Darśana
Darśana is a Sanskrit word that means "sight" or "view." In the context of Indian philosophy, it refers to the six orthodox schools of thought, which are different ways of looking at the world and understanding reality.
Imagine you are standing in front of a big building with your friends. Each of your friends is standing at a different angle, and they all see the building differently. One friend might see the front of the building, while another sees the side, and someone else sees the back. Each of these views is like a darśana.
The six orthodox schools of thought that make up darśana are:
1. Samkhya: This darśana sees the world as made up of two distinct things: purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (matter).
2. Yoga: This darśana focuses on the practice of meditation and other spiritual disciplines as a way to transcend the limitations of the material world.
3. Nyaya: This darśana is concerned with logic and reasoning, and seeks to understand the nature of reality through careful observation and analysis.
4. Vaisheshika: This darśana sees the world as composed of atoms and other fundamental particles, and seeks to understand the nature of reality through the study of these particles.
5. Mimamsa: This darśana is concerned with the interpretation of sacred texts and seeks to understand the nature of reality through the study of scripture.
6. Vedanta: This darśana sees the world as an illusion and seeks to understand the nature of reality through a direct experience of the divine.
Each of these schools has its own unique way of understanding the world and the nature of reality. By studying these different darśanas, one can gain a deeper understanding of the complexity and diversity of Indian philosophy.
Imagine you are standing in front of a big building with your friends. Each of your friends is standing at a different angle, and they all see the building differently. One friend might see the front of the building, while another sees the side, and someone else sees the back. Each of these views is like a darśana.
The six orthodox schools of thought that make up darśana are:
1. Samkhya: This darśana sees the world as made up of two distinct things: purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (matter).
2. Yoga: This darśana focuses on the practice of meditation and other spiritual disciplines as a way to transcend the limitations of the material world.
3. Nyaya: This darśana is concerned with logic and reasoning, and seeks to understand the nature of reality through careful observation and analysis.
4. Vaisheshika: This darśana sees the world as composed of atoms and other fundamental particles, and seeks to understand the nature of reality through the study of these particles.
5. Mimamsa: This darśana is concerned with the interpretation of sacred texts and seeks to understand the nature of reality through the study of scripture.
6. Vedanta: This darśana sees the world as an illusion and seeks to understand the nature of reality through a direct experience of the divine.
Each of these schools has its own unique way of understanding the world and the nature of reality. By studying these different darśanas, one can gain a deeper understanding of the complexity and diversity of Indian philosophy.
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