Sankara's Reference to a Buddhist Passage
By Vidhushekhara Bhattacharya
Summary
This note discusses a Buddhist passage quoted by Śaṅkara in his commentary on the Brahma-sūtras I.2.22. The passage, preserved only in Śaṅkara’s work, begins “api ca vaibhāṣikāḥ kalpayanti” and refers to the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness (kṣaṇika) and non-conditioned elements like ākāśa. The author observes that the verse is incomplete (missing one syllable) but identifies it as half of a kārikā that likely listed the three non-conditioned dharmas. He notes that similar references appear in other Buddhist texts and suggests that Śaṅkara drew from a now-lost treatise. The note emphasises that identifying such passages can illuminate Śaṅkara’s intellectual context and his engagement with Buddhist doctrines.
Conclusion
The note illustrates how Śaṅkara’s commentaries preserve fragments of Buddhist texts that might otherwise be lost. Recognising these intertextual references enriches our understanding of the dialogues between Vedanta and Buddhism in early medieval India.