Acintya Bheda Abheda Tattva
The Nature of God
The Nature of God
By Jagannatha Prakasa (John of AllFaith) © January 3, 2008 (updated December 3, 2024)
A web friend asked an important question: What is the difference between Achintya Bheda Abheda and Dvaitadvaita.
This question goes to the very heart of the nature of God as well as of our own existence. I thought I'd share my reply with you. As always, your questions and thoughts are invited via my Q&A site or Contact page.
Hi again Jagannatha!
I was wondering...
What is the difference between the Achintya Bheda Abheda and Dvaitadvaita philosophies?
Thanks, "J"Hi "J,"
Glad to help clarify this.
Dvaita philosophy is pure dualism. According to this school there exists in reality both Nirguna brahman (non-manifest existence, "no-qualities") and Saguna brahman (manifest existence, "with qualities"). These two realities are eternal and never meet. They are eternally separate realities. There is God and there is mortal kind, the spirit worlds and the material worlds. Yin and Yang but they never find unification in Tao. This is, in a nutshell, Dvaitadvaita.
Acintya bheda abheda means "Inconceivable oneness with diversity." In other words, according to this philosophy (championed by Srila Caitantya) there is existing simultaneously, inconceivably, both Oneness (as taught by Vedanta) as well as duality (as taught by Dvaita). How this can be is acintya or inconceivable, however when we consider that we are discussing esoteric truths about the nature of God and existence, we should not be surprised to learn that there are certain things beyond human comprehension (such humility is required of all who would seek to realize the Truth!) and yet when we consider Acintya bheda abheda it is quite logical and, I believe, enlightened.
Srila Caitanya came to this conclusion by contemplating the nature of the Person of Ek Devata (the One transcendent God beyond all description). According to the Scriptures and logic everything that exists does so within Param-atman (Transcendant God). That being generally accepted as a given, we find that all is One IN God. This seems to support the views of Srila Sankara and others (ie Vedanta). However, we also understand that God is a specific Being, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Who alone possesses all attributes (which of course could only exist within Saguna by standard conception as Nirguna, by definition is 'without attributes').
Srila Caitanya therefore questioned how the Ek Devata could be both the accumulation/personification of everything that exists, while simultaneously maintaining a separate, independent existence as a Person called God (by countless Names and Attributes). Yet this was clearly the conclusion of the scriptures. This may sound like a contradiction, it is a 'contradiction' that for thousands of years has divided the people of the Sanatana Dharma (i.e., Hindus) into rival philosophical camps.
Srila Caitanya concluded that all sides were limitedly correct, noting the nature of Ek Devata is inconceivable (acintya).
Having established this, he concluded that since all existence exists within the Person of God (i.e., in Oneness) and yet exists as individual living entities with independent thought, karma, marga etc. then the creation (conceived as the "Body" of God) must also be inconceivably one and different with the Paramatman (the Supreme Person) given "as above so below."
Hence, the teaching is that the nature of ALL existence is inconceivably and eternally One (same) and Diverse (different) — acintya bheda abheda. As Sri Krsna explains to Arjuna:
Srimad Bhagavad Gita 2:11: The Blessed One said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.
2:12: Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.
2:13: As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul also passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change (from my translation).Hope this helps,
~ Jagannatha Om Prakasa
Jai Jagannatha! |
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