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Persona #229

Adi Śaṅkara

c. 700–750 (traditional: 788–820)
Founding systematiser of Advaita Vedānta

Brahman alone is real, the world is appearance, the self is Brahman

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where personas disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid (32 attributes) is shown.

Attribute Adi Śaṅkara
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Emergent
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Deterministic
Time · Traversability Cyclical
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Bi-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Emergent
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Non-local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Emergent
Matter · Conservation Non-conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Non-local
Observer · Time Instance Multiple
Observer · Space Instance Multiple
Observer · Knowledge Extent Total
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Disembodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Singular
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Absolute
Observer · Moral Authority Revelation
Observer · Theological Method Mystical
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Emergent
Energy · Conservation Non-conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Reversible
Information · Ontological Status Relational
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each persona's writings reveal about their stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

Adi Śaṅkara

Time is appearance (māyā) within Brahman; cyclic samsaric duration, with liberation as exit from the cycle.

Space

Adi Śaṅkara

Space is māyā; in liberation, the apparent spatial structure dissolves into non-dual Brahman.

Matter

Adi Śaṅkara

Material world is empirically real (vyavahārika) but absolutely unreal (paramārthika); two-level ontology.

Observer

Adi Śaṅkara

At the empirical level, plural embodied souls; at the absolute level, one Self identical with Brahman. Liberation is realisation of this identity.

Energy

Adi Śaṅkara

Cosmic energy is appearance; in absolute reality, Brahman alone, without modes.

Information

Adi Śaṅkara

Personal information conserved across rebirth until liberation; ultimately all is Brahman.

Internal Tensions

Where each persona's working synthesis strains against itself.

Adi Śaṅkara

The two-level account (empirical / absolute) is the structural innovation that makes Advaita work, but also the most contested move: critics (Rāmānuja, Madhva) argue that any genuine reality of the empirical world (and thus of bondage and liberation) is incompatible with strict non-dualism.