11.  Idealistic Scepticism concerning Objective Reality.

But extreme Idealism identifies ‘to be’ with ‘to be known,’ and assumes all phenomena to be ideas as illustrated in Mahayana-vidyamatra-siddhi-tridaca-castra[FN#199] and Vidyamatra-vincati-castra,[FN#200] by Vasubandhu.  Then it necessarily parts company with Zen, which believes in Universal Life existing in everything instead of behind it.  Idealism shows us its dark side in three sceptic views:  (1) scepticism respecting objective reality; (2) scepticism respecting religion; (3) scepticism respecting morality.

[FN#199] A philosophical work on Buddhist idealism by Vasubandhu, translated into Chinese by Hiuen Tsang in A.D. 648.  There exists a famous commentary on it, compiled by Dharmapala, translated into Chinese by Hiuen Tsang in A.D. 659.  See Nanjo’s Catalogue, Nos. 1197 and 1125.

[FN#200] A simpler work on Idealism, translated into Chinese by Hiuen Tsang in A.D. 661.  See Nanjo’s Catalogue, Nos. 1238, 1239, and 1240.

First it assumes that things exist in so far as they are known by us.  It is as a matter of course that if a tree exists at all, it is known as having a trunk long or short, branches large or small, leaves green or yellow, flowers yellow or purple, etc., all of which are ideas.  But it does not imply in the least that ‘to be known’ is equivalent to ‘to be existent.’  Rather we should say that to be known presupposes to be existent, for we cannot know anything non-existent, even if we admit that the axioms of logic subsist.  Again, a tree may stand as ideas to a knower, but it can stand at the same time as a shelter in relation to some birds, as food in relation to some insects, as a world in relation to some minute worms, as a kindred organism to other vegetables.  How could you say that its relation to a knower is the only and fundamental relation for the existence of the tree?  The disappearance of its knower no more affects the tree than of its feeder; nor the appearance of its knower affects the tree any more than that of kindred vegetables.

Extreme idealism erroneously concludes that what is really existent, or what is directly proved to be existent, is only our sensations, ideas, thoughts; that the external world is nothing but the images reflected on the mirror of the mind, and that therefore objective reality of things is doubtful-nay, more, they are unreal, illusory, and dreams.  If so, we can no longer distinguish the real from the visionary; the waking from the dreaming; the sane from the insane; the true from the untrue.  Whether life is real or an empty dream, we are at a loss to understand.

12.  Idealistic Scepticism concerning Religion and Morality.

Similarly, it is the case with religion and morality.  If we admit extreme idealism as true, there can be nothing objectively real.  God is little more than a mental image.  He must be a creature of mind instead of a Creator.  He has no objective reality.  He is when we think He is.  He is not when we think He is not.  He is at the mercy of our thought.  How much more unreal the world must be, which is supposed to have been created by an unreal God!  Providence, salvation, and divine grace—­what are they?  A bare dream dreamed in a dream!