[Advaita-l] Re: Love molecule

[praveen.r.bhat at exgate.tek.com]

praNAm all,

We've had all sorts of people at all times: genuine and fake, but thats besides the point when anyone mentioned *tradition* on this thread. By tradition, it need not mean old. It means the following that is old. So even a modern guru, following the tradition is fine (so not posthumous as Bhaskar-ji pointed out :) 

When we bring in examples of people in the past realizing without the guru, it doesn't make them modern-aged, and necessarily doesn't mean they'd modern-age gurus. Moreover, Maharshi has gone on record to state that his followers have found that his teachings that came from his experiences and Shankara's teachings are the same.

Also, what is more important is what one is looking for. Whether its whatever is termed as "unconditional love", etc, versus what the advaita tradition calls as *moksha*. I think it has been discussed earlier on what this moksha/realization is defined as by different followers. So, even if a modern guru claims to be realized, one of the best ways to accept that is by omeone from tradition agreeing; as in the case of Ramana, by Kanchi Mahaswamigal, unless of course looking for other "types of "unconditional liberation".

Finally, whatever is called as tradition has given many example students for us to look upto. How many students of non-traditional modern-age schools do we have that claim advaitic realization (not without gurus, but with gurus who are modern-aged)?

shivam shaantam advaitam,
--praveeN