ADVAITA-L Digest - introduction

[Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian]

Vidyasankar Sundaresan <vidya at CCO.CALTECH.EDU> wrote:

> Since I had proposed that we write up short introductions on this list,
> here is mine. Of course, in the larger perspective, for advaitic realization,
> our notions of "I" and "mine" are not valid. But this introduction is meant
> to serve the purpose of identifying our backgrounds and interests.

I'll follow Vidya's example. I'm B. Ramakrishnan and am doing my Ph.D in
Electrical Engineering at Purdue Univ., West Lafayette. I came here in 1992
after finishing my bachelor's at the Indian Institute of technology, Madras.

Our family is, like Vidya's, affiliated to the Sringeri mutt. My father has on
various occasions performed pada puja for shrii abhinava vidya teertha and in
1992 shrii bhaaratii thiirtha graced our home by visiting it. However, we cannot
call ourselves disciples by any means.

My interest in advaita vedanta began when I was in 9th or 10th grade (I forget
now) when my father taught me the basic principles using dR^ik dR^ishya viveka,
about which I posted some info before. Later I read the vivekachuuDaamaNi and
the ashtavakra giita and other things, and finally shrii ramaNa's works, which
really appealed to me. I had my upnayanam in 3rd grade and and my father also
made arrangements for elementary sanskrit and Vedic studies. Till that point I
was engaging in these in a rather perfunctory manner, only after this I really
gained some perspective of our religious practices! The most credit should go
to my father, for whatever knowledge of vedanta and religion that I have.

Ramakrishnan.
--
Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said, "The flag is moving." The other
said, "The wind is moving." The sixth patriarch happened to be passing by. He
told them, "Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving." - The Gateless Gate