Sankhya religion and philosophy

Sankhya

In the discipline of philosophy, there are hundreds of schools of thought, ranging from Buddhism to Confucianism to Vendanta to many others. Whereas some philosophies lean heavily on theological principles, others borrow from more metaphysics or aesthetic principles. Still others, however, are based on combined principles of logic, calculation, reason, and rationality, combined with concepts of theology. Sankhya, a version of the Hindu philosophies, is one such school of thought. However, Sankhya is unique, in that while metaphysical, the philosophy is nearly completely independent, with no theological appearance (Leaman, 159).

Sankhya philosophy, also know as Samkhya, is a philosophical school of thought that focuses on the view of the self in terms of two ultimate realities, those of the Purusha and the Prakriti. The Purusha is the pure consciousness, and lacks any real substance. It is based only in the psychophysical reality and is, in other words, only the pure subject. The Prakriti, on the other hand, is an unconscious psychophysical substance. The Prakriti is only brought to light if it is observed by the Purusha. In other words, the Prakriti is the object (Allen, 122).

The philosophy of Sankhya believes only in three sources of information, those of reliable tradition, inference, and perception. According to the belief, we only use inference if perception is unavailable, and only use tradition if both inference and perception are unavailable. To explain further, perception is the understanding of such sensible elements as color and sound which translate to an understanding of such elements as earth and water. This is an intricate progression, where the senses analyze the object of attention through the physical world, such as through touch or by taste (Larson, 52).

To understand perception in the philosophy of Sankhya, one must first understand the relationship between senses and cognition. In Sankhya, the object of cognition is observed through one of three faculties, those of the mind, the intellect, and the ego.

The mind is responsible for constructing mental representations of the world around an individual with data supplied by the senses themselves. On the other hand, the ego adds personal experiences, and relates them to information gained from the mind. The intellect is the understanding of both knowledge and personal experiences (Larson, 55).

Sankhya separated perception from other information simply because perception is practical. While highly useful, practical knowledge cannot lend its self to philosophical information, or non-materialistic objects. Such information must be perceived instead by inference. There are three forms of inference, those of analogical reasoning, cause to effect, and effect to cause. Cause to effect and effect to cause are based on the observation of casual connections and therefore cannot lead to the undetectable. Analogical inference, on the other hand, is the basis for metaphysical statement (Larson, 57).

Finally, reliable tradition, as intended by the Sankhya philosophy, is based on the Vedas, or the philosophical text on which Sankhya is based. While this information is viable and valid, it is no intended to confirm philosophical information, but instead to validate authoritative statement (Larson, 62). Personal inference and personal reference are still the most valid source of information.

With that being said, it is important to note that the Prakriti, or the nature of reality, is really broken into two parts, those of the manifest and the unmanifest. Sankhya is the system of twenty five realities, one of which is based in Purusha, or the conscious self, and one of which is the unmaifested self. The other twenty three are based on the intellect, or the manifest (Allen, 125).

When combined, the Sankhya philosophy believes the unconscious, through intelligence, ego, and mind, display the consciousness of Purusha. As individuals, humans are inspired by intelligence, but on a cosmic level, all creativity flows from that intelligence. When an individual can free him or herself from desire, needs, and wants, an individual can have intuitive conceptual knowledge of Purusha, where enlightenment can occur (Isayeva, 231). Thus, intelligence controls the body, but leaves management to the ego and the mind, whose constant state of action cause restlessness, distraction, and agitation of the individual. The goal of this restlessness is a desire for control. The mind uses consciousness to activate the senses that provide individuals with experience. This experience is then conceptualized by the ego, and personalized (Isayeva, 233).

The assertion of Sankhya is that the universe is in a constant state of suffering, and that traditional forms of philosophy lead only to temporary promises of refuge through religious faith. All other Vedic philosophies, the Sankhya's theorize, do not lead to purification because their methods are rooted in theology.

Instead, the solution to suffering in Sankhya is based in logic, intellect, and rationality. In this philosophy, one is driven through the Purusha and the Prakriti to analyze the structure of the world, find the source of suffering, and fight it. In doing so, one can stop the cycle of rebirth into suffering (Isayeva, 234).

The result of the above information in Sankhya is that God as a theological existence is absent, making this philosophy unique from other forms of Hindu belief. The concept behind Sankhya is that there is single supreme being, but instead, a vast number of perfected souls (Chekki, 1997). While there is, in some forms of Sankhya, a being called a 'Lord', this being is not a 'God'. She is not a creator or sustainer, nor can she offer any refuge from suffering or rebirth. She is simply the only soul who helps others out of suffering through logical reasoning (Zaehner, 41).

Instead of a God figure as Creator, Sankhya philosophizes that creation occurs through a combination of the nature, or the unconscious, and the person, or conscious. As the physical body dies, the conscious is reborn into another body to endure more suffering. The only way to end this is to realize the difference between the conscious and the unconscious, and to lose interest in the unconscious. This allows the conscious to stop the cycle of rebirth, through calculation, reasoning, and rationality, as opposed to theology (Painadath, 307).

The Bhagavad-Gita further shows this distance from theology. Chapter 6, verses 4 through 15, show clearly the step from religion of Sankhya. Chapter 6, verse 4 of the document speaks of attaining the "yoga," or the supreme soul. As mentioned above, this concept is not one of religious faith, but one of a state of pure consciousness, void of any interest in the nature of the cosmos, and focusing only on the consciousness. The passage also discusses the renouncement of all material desires, indicating the disinterest in the unconscious (Bhagavad-Gita, 27)

The next several passages also refer to Sankhya in a non-theological perspective. Verses 5 through 7 discuss the elevation of the mind, implying a distinct differentiation between the other Hindu belief's of the spiritual soul, and the Sankhya belief in the power of reason and logic. Verse 5 depicts the mind as a "friend of the conditioned soul," and verse 6 discusses the "conquering of the mind." Verse 7 discusses the concept that those who have "conquered" the mind have already reached the "Supersoul," or the attainment of tranquility (Bhagavad-Gita, 27). Again, here we see the Sankhya reference to the mind as the controlling power over an end to suffering, rather than the pursuit of a God.

By verse 8, the Bhagavad-Gita begins discussing self-realization. According to the text, one attains such enlightenment through the full satisfaction of virtue and "acquired knowledge and realization. This passage also references self-control. Verse 9 continues this theme by noting that man can advance further when he sees everyone and everything as equal (Bhagavad-Gita, 27). In this passage, we see the Sankhya separation from theology quite clearly, in that in Sankhya, there is no righteousness factor to attain enlightenment. Instead it is a process of equalizing the world.