Affirmations, Negations, and Denumerable and Nondenumerable Ultimate Phenomena
Affirmations, Negations, and Denumerable and Nondenumerable Ultimate Phenomena
3onsider the exam)le, %a table without a table!loth ' 4n!e the sounds of the words %a table without a table!loth' have ex!luded %a table!loth' (the ob+e!t to be ne#ated here), they ex)li!itly leave behind %a table ' A nonimplicative negation phenomenon (med-dgag, nonaffirmin# ne#ation) is an ex!lusion of somethin# else in whi!h, after the sounds of the words that ex!lude the ob+e!t to be ne#ated have ne#ated that ob+e!t, they do not leave behind in their wake, ex)li!itly or im)li!itly, somethin# else 3onsider the exam)le, %the absen!e of a table!loth' or %there is no table!loth ' 4n!e the sounds of the words %the absen!e of a table!loth' or %there is no table!loth' have ex!luded %a table!loth' (the ob+e!t to be ne#ated here), they do not ex)li!itly or im)li!itly leave behind anythin# "here are two ty)es of nonim)li!ative ne#ation )henomenon. the nonim)li!ative ne#ation of somethin# existent and the nonim)li!ative ne#ation of somethin# totally nonexistent An exam)le of the former is %the absen!e of a table!loth'5 an exam)le of the latter is %the absen!e of turtle&hair ' *ven thou#h a table!loth may be absent here, it !ould be )resent elsewhere 6owever, when it is the !ase that turtle&hair is absent here, it !annot be )resent anywhere else either, sin!e turtle&hair has never existed, doesn7t exist now, and never will exist "here are also two ty)es of nonim)li!ative ne#ation of somethin# totally nonexistent. the nonim)li!ative ne#ation of a totally nonexistent item and the nonim)li!ative ne#ation of a totally nonexistent mode of existen!e An exam)le of the former is %the absen!e of turtle&hair'5 an exam)le of the latter is %the absen!e of im)ossible existen!e ' *a!h (ndian s!hool of Buddhist tenets asserts voidness (stong-pa-nyid, em)tiness) as a nonim)li!ative ne#ation of a totally nonexistent mode of existen!e, but defines the im)ossible mode of existen!e differently
Objects o !e Negated, !ases for Negation, and Objects "eft !ehind in the #a$e of a Negation
4ne must differentiate an ob+e!t to be ne#ated from its basis for negation (dgag-gzhi) 8 the item devoid of the ob+e!t to be ne#ated -or %a table without a table!loth,' the ob+e!t to be ne#ated is %a table!loth' and the basis for the ne#ation is %the table ' -or %the absen!e of a table!loth on the table,' the ob+e!t to be ne#ated is %a table!loth on the table' and the basis for the ne#ation is %the table ' -or %a turtle without turtle&hair,' the ob+e!t to be ne#ated is %turtle&hair' and the basis for the ne#ation is %the turtle ' -or %the absen!e of the im)ossible existen!e of a table!loth,' the ob+e!t to be ne#ated is %the im)ossible existen!e of a table!loth' and the basis for the ne#ation is %a table!loth ' 4ne must also be !lear about what is an ob+e!t left behind in the wake of a negation (bkag-shul), like an oil sli!k left behind in the wake of a movin# motorboat $onim)li!ative ne#ation )henomena do not leave anythin# behind in the wake of their ne#ations5 im)li!ative ones do
-or exam)le, in a nonim)li!ative ne#ation of an im)ossible mode of existen!e, su!h as %the absen!e of the im)ossible existen!e of a table!loth,' nothin# is left behind in the wake of the ne#ation, not even the basis for the ne#ation, namely %a table!loth ' $ote that here the ob+e!t to be ne#ated is %the im)ossible existen!e of a table!loth ' *ven in the !ase of %the absen!e of the im)ossible existen!e of a table!loth on the table,' nothin# is left in the wake of the ne#ation "here, the %table' is merely the lo!ation of the basis for the ne#ation, whi!h in this !ase is %a table!loth on the table ' (n the !ase of the im)li!ative ne#ation %a table!loth devoid of im)ossible existen!e,' %a table!loth' is the ob+e!t left behind in the wake of the ne#ation (n this !ase, %a table!loth' is also the basis for the ne#ation
denumerable ultimate )henomena (rnam-grangs-pai don-dam), nondenumerable ultimate )henomena (rnam-grangs ma-yin-pai don-dam)
Denumerable ultimate phenomena are voidnesses that are validly !o#nized !on!e)tually "hey are %denumerable' in the sense that they !an be !ounted amon# what a))ears to minds validly !o#nizin# )henomena throu#h mentally labelin# them with words and !on!e)ts Nondenumerable ultimate phenomena are voidnesses that are validly !o#nized non!on!e)tually "hey are %nondenumerable' in the sense that they !annot be !ounted amon# what a))ears to minds validly !o#nizin# )henomena throu#h mentally labelin# them with words and !on!e)ts
