[Advaita-l] Readings for Beginners

[Anbu sivam2]

I saw a concise but effective discourse for beginners in the following url:
http://www.kanchiforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2163

On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 3:44 AM, Suresh Marur <suresh.marur at gmail.com>wrote:

> Ananya,
>
> Namaskaar.
>
> I will second Ramesh's thoughts. Some notes from my own experience.
>
> I personally found Swami Dayanand Saraswati's books very useful in getting
> the basic definitions right and get the foundations right.
>
> I personally started with many books on Buddhism, Zen, books by Osho, Alan
> Watts, and even contemporary new age books (Power of Now, etc.). Words like
> soul, mind, world, God, consciousness etc. mean different things and each
> of
> them use different contexts. So, unless we get the definitions right and
> the
> right vedantic context for these words, things can appear contradictory and
> tricky to resolve.
>
> Books that I found particularly useful:
>
> An Introduction to Vedanta
> Purnamadah Purnamidam...
> Vivekachudamani (his commentaries on selected 108 verses from the 500+
> verses)
> The Problem is You, The Solution is You
> Emotional Maturity (a classic that I can read any number of times and gain
> insights each time)
> Value of Values
>
> The CDs are very useful and I have used the time spent in traffic to very
> good effect. It saves us from the chatter of FM radio and helps us use the
> time very constructively. Lectures by Swamiji's disciple Swami
> Paramarthananda on Upadesa Saram and also on the Bhagwat Gita are
> incredibly
> good. They are both Vedantic scholars and are rooted in tradition. Once we
> start hearing/reading, we get references to other texts and contexts that
> interest us and get us started on a journey of searching...
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> - Suresh
>
> On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 11:58 AM, Ramesh Krishnamurthy
> <rkmurthy at gmail.com>wrote:
>
> > Hello Ananya,
> >
> > The best way is to attend classes under a proper teacher. But that may
> > not be feasible for you.
> >
> > If you know Sanskrit, it is best to study the Sanskrit texts. Even if
> > you don't know Sanskrit, it is advisable to put in some effort and
> > learn it so that you can read the original texts.
> >
> > If you want material in English, perhaps the best contemporary source
> > is Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam. His
> > introductory books as well as more detailed expositions of the Gita
> > and some of the Upanishads are easily available. Even better, you can
> > get CDs of his talks and listen to them. I am of the opinion that
> > listening is better than reading, as tone and emphasis are better
> > captured. What's more, Swamiji is an engaging & humorous speaker and
> > follows a traditional methodology as well. His own studies were under
> > traditional teachers including notably Swami Tarananda Giri at Kailas
> > Ashram, Rishikesh.
> >
> > As you are in Kanpur, you may consider visiting Rishikesh when you
> > have a few days leave.
> >
> > Ramesh
> >
> > 2009/10/20 ananya pareek <ananyapareek at gmail.com>
> > >
> > > Hello Everyone,
> > >
> > > (sorry for sending the mail with a wrong subject previously)
> > >
> > > I am very curious about the advaita philosophy and have just started. I
> > > would be thankful to you if you could help me by telling me about some
> > > reference books for starting with it.
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks and regards,
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Ananya Pareek
> > > Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering,
> > > Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
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