THE CONCEPT OF ‘THE OTHER’ IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Abstract

The paper aims at bringing out a basic difference between religions which have propagated the idea of 'difference'
which has resulted in the discourse on the concept of 'the other' and Indian philosophies such as the Vedic tradition and
Buddhism which incorporated the idea of interdependence and acceptance eliminating the concept of 'the other'. Both these
schools of thought pointed out unequivocally that the ultimate enlightened self is devoid of 'plurality' I.e. It is one which does
not consider anything to be 'the other' - or considers every other to be a part of oneself