Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda (दृष्टि-सृष्टिवाद)

 Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda (दृष्टि-सृष्टिवाद), also known as "The Doctrine of Creation through Perception," is a branch of Advaita Vedānta. This doctrine posits that the perceived phenomenal world comes into existence only in the process of observing the world, which is seen as an individual's own mental creation; there is no external world. According to Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda, everything we see is a product of our own consciousness. When we perceive an object, we are actually creating it. When we stop perceiving it, the object ceases to exist.

It holds that we are not merely observing Brahman, but we are creating it. When we see an object, we are using our consciousness to manifest it out of Brahman. When we stop perceiving it, the object merges back into Brahman.

Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda is a controversial doctrine, but it is a useful way to understand some of the most important ideas of Advaita Vedānta. It helps us to see how powerful our consciousness is. It also helps us to see how truly interconnected we are.

Some key points of Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda:

• There is only one reality, called Brahman.
• Everything we see is a manifestation of Brahman.
• When we perceive an object, we are using our consciousness to manifest it out of Brahman.
• When we stop perceiving it, the object merges back into Brahman.

Some benefits of Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda:

• It helps us to see how powerful our consciousness is.
• It helps us to see how truly interconnected we are.
• It can help us become more responsible for how we perceive the world.

Some drawbacks of Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda:

• It is a controversial doctrine.
• It can be difficult to understand.
• It can be pessimistic for some people.

Ultimately, whether to believe in Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda or not is a personal choice. However, it is an interesting doctrine that forces us to think about our consciousness and reality.

The "Doctrine of Creation through Perception" (Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda) and Quantum Physics

The "Doctrine of Creation through Perception" (Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda) from Advaita Vedānta, while a philosophical and spiritual concept, finds fascinating, albeit metaphorical, parallels in certain interpretations of quantum physics. It's crucial to state upfront that quantum physics does not prove Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda, nor was the ancient doctrine based on modern scientific principles. However, the conceptual overlaps are intriguing.

Here's how one might draw parallels between Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda and aspects of quantum physics:

1. The Observer Effect / Wave-Particle Duality:

   • Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda: "When we see an object, we are actually creating it. When we stop perceiving it, the object ceases to exist." "What we see is a product of our own consciousness."
   • Quantum Physics Parallel: This is the most direct parallel. In quantum mechanics, particles (like electrons or photons) exist in a superposition of states (a "wave function") until they are observed or measured. The act of observation "collapses" the wave function, forcing the particle to assume a definite state (e.g., a particle or a wave, or a specific location).
     • Example: The famous double-slit experiment. When particles are not observed, they behave like waves, creating an interference pattern. When observers attempt to detect which slit the particles go through, the particles behave like discrete particles, and the interference pattern disappears.
   • Connection: This suggests that the reality of the particle's state isn't fixed until an interaction or observation occurs, implying a role for consciousness (or at least, the act of measurement/observation) in defining reality at the quantum level. Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda extends this to the entire universe, suggesting that our consciousness "collapses" the infinite possibilities of Brahman into the specific reality we perceive.

2. Quantum Entanglement and Non-Locality:

   • Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda: "It helps us to see how truly interconnected we are." "Everything we see is a manifestation of Brahman."
   • Quantum Physics Parallel: Entangled particles, no matter how far apart, remain interconnected. Measuring the property of one instantaneously influences the property of the other, defying classical notions of causality and locality.
   • Connection: This inherent interconnectedness at the fundamental level of reality could be seen as echoing the Advaitic idea that everything is ultimately interconnected because it all originates from (or is) one single Brahman. The idea that there is "no external world" separate from the observer aligns with the notion that all observed phenomena are part of a unified, interconnected system.

3. The Nature of Reality (Information vs. Substance):

   • Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda: "There is no external world." "What we see is a product of our own consciousness."
   • Quantum Physics Parallel: Some interpretations of quantum mechanics, like the "It from Bit" hypothesis by John Archibald Wheeler, suggest that information, rather than fundamental particles or fields, is the most basic building block of reality. Reality might be fundamentally informational, structured by observation.
   • Connection: If reality is fundamentally informational and dependent on observation, it moves away from a purely objective, independently existing "external world" and closer to something that is "constituted" by our perception or consciousness.

4. Brahman as the Unmanifested Potential:

   • Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda: "When we stop perceiving it, the object merges back into Brahman." Brahman is the singular reality from which things are "drawn out."
   • Quantum Physics Parallel: Before wave function collapse, the quantum system exists in a state of pure potentiality, a superposition of all possible outcomes. It doesn't have definite properties until measured.
   • Connection: Brahman, in this analogy, could be seen as the ultimate, undifferentiated, and unmanifested quantum field or the "sum of all possibilities." Our individual consciousness acts as the "measuring device" that draws specific "objects" (phenomena) out of this infinite potentiality, making them appear as a distinct reality. When the observation ceases, they "merge back" into the undifferentiated potential.

