116 CONCEPTIONS OF ULTIMATE REALITYa person is, and thus two quite different views of what it is for a person to be the
same person at one time as at another.
Conclusion
Three nonmonotheistic views of ultimate reality have been described. For one,
what exists is simply and only a qualityless being, nirguna Brahman.^37 For
another, what exists are minds and physical elements. On both views, what is
ultimate is incomposite (not made of parts) and independent (not depending for
its existence on anything). For a third view, what is ultimate are physical and
mental states, each momentary, transitory, and impermanent. Here ultimate
bears the sense of incomposite but not of independent, as each state is conceived
as existing dependently on other states. Nothing is thought to have existential
independence.
Questions for reflection
1 Why, in the end, do analogies to perceptual experience, whether simple or
complex, fail to communicate the core of Advaita Vedanta doctrine?
2 What does Advaita Vedanta doctrine affirm? What does it deny?
3 Explain the Jain account of persons, and its implications for action,
memory, and personal identity.
4 Explain the Buddhist account of persons, and its implications for action,
memory, and personal identity.
Annotated reading
Basham, A. L. (1951) History and Doctrine of the Ajivikas, London: Luzac Press. Good
discussion of the doctrinal content and historical development of the Jain tradition.
Chatterjee, Satischandra and Datta, Dhirendramohan (1950) An Introduction to Indian
Philosophy, Calcutta: University of Calcutta Press. A good general treatment of the
various Indian philosophical systems; goes into more detail than a typical introduction.
Jaini, P. (1979) The Jaina Path of Perfection, Berkeley: University of California Press. A
comprehensive account of Jain thought.
Mookerji, Satkari (1944) The Jaina Philosophy of Non-Absolutism, Calcutta: Bharati
Mahavidyalaya. Good account of Jain doctrine with emphasis on one interpretation of
Jain thought on which it sees claims as relative to perspectives; it is controversial as to
whether this reading is correct.
Phillips, Steven (1995) Classical Indian Metaphysics, La Salle, IL: Open Court. Nice
discussions of issues and systems.