Sureshvara

Philosopher in the Advaita Vedanta
school, and one of two attested
disciples of the school’s founder,
Shankaracharya (788–820?), the other
being Padmapada. The Advaita school
upholds a philosophical position known
as monism, which is the belief that a single Ultimate Reality lies behind all
things, and that all things are merely differing forms of that reality. Advaita proponents exemplify this belief in their
claim that reality is nondual (advaita)—
that is, that all things are nothing but the
formless, unqualified Brahman, despite
the appearance of difference and diversity. For Advaita proponents, the
assumption that the world is real as perceived is a fundamental misunderstanding of the ultimate nature of things and
a manifestation of avidya. Although
often translated as “ignorance,” avidya
is better understood as the lack of genuine understanding, which ultimately
causes human beings to be trapped in
karmic bondage, reincarnation (samsara), and suffering.
In Hindu thought, Sureshvara is the
only explicit proponent of leap philosophy, although one can see traces of this
in the other figures in Advaita Vedanta,
particularly in his teacher. Leap philosophy affirms that one can attain complete freedom from bondage, which in
the Indian context is identified as the
end of reincarnation and final liberation
of the soul (moksha), but that such freedom cannot be gained by a precisely
specified sequence of causes and
effects. According to Sureshvara, since
the ultimate problem stems from one’s
mistaken understanding, the only solution can come from purified, correct
understanding. Sureshvara’s path, such
as it is, is to use a negative dialectic to
distinguish clearly what the Self is not,
and when one’s mind has been prepared, to gain a flash of mystic insight
through hearing one of the mahavakyas
(“great utterances”) that identify the
Self with Brahman. Sureshvara affirms
that actions can have no part in this
process, since action is bound up with
the world and is pervaded by ignorance. For further information see A. J.
Alston (trans.), The Naiskarmya Siddhi
of Sri Suresvara, 1959; and Karl H. Potter
(ed.), Advaita Vedanta up to Samkara
and His Pupils, 1981.