One or None? Truth and Self-Transformation for Śaṅkara and Kamalaśīla

This article explores how two influential 8th-century Indian philosophers, Śaṅkara and Kamalaśīla, treat the threefold scheme of learning, reasoning, meditation in their spiritual path philosophies. They have differing institutional ontological commitments: former, who helped establish Advaita Vedānta as religious philosophy an elite Hindu monastic tradition, affirms unchanging “self” (ātman) identical to “world-essence” (brahman); latter, played a significant role development Buddhist monasticism Tibet, denies both self essence. Yet, they share concern with questions truth means by which someone could gain access it, such what, if anything, contributes knowledge its acquisition. By exploring answers this related questions, including discursive conceptual practices like generate nonconceptual or nonconceptual, essay shows difficulty separating “philosophical” problems from those self-transformation “spirituality,” Michel Foucault defines terms. It also reassesses, framework for comparison, well-known contrast between “gradual” “sudden” approaches achievement liberating highlights them tensions we still struggle resolve today.