A dictionary definition of the term “transcendent”
can be 1) above or beyond the range of normal or physical human
experience, 2) higher than Aristotle’s
10 categories (essence, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, position,
habitus, action, affection) 3) beyond comprehension or 4) exceeding usual
limits.
In my philosophy I would like to give a new
definition to the term “transcendent”: Reconciling opposing or even mutually
exclusive concepts in a higher dimensional framework (e.g. of understanding or
as nested levels of a program) that exceeds yet includes both concepts without
contradiction. The reason for this different definition is that whatever is not
knowable or what is not part of reality is not worth bothering about and
whatever is part of this reality must be knowable to a sufficient extent and
can ultimately not be beyond comprehension or beyond our experience.
There are concepts and phenomena which may
not be within the framework of experience or understanding of the average
person today, but society evolves and within a few generations, what is now
cutting edge technology may be part of common knowledge. So ultimately there
will be nothing that fits the traditional meaning of “transcendent” and those
traditional meanings that still apply do find a place within my new definition.
In the Technovedantic philosophy
“Transcendent” is a kind of synonym of “all-inclusive”. This is perhaps best
illustrated by the Indian parable of the elephant. Several blind man touch an
elephant to learn what it is. One touches the tail and concludes that it’s a
broom, another one touches a leg and concludes it’s a pillar, a third touches
the tusk and concludes it’s a horn etc. Whereas from their own perspective none
of them is really wrong, from the higher all-inclusive perspective they are all
wrong to a certain extent and right to another extent. The dichotomies are
resolved by a higher dimensional entity and perspective, which is the elephant,
which transcends but does not exclude the partial perspectives.
Hence the famous quote by Nagarjuna:
“Anything is either true,
Or not true,
Or both true and not true,
Or neither true nor not true;
This is the Buddha's teaching”.
Or not true,
Or both true and not true,
Or neither true nor not true;
This is the Buddha's teaching”.
....
More of this chapter can be found in my next book, which I have submitted for publication.
More of this chapter can be found in my next book, which I have submitted for publication.
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