ADVAITA-L Digest - 19 Oct 1998 to 20 Oct 1998 (#1998-26)

[Guy Werlings]

Giridhar wrote:
>
> namaste.
>
> >Yes, indeed, it's the manIshA pa.ncakam if my memory serves me right.
> >The dashashlokI, if I remember right, was sung by Sha.nkara when
> >GovindabhagavatpAda, his guru asked who he was.
>
>         Yes, in both the cases. The  aatmashhaTak / nirvaaNashhaTak  by
> sha.nkaraachaarya has six verses and is available on the internet (jaguar)
> with translation.
>
> >Namaste ! Here is the "boring questioning Guy" again. I do not want to
> >show any disrespect to anybody and  especially certainly not to a sAdhu,
> >but can we really take the above mentioned svAmi seriously. We French
>
> Much more seriously than a whole lot of scholars who publish books and
> research
> papers on Shankara etc. without practising what HE says. I am specifically
> talking about certain professors in USA who call upanishads trash but continue
> to publish about it.
>
> >every Frenchman knows even approximately where the HimAlaya is. So, to
> >read about an HimAlayan Academy (hello Plato !) in Hawai is rather
>
> Can't I name my house 'Himalayas' if I live in the USA ? Then, you should
> probably come down to India and close all those places that are called
> 'The California book store' 'The Tibetan house' etc. They have named it so
> because they sell products from California and Tibet.  In this place,
> teachings of Shiva are propagated and hence they have named it the
> Himalayan academy.
>
> >amusing. Of course it must be a pretty nice place to run an electronic
> >ashram and to deliver daily telephone sermonnettes must be  rather
> >comfortable and not to exhausting. In that perspective our discussions
>
>         Hello ? Have you ever visited their ashram or met anyone from their
> ashram to make such comments ? They DO NOT run an electronic
> ashram. They have a regular ashram with several inmates who do intense
> sadhana. In addition, they try to reach out to people thro' the electronic
> media. Why do you think there is anything wrong in that ? Isn't it good
> to have a Guru who can talk to you over the phone ?
>                 Swamiji comes in the tradition of Saivas and has a Guru who is
> extremely well known in these parts of the world. Now, you may not
> agree with what he has to say with regard to philosophy or ideas
> pertaining to Shiva. That's fine, I don't agree with him completely either,
> but that does not mean I don't respect him for the great he has done and
> the work he continues to do to increase the bhakti we have towards Shiva.
> Shouldn't anyone who increases our bhakti towards God be revered, irrespective
> of the person being a child, householder or swamiji.
>                 If you ever managed ashram affairs for a day, you will know how
> extremely exhausting it is for the body.
>
> >as to reading or not the Sruti in translations seem somewhat archaïc.
> >The "bad guy" stops his remarks here, fearing to be thrown out of the
> >list.
>
> One should not be afraid to question anyone or anything. Ramakrishna
> paramhansa often used to say that the disciple should test the Guru
> and be satisfied about the genuineness. But that does not mean
> one can make arbitary remarks about someone else without even
> knowing any facts. Feel free to discuss how he differs from traditional
> advaita vedanta taught by Shankara and I will agree with you..but not
> with wrong claims that he runs an electronic ashram.
>
> AUM shaantiH
>
> ================================================================
> "bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam"
> List archives : http://listserv.tamu.edu/archives/advaita-l.html
> ================================================================Namaste Giridhar,

Somewhat surprised you accuse me of arbitrary remarks and wrong claims?
When I try to connectme to the SvAmi's site, this is just what appears
on my screen : " The Electronic ashram."
Want to see the table of content ? I copied it down for you :
Welcome to
Hinduism's
Electronic
Ashram

Today at Kauai
Aadheenam

New Additions to
This Site

Search

Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami

Saiva Siddhanta
Church

San Marga Iraivan
Temple

Himalayan
Academy

Hinduism Today

Hindu Heritage
Endowment

Art and Culture

www.hindu.org -
Hindu Resources
Online

Advertising in
Hinduism Today

Himalayan
Academy Bookshelf

Paramaguru Sage
Yogaswami

Lineage of Spiritual
Masters

Visitor Tour Days at
the Monastery in
Hawaii

Books

Dancing With Siva,
Hinduism's
Contemporary
Catechism

Merging with Siva,
Hinduism's
Contemporary
Metaphysics

Lemurian Scrolls,
Angelic Prophecies
Revealing Human
Origins

Saivite Virtue

Satguru Speaks on
Hindu Renaissance

Saint Yogaswami
and The Testament
of Truth

Vedic Experience

Educational Study
Materials

Hindu Dictionary

The Master Course
1967 Edition

How to Become a)
Hindu          )<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Inspired Talks