Important Caveats:

• Interpretation, Not Proof: These are interpretations and analogies, not direct scientific proofs. Quantum mechanics itself has multiple interpretations (e.g., Copenhagen, Many-Worlds, Bohmian mechanics), not all of which emphasize the observer's role in the same way.
• Scale: Quantum effects primarily operate at the subatomic scale. While some physicists explore how these might scale up to macroscopic reality, it's not a settled matter. Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda applies to the entire perceived world.
• Consciousness: The "observer" in quantum physics is often broadly defined as any interaction that leads to decoherence, not necessarily a conscious human observer. However, some physicists and philosophers argue for a deeper role for consciousness.
• Philosophical vs. Scientific: Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda is a philosophical doctrine aiming for spiritual liberation through understanding the nature of reality. Quantum physics is a scientific theory describing the behavior of matter and energy at the fundamental level. Their goals and methodologies are different.

In essence, quantum physics offers a scientific language that sometimes resonates with philosophical ideas about the nature of reality and the role of perception, making doctrines like Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda feel less abstract and more relatable in a modern context.

The Doctrine of Creation through Perception (Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda) within Advaita Vedānta, while offering a profound understanding of consciousness, faces several criticisms, both from within other schools of Hindu philosophy and from a common-sense or scientific perspective.

Here are some of the main criticisms:

1. Solipsism and its Implications:

   • The Core Criticism: The most significant and frequently leveled criticism is that Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda logically leads to solipsism. If the world exists only when I perceive it, then what happens to the world when I'm not perceiving it? And what about other sentient beings? Does their world exist independently of mine, or does my perception somehow create theirs too? This makes it difficult to account for a shared, objective reality.
   • Problem of Intersubjectivity: If everything is a product of my consciousness, how do we explain the consistent perception of the world by multiple individuals? How do we interact within a shared reality if everyone is creating their own? If I see a tree, and you also see it, is it because my consciousness created it and then projected it onto yours, or vice versa? This becomes logically cumbersome.
   • Problem of Collective Experience: Natural disasters, historical events, scientific discoveries – these are experienced and verified by many. Dṛṣi-sṛṣṭi-vāda struggles to explain how these "collective" phenomena exist if they are purely individual mental creations.

2. Lack of Empirical Grounding (from a scientific/common-sense view):

   • Continuous Existence: Common sense and scientific observation suggest that objects continue to exist even when unobserved. A star doesn't cease to exist when no one is looking at it; a rock doesn't vanish when I close my eyes. Scientific laws operate independently of human perception.
   • Pre-human Existence: How does Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda account for the universe existing for billions of years before the emergence of conscious beings? If perception creates existence, who was perceiving the Big Bang or the formation of galaxies?
   • Consistency of Laws: The laws of physics, chemistry, etc., appear consistent and predictable whether we are observing them or not. If perception creates reality, why would these laws remain stable?

3. Contradiction with Other Advaitic Sub-schools:

   • Sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda (Creation then Perception): This is the more widely accepted view within mainstream Advaita Vedānta. It posits that the world is indeed created by Ishvara (a cosmic manifestation of Brahman) and then subsequently perceived by individual jivas (souls). The world has a relative, empirical reality (vyāvahārika satya) even if it's not absolutely real (pāramārthika satya). Critics argue that Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda contradicts this by making the world purely subjective.

   • Comparison & Implications

     Aspect	Empirical Reality (Vyāvahārika)	Absolute Reality (Pāramārthika)
     Nature	Perceived, changeable, relative	Unchanging, eternal, infinite
     Dependency	Exists through perception (per Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda)	Exists independently
     Role of Consciousness	Perception creates experience	Consciousness is fundamental and unchanging
     Practical Use	Necessary for worldly interactions	Leads to spiritual liberation

   • Problem of Māyā: If perception directly creates the world, what is the role of Māyā, the cosmic illusionary power of Brahman? In Sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda, Māyā is the power that projects the world. In Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda, individual consciousness seems to take on a more direct creative role, potentially diminishing the role of Māyā or making it less coherent.

4. Practical Implications and Ethical Concerns:

   • Moral Responsibility: If the world is merely my creation, does that dilute my moral responsibility towards others or the environment? If others are just my mental constructs, does their suffering matter as much? Critics argue this could lead to ethical nihilism.
   • Motivation for Action: If everything is just a perception that disappears when not observed, what is the motivation for engaging with the world, striving for goals, or performing actions (karma)?

5. Difficulty in Explaining Illusions vs. Reality:

   • While Advaita uses illusions (like a rope appearing as a snake) to explain Māyā, Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda takes it a step further to say the entire world is like that. This makes it harder to distinguish between genuine illusions (like a mirage) and seemingly shared, consistent reality.

Advaitin Responses to Criticism (often moving towards nuance):

Proponents of Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda (or those who see its value) often counter these criticisms by arguing:

• It is meant to be understood from the highest, absolute (pāramārthika) perspective of an enlightened being (jivanmukta), not from the empirical (vyāvahārika) perspective of an ordinary person. For the enlightened, who realize their oneness with Brahman, the world indeed dissolves into their consciousness.
• It emphasizes the primacy of consciousness and the ultimate non-duality, pushing the seeker to understand that the perceived world is not separate from the Self.
• It's a teaching methodology (prakriyā) to help the student grasp the ultimate truth of non-duality, rather than a literal description of how the empirical world is created. It forces the student to question the independent reality of objects.

Despite these criticisms, Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda remains an intriguing and thought-provoking aspect of Advaita Vedānta, pushing the boundaries of how we understand reality and the role of consciousness within it.