Towards a Tantric Nondualist Ethics through Abhinavagupta's Notion of Rasa
The Journal of Hindu Studies October 1, 2011 DOI: 10.1093/jhs/hir032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 4 |
| Key points | Argues that Abhinavagupta's aesthetics, especially the link between the emotional experience of art and a process of universalisation, offers a compelling basis for ethical relations toward others within a nondualist philosophy, countering Paul Hacker's claim that nondualist Indian traditions cannot support ethics inspired by the Other. |
Abstract
In a famous pronouncement on the defects of India’s monistic traditions, the German scholar Paul Hacker declared that advaita, or nondualist, traditions could never achieve the ethical pre-eminence of Christianity since in the ultimate analysis, in a world where all is ultimately the ‘absolute one’, there is no room for the ethical engagement inspired by the Other. This article explores what I suggest is a highly nuanced and compelling understanding of the ethical relationship between a self and the other within the context of a nondualist Indian thinker. Specifically, I propose that the writing of the tenth century Tantric philosopher, Abhinavagupta, on aesthetics, offers a way into understanding how a nondualist philosophy might address the ethical complexity of human interrelations. I suggest that the link he makes between the emotional and subjective experience of art to a process of universalisation is especially compelling as the basis for ethical relations towards others.