Tirumantiram:
The Fountainhead of
Saiva Siddhanta

The Self God

Tracts and
Pamphlets

Karma and
Reincarnation

9 Common
Questions About
Hinduism

God and Gods of
Hinduism

Articles

Cloning - A Hindu
Perspective

Hindu Leaders
Speak Out On the
Issue of Suicide

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(C) Himalayan Academy, 1998. All
rights reserved.
August 18, 1998 (JP)
Send e-mail to webmaster at hindu.org

"Then afterwards I read the chapter titled satguru and see such items
 as :
"Click Here to Become a Monk"
"Telephone Sermonettes:
 If you would like to hear a recorded upadesha, inspired talk, by
Gurudeva, you can call anytime,
 day or night: 808-822-SIVA (822-7482). Upadeshas range from 4 to 18
minutes and tapes are
 changed daily. The phone number above is for Hawaii, USA (country code
is 1). We're sorry that it is not toll-free."

Well our course I have nothing against the fact of phoning one's guru.
Being myself disabled, unable to make any kind of trip, and my own guru
being 80 years old and having very bad health, I am very glad to have
also the possibility of phoning him. But you will notice that on the
site under discussion, the matter is different : it is recorded general
and public teaching. Of course, it most probably does not deal with the
upanishads but with Saiva texts, or the Satguru own ideas and has such
is not shruti and can go on  the telephone lines. But, I must admit I
was surprized to read such things, when I am myself been told not to
(even) read the upanishads. This is why I talked of some archaïsm on the
earlier debate on this matter in the list.
When, on the same site, I am told afterwards how I can become a Hindu,
'I made some marks<<<<<<<<<<< at the proper place, the beginning of
which starts thus :

 The following is excerpted from the new and extraordinary book by
  Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Loving Ganesha: Hinduism's
 Endearing Elephant-Faced God. You don't deserve to be without it!
    The text below makes reference to certificates which can be
                      photocopied.
    These can be obtained by purchasing the book. You can also
 download and photocopy freely the simple GIF certificates which are
                      linked below.
             Click here to order Loving Ganesha.
       Click here for this document in Spanish (Espanol).



              Copyright Himalayan Academy 1996.
 This service of Himalayan Academy is intended for the private personal
    use of our readers. No part, except for the certificates, may be
  reprinted, reposted, broadcast or re-used in any way without written
 permission. The certificates may be downloaded, printed, photocopied,
                 used and distributed freely.

(I considered this very strict prohibition  as related to the excerpts
given after this copyright mention, and not to the few introduction
lines just here-above). Anyway I stop quoting anything on the subject
"how to become a hindu", as I don't want to be cursed for ever. Being
cursed by a Saiva satguru must  be specially frightful.


well reading all this,

YES, Giridhar, I must confess, I really started to ask myself some
questions (and this was the reason for the posting to which you
reacted), even if I know how deep we have fallen into Kali Yuga, the
age of among  far worst other things, flying svAmis, jet set sAdhus, and
New Age "soap vedanta".

Now, if you and some others members of the list, which I consider as
having some common sense tell me the works of the mentioned svAmi are
really serious and worth reading, no doubt I shall possibly try (if the
contents are within the scope of my own quest and svadharma) and submit
them to the tests of vedantic truth as taught by SRI SACCIDANANDA
SIVABHINAVA NARASIMHA BHARATI MAHASVAMI, SHANKARACHARYA OF SRINGERI
(1878-1912) to RAJASEVASAKTA SRI V. SUBRAHMANIA IYER, who seems to have
been totally forgotten, and was perhaps never known at all  apart from
his  students, and some happy fews (among whom I feel myself very
blessed to be).

With reverence and respects,

Guy

namAmi bhagavatpAdam Sankaram lokaSankaram ||

================================================================
"bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam"
List archives : http://listserv.tamu.edu/archives/advaita-l.html
================================================================