A Talk on Others without otherness: Ramchandra Gandhi and the mirror of consciousnessby Dr James Madaio

About the Talk:
The talk explores how the philosopher Ramchandra Gandhi (1937-2007) approaches plurality and ‘the other’ through a transformative investigation of communication and Advaita-informed philosophical hermeneutics. Broadly, it is argued that R Gandhi’s understanding of the play of communicative relationality parallels his understanding of the līlā of consciousness, which becomes an alterity to itself to ‘play the great game’ of self-discovery. The presentation closely examines the philosophical implications of his mature model of understanding plurality as images on the mirror or screen of consciousness. Differentiating elements of his approach from classical Advaita Vedānta, the talk situates his understanding within a post-sampradāyic context, drawing genealogical parallels with the Tamil sage Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) and the textual currents associated with his āśrama, particularly the Tripurārahasya. In doing so, the talk demonstrates how his approach to identity and difference disrupts the divide between ontological monism and pluralism, offering a sophisticated vision of others without otherness.
About the Speaker:
Dr James Madaio is a research fellow at the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. He is the Editor of the Journal of Hindu Studies (Oxford University Press) and Regional Editor (Indic traditions) of Bloomsbury Academic’s Introductions to World Philosophies book series. His monograph, Advaita Vedānta and the Story of Liberation: Vidyāraṇya’s Narrative Philosophy, is under contract with Oxford University Press. He is also an editor of two forthcoming volumes: The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Non-duality in Indian Thought (co-edited with Jonathan Duquette) and Provincializing Pluralism: Difference and Diversity in South Asian Traditions (co-edited with Brian Black).