Paramarthas

Paramarthas refers to the ultimate reality or absolute truth in various Indian philosophical traditions, particularly within Vedanta and Buddhism. It is contrasted with the relative or conventional truth (vyavaharika satya), which pertains to our everyday experience of the world. The concept of paramarthas highlights the illusory nature of the phenomenal world and the existence of a deeper, unchanging reality.

In Advaita Vedanta, paramarthas is synonymous with Brahman, the one, undifferentiated, and ultimate consciousness that is the sole reality. The individual self, Atman, is ultimately identical with Brahman. Realizing this non-duality is the path to liberation (moksha). The world of multiplicity and individual existence is considered a superimposition on Brahman due to ignorance (avidya).

In Mahayana Buddhism, particularly in Madhyamaka philosophy, paramarthas refers to emptiness (sunyata). All phenomena are understood to be empty of inherent existence or self-nature. This emptiness is not nihilism, but rather a realization that things arise dependently and lack a permanent, independent identity. The understanding of sunyata leads to the cessation of suffering by dismantling attachment and delusion. Both traditions emphasize that paramarthas cannot be fully grasped through conceptual thought or empirical observation, but requires direct realization or insight.