the )oint of view of dee)est truth, no )henomenon exists inde)endently from bein# what the word or label for it refers to (n other words, no )henomenon has truly established existen!e 8 existen!e established truly from the side of the )henomenon, inde)endently of mental labelin# <hen voidness is !o#nized !on!e)tually, its su)erfi!ial truth a))ears "his means that an individual !hara!teristi! mark, findable on the side of the nonim)li!ative ne#ation )henomenon voidness of true existence, a))ears to the mind that !on!e)tually !o#nizes this voidness 4n the basis of this findable mark, the !on!e)tual mind !o#nizes the voidness by mentally labelin# it throu#h the meanin#=ob+e!t !ate#ory (don-spyi, meanin# universal) voidness of true existence :u!h a voidness, with an individual definin# !hara!teristi! mark findable on its own side, is a denumerable ultimate )henomenon (t !an be !ounted amon# what a))ears to minds validly !o#nizin# )henomena throu#h mentally labelin# them with words and !on!e)ts <hen voidness is !o#nized non!on!e)tually, its su)erfi!ial truth does not a))ear $o findable individual !hara!teristi! mark a))ears All that a))ears is a absolute absen!e of truly established existen!e 9ental labelin# o!!urs only with !on!e)tual !o#nition "hus, the voidness that is !o#nized non!on!e)tually is a nondenumerable ultimate )henomenon (t !annot be !ounted amon# what a))ears to minds validly !o#nizin# )henomena throu#h mentally labelin# them with words and !on!e)ts (n short, /elu# :vatantrika asserts that %denumerable' and %nondenumerable voidnesses' 8 if we may !oin these two terms 8 are the same voidnesses "he only differen!e is that the mind that !on!e)tually !o#nizes denumerable voidness !o#nizes the su)erfi!ial truth of voidness, whi!h has existen!e established by a findable individual !hara!teristi! mark5 while the mind that non!on!e)tually !o#nizes nondenumerable voidness !o#nizes the dee)est truth of voidness
absen!e to exist in this manner Be!ause of these )oints, voidness, as a nonim)li!ative ne#ation )henomenon, !an only be validly !o#nized !on!e)tually "o #ain non!on!e)tual !o#nition of voidness, one must #o beyond !o#nizin# voidness throu#h words and !on!e)ts "herefore, the voidness validly !o#nized non!on!e)tually (nondenumerable voidness) is not the same voidness as the voidness validly !o#nized !on!e)tually (denumerable voidness) $ondenumerable voidness is a voidness that is beyond the !on!e)tual !ate#ory of a ne#ation )henomenon (n fa!t, nondenumerable voidness is beyond all !on!e)tual !ate#ories of affirmation or ne#ation )henomena, or both, or neither (n other words, it is beyond the !on!e)tual !ate#ories of the four extremes. (>) an affirmation of true existen!e, (2) a ne#ation of true existen!e, (?) from the )oint of view of su)erfi!ial truth, an affirmation of true existen!e and from the )oint of view of dee)est truth, a ne#ation of true existen!e, or (@) neither an affirmation nor a ne#ation of true existen!e
only !on!e)tual !o#nition, su!h as !ate#ories, both !on!e)tual and non!on!e)tual !o#nition, su!h as a vase, an#er, or voidness as an absolute absen!e
!an be validly !o#nized only by non!on!e)tual !o#nition, or !annot be validly !o#nized either by !on!e)tual or non!on!e)tual !o#nition
/elu# 1rasan#ika defines validly knowable )henomena, in fa!t, in terms of the !on!e)tual !o#nition of them Aalidly knowable )henomena are merely what the words and !on!e)ts for them refer to, validly labeled (im)uted) on bases for labelin# (gdag-gzhi, bases for im)utation) Althou#h the a!t of mental labelin# o!!urs only with !on!e)tual !o#nition5 nevertheless, all existent )henomena, whether !o#nized !on!e)tually or non!on!e)tually, have their existen!e established merely in terms of the mental labels for them A!!ordin# to /elu# 1rasan#ika, sin!e the referent ob+e!ts (btags-chos) of words and !on!e)ts !annot be found as some sort of referent %thin#s' (btags-don), either !onventionally or ultimately, we !annot s)e!ify what a word or !on!e)t refers to by )ointin# to it <e !an only s)e!ify what a word or !on!e)t refers to by the ex!lusion of somethin# else 8 namely, by the ex!lusion of everythin# else that is not what the word or !on!e)t refers to, and this is )urely a !on!e)tual !onstru!t (n other words, we !an only s)e!ify validly knowable )henomena in terms of !on!e)tually isolated items (ldog-pa, distin#uishers, isolates), validly knowable only by !on!e)tual !o#nition "he !on!e)tually isolated item an apple is that ob+e!t or set of ob+e!ts that is ex!luded from the set of everythin# %not an a))le' (the set of %everythin# other than an a))le') "hus, the !on!e)tually s)e!ified item an apple redu!es to %nothin# other than an a))le ' "he %ex!lusion of somethin# else,' however, does not mean a!tively ex!ludin# everythin# %not an a))le,' one by one (t is merely an o)eration of lo#i! :in!e everythin# validly knowable must be s)e!ifiable, /elu# asserts that everythin# knowable must be validly knowable by !on!e)tual !o#nition, even dee)est truths -urthermore, even if denumerable voidness, as the nonim)li!ative ne#ation of a totally nonexistent mode of existen!e, does not leave any ob+e!t behind in the wake of its ne#ation, this does not mean that the view of denumerable voidness redu!es to the extreme of nihilism, as some advo!ates of nondenumerable voidness would assert "he nonim)li!ative ne#ation does not ne#ate the basis for its ne#ation (!onventional ob+e!ts, su!h as a))les and table!loths), only its ob+e!t to be ne#ated (im)ossible modes of existen!e of !onventional ob+e!ts)