Vinaire's Blog

Reference: Postulate Mechanics

The Vedic formula to understand the ultimate reality is ‘neti, neti’ (not this, not that).  Once one has the correct understanding of the ultimate reality one can make an effort to reach it.

In 5th century BCE, Buddha applied this formula and realized that ’neti,neti’ negates anything knowable, or anything that one can be aware of. This makes the ultimate reality ‘unknowable.’ You cannot talk about it because you don’t know what it is. 

Buddha referred to this understanding of ultimate reality as śūnyatā (“emptiness”). Thus, in Buddhism, liberation (nirvana) is the realization of emptiness—not clinging to any essence, eternal self, or absolute ground.

Buddha’s doctrine spread all over the world, but, within India itself, it got absorbed in Hinduism. 

In 8th venture CE, Adi Shankara used ‘neti, neti’ to popularize ultimate reality as BRAHMAN, the single, eternal, unchanging, non-dual consciousness—described as pure existence, consciousness, and bliss (“sat-cit-ananda”). It was different from the concept of śūnyatā (“emptiness”) of Buddha because Brahman was an identity. Thus, in Hinduism, liberation (moksha)  became realizing one’s identity as Brahman, dispelling the illusion of separation and duality. 

So, in Hinduism, a sense of identity was retained upon moksha. But, in Buddhism, no sense of identity was retained upon nirvana, Even the very self was extinguished.

When we compare the notion of ultimate reality of Buddha to that of Adi Shankara, we find that Buddha’s processing of ‘neti, neti’ goes farther and deeper than that of Adi Shankara.

Adi Shankara’s concept of ultimate reality is knowable as an eternal, unchanging identity; whereas, Buddha’s concept of the ultimate reality is Unknowable as per ‘neti, neti’ (not this, not that). 

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