Various Topics

[Giri]

On Thu, 21 Nov 1996, egodust wrote:

> If we think about it, sex isn't different--except in magnitude--from any
> other sensual act, such as eating, listening to music, skydiving, etc.

        Not even in magnitude, since many indulge in eating, listening to
music for much longer times. Every action is sensual.  One can find it
mentioned in Kashmir Shaivism numerous times (off hand, i can think of
vaatuulanaatha suutra). I can get the quotes by Swami Lakshmanjoo, if
someone is really interested.

> This also applies to the pakva in the course of his sadhana.  So long as he
> watches such play of body-desire as a witness and not its victim, vairagya
> can be successfully cultivated.

        There is no bhoga or yoga or tyaga if
        There is no karta.

**

Regarding the issue of celibacy, one can read Ramana's response to such
questions.

D: Is not celibacy necessary for realization of Self.
M: Brahmacharya is 'living in Brahman'. It has no connection with
celibacy as it is commonly understoood.....
D: Celibacy is an aid  for Yoga ?
M : So it is. Celibacy is certainly an aid to realization among so many
other aids.
D: Is it then not indispensable ? Can a married man realize the Self ?
M: Certainly, it is a matter of fitness of mind. Married or unmarried, a
man can realize the Self, because that is here and now. ....

        I think these are close to exact quotes. One can verify it in the
first few pages (certainly before page 25) of the book 'Talks with Ramana'
--
        Anything that is unneccessary is evil, what disturbs the
equanimity of mind should be avoided (whether it is onions, meat, sex,
internet, or whatever). Certainly, one cannot discount the jnana of Lahari
Mahasya (in yogananda's parampara) or Nisargadatta Maharaj (of the Navnath
sampradaya) just because they had children [They may not be recognized by
Advaita vedanta, however].

**

On Thu, 21 Nov 1996, Madhava Kumar Turumella wrote:

> >        ftp://jaguar.cs.utah.edu/private/sanskrit/sanskrit.html
> Dear Mr. Giri;

        No formalities, please. The above sanskrit site contains many
documents. Currently, there are two vedas (rig and saama veda) in addition
to the various upanishhads, the itihaasa-s, stotra-s etc including
tutorials to learn sanskrit. Please let me know if you have any comments
on the site or if anyone wants to contribute to it.

> >        Most of the Indology scholars would never accept that the
> >muktika upanishhad was written/composed during the period of
> >Rama, which is around 5000 BC (i.e if they even accept that Rama is not a
> >mythological character).
>
> Where can I get more information about the above point you have mentioned?
> I just wanted to know the reason. That's all.

        You can find the links to Indology related sites from the above site.
Usually the upanishhads are placed after 500 BC. Please note many
Indologists also believe that Bhagavad Gita was inserted into the
Mahabharata at a much later period in order to discount the Samkhya
philosophy. You can look at Nakamura's 'A history of early vedanta
philosophy.' for more details.

> Oh! My I made a mistake.  Thanks for correcting me.  Three days back
> when I was writing this article, Brihadaranyaka upanishad was whirling in
> my mind. Rama advised Hanuma to read "maaNDukya".

        Interestingly, Shankara does not quote from the maaNDukya upanishhad
in his brahma suutra bhashya, though he does quote from the karika.

> >        Really ? I thought dvaita was more of a servant master relationship
> >rather than a slave-master relationship. The latter can never be driven
> >by Love.
> Can you explain further. Thanks.
> Madhav

        A slave does not have a choice and is forced to love (which in fact
he does not). The servant has a choice to love his master or not.

**

Regarding 'taking' sanyas and thinking 'I have renounced. I have given
up,'

        The "me/mine" concept generates numerous misidentifications. The
primary being the idea that 'I am the body/mind' and is the worst of all.
There is no escape from the dualistic world and misidentifications so long
as the believer thinks he is someone else other than who he really is. All
identifications with the unreal [emotions, body, mind, intellect and
finally the concepts of good and evil] will have to finally cease !!

        To remove this dualistic thought, one has to discard the "Me/mine"
concept and the "other" concept will also be automatically discarded. Only
in this state in which the ego and the personality associated with it
completely disappears, one truly awakens to the state of the non-duality
and there is no seeker apart from the sought, no seen apart from from the
seer. This is the eternal Now, without the past or future. This is the state
of fullness, oneness of the universal being, the state which is beyond all
identities but is the identity of all beings.

Namaste.