[Advaita-l] Contradictions between Shankara and his disciples

[Aravind Mohanram]

Dear Kartik,
 
Thanks for your reply, see my reply in CAPS.

S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:

--- Aravind Mohanram 
wrote:

I suspect your questions are asked in the spirit of dispute rather than
enquiry. I like debates between schools, but FYI, this forum is meant
for discussions that lead to an understanding of the Shankaran
tradition, not for espousing doctrines such as achintya-bhedAbheda
(i.e. ISKCON propaganda) that are known to be absurd. 

I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU THINK MY QUESTIONS ARE IN THE SPIRIT OF DISPUTE. AND, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN MY PREVIOUS EMAIL THAT CAN BE BRANDED AS 'ISKCON' PROPAGANDA. I WAS JUST RAISING SOME BASIC QUESTIONS IN REPLY TO YOUR POST AND MY DESIRE WAS TO LEARN MORE FROM EXPERTS ON ADVAITA PHILOSOPHY. AND, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU CALL ABB AS ABSURD. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU YOURSELF ARE PREJUDICED. I SUSPECT YOUR OPINIONS ARE PROBABLY BASED ON DISCUSSIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD WITH NEOPHYTE ISKCON DEVOTEES WHO OFTEN COME THROUGH AS FANATICAL. ANYWAY, YOU ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION. 

> So, in that case, how valid are the instructions of the acharya?
> aren't they also a product of our ignorance/mind, that we
> perceive/hear them only due to our ignorance, but in reality they
> don't have any value? Why should one take illusory instructions
> seriously? 
> 

These questions have been asked and answered several times on this
list. Please search the list archives before raising objections.

THANKS, I'LL DO THAT. I WASN'T AWARE. IF YOU CAN TELL ME WHERE TO LOOK EXACTLY, THAT'LL BE HELPFUL.


An illusory tiger in a dream can wake up a person, causing a "real"
event. This shows that an entity in a certain level of reality can
cause a person to come out of that level of reality. Similarly, the
case of "illusory" scriptures removing the ignorance of the Self. 

HERE IS MY QUESTION - AN ILLUSORY TIGER CAN WAKE UP A PERSON IN A DREAM, BECAUSE IN REALITY THERE IS A TIGER AND THE PERSON MIGHT HAVE COME ACROSS THIS REAL TIGER WHICH MIGHT HAVE FORMED IMPRESSIONS ON HIS SUBTLE BODY. ISN'T THAT TRUE? CORRECT ME, IF I'M WRONG. 

Read the BR^hadaaraNyaka upanishhad 4.3.22, which says that in Brahman,
the Vedas are no Vedas. 

I'LL LOOK INTO IT. I BELIEVE YOU ARE QUOTING THIS TO PROVE THE ILLUSORY NATURE OF THE VEDAS. 

> In the Gita, verse 2.12, Krishna talks about the individuality of the
> Himself, Arjuna and the kings - this is a clear indication that Lord
> Krishna sees plurality and provides His timeless instructions because
> of the difference that is perceived between the teacher, Himself and
> the taught, Arjuna. Any comments?
> 

The verse would be perfectly true even if there were only one Self in
multiple bodies. 

IF THAT IS ACCEPTED, WHY IS THAT THE ONE SELF APPEARS TO BE IN ILLUSION IN ARJUNA'S BODY, BUT NOT SO IN KRISHNA'S BODY. IF THIS HAS BEEN ANSWERED BEFORE, I APOLOGIZE. 

Check gItA verse 7.18 to see how Krishna regards a GYAnI. And please
verify the meaning in Sanskrit yourself, without depending on ISKCON's
twists.

HOW IS THIS VERSE RELATED TO THE CURRENT TOPIC ON JIVAN-MUKTA? SEE 18.54 - WHICH SAYS HOW ONE WHO HAS REALIZED BRAHMAN (THE GYANI) ATTAINS DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO THE LORD.

REGARDS,

ARAVIND.



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