(modern nitwit = Brahman) ?

[un824 at FREENET.VICTORIA.BC.CA]

Namaste,

I would like to sincerely thank Vidyasankar and others for the very
good service of providing such detailed and patiently presented
information in response to my questions.  As the vedas are part of
the "context" of Advaita which is not appreciated by  "unassimilated"
"modern nitwits" like myself, I sought and received some clarification
of that context.

I get the partial impression that it may not be so un-orthodox after all
(at least from the Advaita point of view), to seek the paravidya (higher
knowledge of truth itself) in the Upanishads and basically ignore as much
of the aparavidya as you like. It may *not* be the mandatory "package deal"
which I had feared it was being presented by some to be.

Suffice it to say, IMO, Advaita Vedanta will have a much larger role in
the non-Indian world if the wheat can be presented with the chaff clearly
labelled as "optional", "not required", "only there to be `backward
compatible' culturally", etc. People who grew up in that culture may feel
this is too high a price to pay for sharing their spiritual wealth with the
spiritually impoverished modern world -- but there you have it.

Believe it or not, my personal interest includes my concern for the
spiritual rootlessness of my fellow man (and women too of course) and
I would not be bothering to participate here if I did not think Advaita
Vedanta had the "real goods" to offer. I am aware of the necessity of
preserving the original tradition in some form in order to provide the
rest of us with a benchmark. I am aware the "baby could get thrown out
with the bathwater" if only part of a tradition is transposed in the
wrong way. I was trying to assess the possibilities, that's all.

I hope my intentions and methods are not too disreputable or disrupting
for you to keep giving me your valuable time and consideration.

Respectfully yours,

-Allan Curry

P.S.

Here's a nice slice ( out of context? :-) from the Katha Upanishad...

"The Self is not known through the study of scriptures, nor through
subtlety of the intellect, nor through much learning. But by him who longs
for him is he known. Verily unto him does the Self reveal his true being."