[Advaita-l] Great opportunity to listen to the scholars

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

I received the following information from Chinmaya International Foundation. 

An eight day residential workshop on PHILOSOPHY OF ONENESS: BRIDGING EAST AND WEST – 24 DEC-31ST DECEMBER. 2009.

 ON LINE REGISTRATION INFO: <WWW. CHINFO.ORG> 

The workshop fee is only $100/- for US and Rs 1500/- for Indian residents. 
The medium of instruction will be English. Knowledge of Sanskrit is not a prerequisite. Course material will be provided at the venue. You can bring your reference books. Vegetarian food and comfortable accommodation will be provided. Program will begin at 24th Dec 09 and end on 31st Dec 2009. Participants to arrive at 23rd Dec and return on 1st jan 2010 – what a way to start the new year. Information about the reaching the venue see – 
http://chinfo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article &id=99

This workshop aims at acquainting the student with the fundamentals of Advaita Vedanta and the complexities of their nuances. It intends also to compare and contrast of Western Philosophies like Parmenides, Spinoza and Bradley. These will be discussed through a study of the following topics:

1. Idealism: East and West – Prof. R. Balasubramanian, former chairman, India Council of Philosophical Reseach, New Delhi. 

2. Vishaya Pariccheda in Vedanta Paribhasha of Dharmaraja – by Dr. Goda Venkateswara Sastri, Traditional Scholar, Chennia, and 

3. Advaita Makaranda by Prof. Godabarisha Mishra, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi.

Just for information: Dr. Goda Venkateswara Sastri is well know scholar in Chennai and gives talks here on various texts including Bhagavad Gita, Advaita Siddhi of Madhusudana Saraswati, etc. and is currently teaching these in Tamil, although he can give lectures in Telugu and English. I just met him past Monday to request him to teach me Advaita Siddhi, since I have no knowledge of Tamil (do not ask me how I am managing in Chennai). He graciously agreed to teach me. 

Vedantaparibhasha text is what we are doing in the knowledge series. Our friend Michael is our recognized expert on it and and our dear Shree S.N. Sastriji has written brief commentary on the text. This is a text on Epistemology and one cannot learn by reading the text. 

Advaita Makaranda is a profound text by Shree Lakshmidhara Kavi – I took this text for one of the Memorial Day camp in Chinmya Mission. CDs may be available there. Paramarthanandaji also took the text here in Chennai and his CDs are also available. But nothing like listening to the text directly from a teacher as it gets unfolded. 

CIF had organized before a  14day workshop on Tarkasangraha of Annambhatta, a premier text on Navya Nyaaya by Prof. V.N. Jha, who is well known authority on Nyaaya. DVDs are available and I just got them and listened to all of them (there are 22 of them) each 1 and half hours. I was almost glued to the chair since the teaching was superb. One can see the difference between learning your own and learning from a teacher.

If are in India and can make use of the workshop, that is the best way to make new beginning for the new year. 

For on line registration info see www.chinfo.org 


Hari Om!
Sadananda