Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation
Who is called 'Crypto-Buddhist'?
Solution & Analysis
Answer: A
Concept
Critics and rival philosophers often labeled Adi Shankara as a Prachanna Bauddha (Crypto-Buddhist) because of the striking similarities between his Advaita system and Mahayana Buddhist logic.Explanation
Ramanuja and other Bhakti-oriented philosophers argued that Shankara’s concept of 'Nirguna Brahman' (Attribute-less God) was identical to the Buddhist concept of 'Sunyata' (Emptiness).Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Option A is correct. Both Shankara and the Buddhist Madhyamaka school use dialectics to prove the illusory nature of the perceived world.
Logic 2: Shankara’s 'Maya' was seen by rivals as a Hindu rebranding of Buddhist 'Samvrti Satya' (conventional truth).