Spiritual Erudition

[sadananda]

Discussions on Advaita:

I sympathize  with Charles A. Hillig about his comments on the discussions
on advaita.

At the same time I am not sure what else I can expect on advaita list -

I felt many a time a discussion on a topic was dragged beyond its worthless
life with back and forth on the minute details of the snake when it all the
time a rope!

After one round of clarification or enquiry, I personally loose complete
interest in the topic.

Discussion of individual experiences!  Any experience is a subjective and
time bound.  How can one qualify that other than what Anand Hudli indicated
that it has enriched his life, what he was before to what he is now, and I
am sure that is everyone's experience to some degree or not, and who can
quantify that . I have been studying Advaita for the past ten years and if
you ask my wife, (some time you don't have to even ask) she will tell you
that I have not changed, and that I am the same for the past ten years -
particularly whenever I disagree with her -( by the way she is a staunch
VishishTaadvaitin- and I learned not to argue on philosophy with her and
most of our disagreements are about the snake!)- To my satisfaction, I
interpret her statement, of course, that I am that changeless!  So how can
I change.

 Asking for some experience is again trying to measure how big is that
snake!  is it not?

Discussion about jiivan mukta - Anand gave a list of people.  For every
disciple his teacher is or was a jiivan mukta.  How can you prove he is or
he is not.  Is not that list subjective too.  Proof if it exists is itself
a subjective and conclusion obviously will be subjective.    One is not
considered jiivan mukta by popularity either - na prajayaa -  As I read
stitapraJNa lakshana in B.G. - they are for one's evaluation of oneself
rather than for evaluation of others.  A person asked a swami after his
discourse on this topic, - Sir, Have you seen in your life a real jiivan
mukta? -  That swami answered, "By that very question, it looks like you
have already concluded that I am not one of them!"

 How any body can tell that a given person is jiivan mukta? -Number of
books or disciples he has?  Remember Sankaraachaaryaa's poem - Yogara tOva
....

Then what do you discuss on Advaita.

I will pose the question other way to be more practical.  From my point
what do I look for?  There is no one here that we need to convince about
the glory of the advaita - All those souls are in a different band width!
and wound not even care.

In  Avadhuuta giita -in the very first sloka DattatrEya says:
iiswaraanugraha Eva pumsaam advaita vaasana!
Only by the grace of god one acquires the taste! for advaita philosophy -
so we can pat ourselves.

I would like to see a scholarly discussion of some text verse by verse.  I
like  the postings on Madhusudhana Saraswati's B.G. interpretation slokas.
Those who can, can take up an advaitic text and discuss. To me that is more
fruitful.

As the copy of the letter from a vendantin posted - climbing to the top is
important - to realize in the end that there is no top and bottom - but
that is only a vision from the top till then there is a top from the one
who thinks he is at the bottom.

These are my current thoughts.

Hari Om!
Sadananda

K. Sadananda
Code 6323
Naval Research Laboratory
Washington D.C. 20375
Voice (202)767-2117
Fax:(202)767-2623

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What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your
gift to Him: Swami Chinmayananda
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