Concept of personal God and Advaita

[Ashish Chandra]

On Wed, 22 May 2002 06:43:30 -0500, Stephanie Stean <cerebral_rose at MAC.COM>
wrote:

>How is advaita divorced from all experience?  Advaita, non-duality, is a
>form of experience.  Scriptural testimony is not necessary although it
>serves as a guide for many.
>

>From direct experience, IMO, the only thing you can infer is that "I don't
know who I truly am". This is after an analysis of the three states of
sleep, deep sleep and waking state. It can also be inferred that "I am
conscious". You can also stretch this to say that consciousness is
everywhere. However, you cannot conclude from these that "I am
consciousness" and "Everything is Consciousness" and "Nothing but
Consciousness is there" is not a part of our everyday experience.

>I was reading Sankaracharya lat night (a work of his called Direct
>Realization).  And his description of advaita is described in terms of
>experience.
>
>I agree with you, dvaita and visishtadvaita can be apprehended by every day
>experience.

Sorry for cutting in here but how are these two systems experienced or
observed everyday. We experience duality or plurality, that is granted.
However, both these systems talk of a jiva that is eternal. They only
differ from Advaita in what is the identity of the Jiva to Brahman and what
is the nature of liberation. Do you have any everyday experience of
eternality?

>Advaita also is apprehdended by experience, but a different kind of
>experience that is based upon knowledge and realization of the Reality of
>the Phenomenal World and of Ultimate Reality.
>

But do you experience it first hand or is this just a point of view that
seems to be the most logical one, based on what you have read?

ashish