Wednesday 18 May 2022

Jacob Palaparambil, "Richard De Smet's Discovery of the Notion of 'Person' in Adi Sankaracarya's Advaita Vedanta," defence, 16 May 2022

Jacob Palaparambil's defence at the UPS, Rome. Scaria Thuruthiyil, 1st reader; Bryan Lobo, SJ, 2nd reader, Mauro Mantovani, 3rd reader. President: Andrea Bozzolo.

Most of the questions were about De Smet's interpretation of Sankara and its correctness, rather than about Jacob's interpretation of De Smet. 

Suggestions by Mauro Mantovani: (1) develop analogy, just as you have developed relation; (2) expand also on attributes; (3) read Gilles Emery, on q. 28 of the S.Th. 

He also said Thomas spoke of two notions of person, one suitable for the human person, the other for the divine persons. 

Bryan Lobo asked about person and reincarnation and moksa: without the body in moksa, is there a person or not? [But in Christian theology we have the same problem: is the separated soul a person, if person refers to the integrity of a being?]

He also asked about intuition: did De Smet speak about intuition? is there not an intuition at least in the mystical experience? that surely is not reasoning. [The Marechal tradition does not like the notion of intuition. and not Lonergan either. But one would have to examine De Smet's writings on the matter. He certainly wrote about the supreme experience.]