as omnipresent and eternal. Qualities inherent to the soul include knowledge, happiness, pain, desire, effort, virtue, sin, and latent impressions, which collectively form a basic psychology explaining actions, karma, and rebirth.

Bronkhorst presents a passage from the Padārthadharmasangraha (c. 6th century CE) illustrating the Vaiśeṣika path to liberation. This involves understanding the six categories, leading to the cessation of passion, virtue, and sin, ultimately resulting in the soul's separation from the body and the cessation of rebirth, described as a state of tranquility like "a fire whose fuel has been consumed." This liberation involves the soul divesting itself of all its qualities, including consciousness and happiness.

He then analyzes a passage from the same text that mentions yogis gaining direct cognition of reality through yoga, including subtle and hidden objects. This highlights that while Vaiśeṣika aims for a rational understanding, it acknowledges experiences beyond ordinary senses, using them to validate its rational system rather than introducing concepts outside of reason. This suggests that the study of Vaiśeṣika is not necessarily sufficient for liberation on its own but requires integration with religious activities, particularly yoga.

Bronkhorst addresses the scholarly debate about whether the concept of liberation is a later addition to the Vaiśeṣika system, with some arguing that it originally focused solely on understanding the natural world. He examines the issue of the size of the soul, with the classical view being omnipresent, while early Vaiśeṣika is sometimes argued to have held the soul to be finite. This distinction is relevant because liberation is achieved when the inactive soul is realized; an infinite soul is immobile, whereas a finite soul might be seen as moving with the body.

He analyzes specific sūtras (VS 5.2.18-20) that have been interpreted as suggesting a finite soul and movement. However, Bronkhorst argues, based on an interpretation by Bhartṛhari (5th century CE), that these sūtras likely refer to an omnipresent soul having special, "possessor-possession" type contacts with a particular body, and that "invisible" is invoked to explain these special contacts, not soul movement itself. Crucially, these sūtras, as interpreted, also include a concept of liberation.

Bronkhorst concludes that there's no strong reason to doubt that these sūtras formed an original unit, reflecting a belief in an omnipresent soul and the goal of liberation. He also points to parallel sūtras defining yoga (VS 5.2.15-17) and suggests that yoga and liberation were not later additions. Furthermore, he references research indicating that a form of yogic perception was accepted in early Vaiśeṣika, weakening the argument for later additions.

In essence, Bronkhorst's analysis suggests that the Vaiśeṣika school, despite its highly rational framework, was not divorced from the mystical currents of ancient India. It incorporated the pursuit of mystical experiences and the goal of liberation, integrating them within its logical and systematic worldview. The text argues against a rigid dichotomy between mysticism and rationality, demonstrating how they could coexist and inform each other within Indian philosophical traditions.