Nisargadatta Maharaj

[Srikrishna Ghadiyaram]

Hari Om !!

--- "Jaldhar H. Vyas" <jaldhar at BRAINCELLS.COM> wrote:
> On Wed, 29 Jan 2003, J Kalianandaswami wrote:
>
> >
> > Namaste
> >
> > To know only scripture is in fact a crime against
> scripture. One must put
> > it into action, for it to be of any benefit.
>
> Agreed but are there actually any people who know
> only scripture?  The
> basic thrust of the argument of the new agers (I do
> not put Ramana in the
> same category as the others you mentioned) is that
> there is something
> called "direct experience" which is somehow superior
> to "book learning"
>
> But what is reading a book if not an experience?
> words either have the
> capacity to create understanding or they don't.
> This is the same as a
> sound or a smell or anything else.

It is good that you brought out this point. Even in
the other posts titled 'Texts', I was pointing to this
same thing by objecting to the interpretaion of
'practice'. Sruthi, as a valid means of knowlege is
sufficient to produce Knowledge. Upadesa Sahasri has
enough discussion on this topic and refutes
karma-sumachaya vada. I am personally excited to
understand Veda being a 'means of knowlege' just for
this purpose. In light of this understanding of what
constitutes a 'pramana', sravana, manana, nididhyasana
is part of that teaching of sruthi by a teacher. There
is no relevence of any other practice.

Om Namo Narayanaya !!

Srikrishna



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