[Advaita-l] How can one claim to know Brahman?

[Mahesh Ursekar]

Pranams:

As you say in your post, we are in unison on these points so I need
add no more. Maybe, someone can start a thread on 'Vedanta in
Practice' so that we can learn about the practical way to acheive 'Tat
Twam Asi' instead of the theoritical way. I guess those blessed with a
Guru would be more useful here.

In this regad, I am deeply indebted to Prof Krishnamurthy's thread of
"Free Will vs Divine Will' which does talk on a real life debate
between disciples to clarify their understanding of the idea of will.
After all, the points there could be made by any of us but arriving at
an answer would require someone seeped in knowledge like the good
professor. Sometimes, it is said the 'the Devil could use the
scripture' and the debate there shows this by bringing up serious
moral dilemmas that require subtle logic to untangle...which brings us
full circle for the need of a good Guru! Or alternativey a list like
this so I guess thanks to Jaldhar...or is it Jaldharji..and his
friends.

A final note: Though born and bought up in India, I studied in an
English medium school and also got two Masters in the US [EE/Comp Sc]
so when I don't prefix a -ji sometimes, it is because of my upbringing
and not as a matter of disrespect.

Regards, Mahesh



On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 00:52:18 -0800, praveen.r.bhat at exgate.tek.com
<praveen.r.bhat at exgate.tek.com> wrote:
> praNAm all,
> 
> Maheshji,
> 
> I agree with your viewpoint on this matter of learning at the master's
> (though a master, read Guru, may be the *most* difficult to find!) feet,
> since I'm of the same view that one needs to have restraint in, if not
> renounce, worldly matters! And if all goes well, with God's grace, I may be
> able to live up to some of these in a few years time.
> 
> Still, as usual, I'm going to say the same things that you know of, but its
> only for you to reconsider your views *if* they say: reading/studying on
> your own doesn't bring anything and living with the masters brings
> everything!
> 
> Now, you yourself say that:
> 
> > Since, only a few are blessed with this
> > luck, we must resort to books and probably lists like this to clarify
> > our understanding of the subtleites of Vedanata.
> 
> So we're in unison.
> 
> Later,
> 
> Maheshji wrote:
> > Say, one day, you deeply read Vedanta from morning to evening and then
> > go out with a bunch of good friends in your car for a night out. While
> > driving, your give in to anger at some pedestrian misdemenor that
> > obstructs your smooth travel. At a resturant where you eat, you
> > indulge the senses in good food and then follow that with a movie
> > exciting the senses even more, then all your efforts so far have fed
> > your brain about Vedanta but your spirit is right where it was before
> > you started. So, to truly understand the essence of Vedanta (and
> > thereby elvate your spirit), you need to live like a Vedantin. And
> > that can be only leaned at the feet of the Masters.
> 
> First of all, anger and things like that need not wait for a rash drive to a
> night out party, that you'd agree. Next, being in a secluded ashram, the
> mind may still wander, causing all sorts of things. I'm reminded of a story
> that most of us may have heard, but its hopefully worth another reading. It
> goes something like this... One day, while a master and a disciple were
> walking to their ashram they saw that a beautiful young lady was struggling
> to cross a stream. The master offered to carry her and did so, helping her
> across the stream. Back at the ashram, the disciple, disappointed, asked the
> master on why was he not following the restraint he himself taught, of
> staying away from women? The master said thus: "I dropped her at the other
> end long back, why are you still carrying her?"
> 
> Therefore, the idea suggested is that one needs to have a focused mind
> whether or not at the feet of the master. Ramana says a similar thing in "Be
> as you are". These lessons are learnt at the feet of the masters, as well as
> reading about them, while being elsewhere in society. Its called by Sathya
> Sai as "Hands in the society, head in the forest" principle. Not all may
> agree with it or be able to do so, but there is no saying that they may be
> able to do so even at the master's feet! Perhaps, you've read a lot of
> Ramakrishna's works; you may remember atleast an instance when the disciple
> was even *thinking* of something else and the master slapped him :)
> 
> Respecting your stand and agreeing again that there's no replacement for a
> guru.
> 
> jai bajrangabali,
> --praveen
>