Vaisheshika

The Vaisheshika (Sanskrit, n, वैशेषिक, Vaisesika ) is one of the six classical systems of Indian philosophy. As the founder of the tradition is true in Canada, is said to have the Vaisheshika - Sutras. The time span of the Vaisheshika includes the first centuries BC to about 700 AD It is a natural-philosophical doctrine whose concern was the detection of natural phenomena.

Element Theory

In his theory of the elements that goes Vaisheshika of five elements: earth ( prithivi ), water ( apa ), fire ( teja ), air ( vayu ) and ether ( akasha ). These elements are characterized by certain properties. The earth resistance through the water by liquid fire by heat and the air by motion. In addition, the elements have a second set of properties which form the objects of sense-perception: form ( rupa ), taste ( rasa ), smell ( gandha ), touch ( Sparsha ) and sound ( shabda ). Earth has " form, taste, smell and touch ." Water has " shape, taste and touch ." Fire has " form and touch ." Wind has only " contact ". The object of the fifth sense, the "tone", has to support the fifth element, the ether, which has only this property. The remaining properties are not included in the ether. As the sound spreads out everywhere, it was assumed that the ether is all-pervading.

They tried to categorize the world of appearances by compiled lists to all features. For example, six kinds of taste ( rasa ) were adopted: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Extensive were the lists for the properties and contact form. Greater difficulties were preparing light and shadow. Gradually it was realized by that the shadow is nothing but the absence of light.

Man consists in the opinion of Vaisheshika of a body and a soul. The soul itself is the bearer of spiritual personality and it's also what about going the other on the death of one incarnation. The soul is also the carrier of mental functioning. A subtle body does not know the Vaisheshika. In addition to the soul there is only the gross body. This consists of earth. Earth is the element that most, namely, includes four features. The Vaisheshika showed from the earliest times to an aversion to the adoption of a mixture of elements. The plants were counted not among the living creatures. As beings who populate the world, gods, humans and animals were called ( with the gods employed However, if we only marginally ).

Atomic theory

One of the most notable lessons that the Vaisheshika has spawned, is the atomic theory: " When you share something, so this decomposition goes to the atom. Namely, one speaks of the atom ( paramanu, that is extremely small), because the sequence of smaller and smaller in the division here has an end, there is nothing more Smaller. If we decompose a clod of earth into its parts, so the following is getting smaller. " Atoms are the shape according to the same. In this case, they have certain characteristics, namely, the characteristics of that element.

Everything that happens is based on motion, on shock and counter- shock caused by eternal forces of nature. It is the movement that brings together the atoms, and things can occur. And it's moving again, which is beyond the cohesion of atoms so united and destroyed things.

Soul ideas

With regard to the conception of the soul, the Vaisheshika went through a development. The doctrine of a world soul it was strange at first, however, many individual souls were accepted. While in the early phase of the souls were seen as basically equivalent factors in the construction of the phenomenal world, they had later recognized as something essentially different. Instead of wandering in the cycle of body great souls the idea of ​​their infinite greatness and eternal stillness had come. After the properties had lost their fixed connection with the soul, the soul of the idea Vaisheshika resembled more and more of the but to take their ideas of redemption of Atman in the Upanishads without.

Theory of categories

The theory of categories represents the most important part of the Vaisheshika and builds on the earlier doctrine of elements. The Orthodox Vaisheshika system, as it represents Prashastapada ( 6th century AD), has six categories: substance, property, movement, community, particularity and inherence. All these categories are three features in common, the presence ( Astitvam ), the detectability ( Jneyatvam ) and the naming process ( Abhidheyatvam ). These categories are not separate entities, but different forms of being, which are only possible in conjunction with each other. The substances represent the carrier, and all other categories adhere to the substances. There are nine substances:

A) the elements of earth, water, fire and air. These are eternal in so far as they consist of atoms b ) ether, space and time are considered to be all-pervading, eternal and are one of each. c ) the souls, there are two kinds of souls, a soul that is all-knowing God, and a large number of individual souls. d) Manas, the thinking organ is assumed to be small atom and in as great a number as the souls, since every soul is a part of Manas, which establishes the connection between the soul and the outside world.

Theism

The idea of ​​Ishvara, a ruler of the world, is not explicitly mentioned in the Sutras of Canada. There are bodies acting in the opinion of commentators, of him as the author of the Veda. The moral world order and the conditional through it lawful course of the world process seem for Canada but solely and alone to explain the progressive force of good and evil deeds ( Adrishta ). Since there is no comment on the sutras, one can only assume that the adoption of a world ruler was left to the religious feelings of the individual. In a later explanation of the font Prashastapada (probably 5th century) is called for the first time in this system, the great Lord of the world ( Maheswara ) that sets the periodic creation and destruction of the world in motion. The commentators to Prashastapadas book, Udayana and Sridhara represented theism, which followed them all later commentators.