[Advaita-l] fundamental (dis)qualifications - beginner's paradox

Sanskrit Beginner sanskrit_beginner at unlimitedmail.org
Thu Aug 12 06:41:47 CDT 2004


Namo Namah:
I found this on your site:
==
Atma Bodha Verse 01 :

tapObhih kshiNapApAnAm SAntAnAm vItarAgiNAm |
mumukshuNAm ApekshyOyam AtmabOdhO vidhIyate ||

Translation:
For those who have cleansed their sins by austerities, for 
those who are calm ( or attained calmness ), for those who are 
not bound to cravings of the body, and for those who seek 
liberation, to such worthy people, I (ShrI Shankara) compose 
this teaching on the Self.

=
 On a humourous vein, I am disqualified right awy, in the 
first verse of a book meant to be level 101!! I may perhaps 
qualify only as one whose aim now is to find redeeming forces, 
and if that is God, so be it, and if that is Non Dual pursuit, 
so be it. But, no way I have cleansed by sins, and by no 
stretch of imagination am I calm, or free from attachment to 
the body :)
 Yet again, what do you list members do? No offense, but its 
hypocritical ... I find its impossible to take this teaching 
seriously and to the letter, and yet knowing full well that 
I/you are not qualified, still proceed to learn the same text. 
And if I/you don't take the text seriously, meaning, I/you 
automatically discard the importance of even the first verse 
of the first book, then what's stopping you (or me) from 
reducing the importance of the subsequent verses!! Pure 
Hypocrisy!!
 I will call this the beginner's paradox - attendance by 
invitation only, or having to be pre-qualified. What's the 
recourse for people like me ... and trust me, there are a 
lottttt of people out there! I thik I am quite lucky 
(redeemed - born again) to have even decided to pursue 
something like this! I don't know the list strength, but what 
fraction of the world population is it? - there are a lot of 
other sinners out there!!
 What does one do? Proceed at one's own risk, or abandon in 
the hopes of a next life with qualification? (the other option 
of cleansing all sins and being calm and having no attachment 
to this body has very little chance of success in this present 
body - too many sins, too many attachments :( )

dhanyavaadhah:


--------------------------------------
Message sent from the
Unlimited Mail Free Services Platform.
http://www.unlimitedmail.net
--------------------------------------





More information about the Advaita-l mailing list