Brahman, Dao, Things in Themselves and the Absolute One

Upanịs ads is the main origin of traditional Indian philosophical thoughts, just as the Zhuangzi is one of the main origins of traditional Chinese philosophical thoughts. Both of them offer almost the same answer for the question of the essence and principle of the world, that is, that of the ultimate reality. According to Upanịs ads, the essence and principle of the world is Brahman; according to the Zhuangzi, the essence and principle of the world is Dao. Their characterizations of Brahman and Dao are very similar. But there are grave inconsistences among the many attributes they ascribe to Brahman and Dao. Brahman and Dao are regarded as the creator of the myriad things in the world, as well as existing in all the things and containing them. However, usually speaking, if one thing exists in all members of a given type of things, then it cannot contain all of them at the same time. Moreover, if one thing generates another thing, then it cannot wholly exist in the latter, nor can it wholly contain it. If we understand Brahman and Dao as the world as a whole in itself or the absolute One, namely, the world without any distinctions, then these inconsistences among the many attributes of Brahman and Dao can be solved altogether. We can get this conception of the world as a whole in itself or the absolute One by means of revising Kant and Schopenhaur's doctrine of things in themselves.