Understanding Samkhya Philosophy: Dualism of Prakriti and Purusha
School
University of Southern California**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
REL 130
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Dec 10, 2024
Pages
1
Uploaded by ConstableSquidPerson1223
SAMKHYA PHILOSOPHY Samkhya is a dualist philosophy that describes two eternal realities. The first is Prakriti, which represents material nature and includes everything physical and mental—your body, thoughts, and the world around you. Prakriti is constantly changing and consists of three qualities, or "gunas": Sattva (clarity, light), Rajas (energy, passion), and Tamas (inertia, darkness). The second reality is Purusha, pure consciousness or the true self. Unlike prakriti, purusha is unchanging and passive, existing as a witness to the changes in prakriti. Each individual has their own purusha, and the goal of Samkhya is to recognize that the true self is not the changing mind or body, but this eternal, separate consciousness.The core idea in Samkhya is that we mistakenly identify ourselves with prakriti—the thoughts, desires, and experiences that make up our mental and physical worlds. However, in reality, we are purusha, the unchanging observers of those experiences. Liberation in Samkhya is achieved by realizing this distinction, freeing oneself from the illusion of being bound to prakriti, and understanding the true nature of purusha.I personally don’t Samkhya philosophy convincing as an account of reality and the self. One major reason is the strict separation of mind and body which is often taught in the sciences as being a connected entity. Samkhya says that purusha and prakriti are completely distinct, but modern neuroscience suggests that consciousness and mental processes are closely linked to the brain. Additionally, Samkhya’s portrayal of purusha as passive feels limiting. Consciousness seems to play an active role in shaping decisions and influencing actions, rather than just being a passive observer of mental and physical things. Purusha’s passive nature makes it feel disconnected from the real experiences that we feel in life, where consciousness and decision-making are intertwined.Finally, the absence of a creator or ultimate cause in Samkhya leaves the philosophy feeling incomplete to me. While it posits eternal entities like purusha and prakriti, it does not address their origin or explain why they exist together.
