[Advaita-l] Advaita practice (fwd)

[Anand Hudli]

How do you put advaita into practice? This is a difficult question, but, 
fortunately, has an answer - follow the teachings of the gItA. As 
householders, we must necessarily meet the obligations of the society, 
family, Gods, Rishis, and Pitrs (ancestors), etc. Especially, the life of a 
brAhmaNa, as prescribed by the dharma shAstras, is filled with austerities 
and obligations that must be fulfilled. The karma-yoga, bhakti-yoga, and 
jnAna-yoga taught by the gItA, are all essential ingredients in leading a 
life that is meaningful from the advaita point of view. Besides, there is a 
saying: "vyavahAre tu bhATTanayaH", meaning that an advaitin behaves like a 
mImAMsaka in day-to-day life. This, however, should be taken to mean that 
vedic practices should be followed with a sense of dedication to God, 
renouncing the fruits of action. This means that nitya karmas and naimittika 
karmas are to be performed but not the kAmya karmas. Yoga and meditation are 
of great help, as they are also mentioned in the gItA. They help  in 
focusing on the right things and in curbing unnecessary passion. Finally, 
one needs to have faith and bhakti in the Guru and God to sustain the 
ongoing sAdhana.

Anand

_________________________________________________________________
Find a local pizza place, movie theater, and more….then map the best route! 
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&ss=yp.bars~yp.pizza~yp.movie%20theater&cp=42.358996~-71.056691&style=r&lvl=13&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=950607&encType=1&FORM=MGAC01