[Advaita-l] Yoga and Advaita Vedanta - 0

[Sundar Rajan]

Namaste Vidyasanker,
   
  This post should really have been part of my previous post -
  still learning the advaita-l system:-)
   
  After having witnessed (and particpated) in the barrage of exchanges in the
  'advaitin' list I believe one of the main reasons for disagreements centered
  around the role attributed to Yoga during Sadhana. I have included an excerpt
  from one of my messages.
   
  =============================================
   
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/advaitin/message/33349
   
  // quote
"O Raghava(Rama), Yoga and Vichara are the two processes for the
elemination of the mind. Yoga is indeed the restraint of
modifications of the mind, (and) vichara is the full visualization
of Reality. To someone Yoga is an impossibility; to someone else
Vichara is an impossibility! Therefore the supreme Lord Siva spoke
of the two processes"
// end quote

This Yoga vasishta verse has been quoted by Sri Madhusudana
Saraswati, Swami Vidyaranya amongst others..

Normally manana and nidhidhdhyasana are taken to be
Vichara. What the above verse points out is that nidhidhyasana
can be *Dhyana/Yoga*

Jnana is still the *only* path to liberation, there are two
*possible* paths leading to Jnana :
shravana, manana and nidhidhyasana (= vichara) -> Jnana
shravana, manana and nidhidhyasana (= Yoga/Dhyana) -> Jnana
===========================================================
   
  regards
  Sundar Rajan

Sundar Rajan <avsundarrajan at yahoo.com> wrote:
    Namaste Vidyasankar,
   
  Look forward to your analysis. I thought once or twice during the last few weeks of creating a 'misconceptions' list on the other 'advaitin'  but never got around to it.
   
  One of the first things to tackle is the 'terminology' - here is as an example of mixing Patanjali Yoga with Nirvikalpa samadhi
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/advaitin/message/33262
   
  //
  > 3. Those who talk about Nirvikalpa samadhi as defined in Patanjali
> Yoga as the direct means of AtmajnAna are at variance with Adi
> Shankaras teaching because NS or Dhyana is not accepted as a
> pramAna> by Shankara or any other Acharya.
>
  (SR reply):
First, some clarifications on nomenclature:

Nirvikalpa Samadhi is NOT a term used in Patanjali Yoga sutras and
linking Nirvikalpa Samadhi to Patanjali causes confusions (IMHO).
//
   
  regards
  Sundar Rajan