[Advaita-l] Advaita-1)Body is the disease

[Sujal Upadhyay]

Namaste,

न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिः न बद्धो न च साधकः ।
न मुमुक्षुर्नवै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥ G.K. 2.32
There is neither dissolution nor creation, none in bondage and
none practicing disciplines. There is none seeking Liberation
and none liberated. This is the absolute truth.

This was exactly the verse I was going to quote :)

I agree with you fully. we have to understand that we are under ignorance
and the world is empirical truth. Hence we have to make efforts to remove
ignorance or rise above duality. In this sense, we have to talk only in
duality as Sri VidyAraNya svAmI says in PanchdaSI.

If we understand or say take into consideration some points like

2 levels of truth
adhikAra bheda
teaching of non-duality in dual tone
step by step detachment with kosha-s and awareness of 3 states
existence of 'I', the first person is self evident and can never be negated
vivarta vAda and not pariNama vAda
ajAta vAda
pariNAma vAda for explanatory purpose to explain one class of seekers.
definition of satya, asatya and mithyA
adhyAropa apavAda - false superimposition followed by subsequent retraction
vAchyArtha and laxyArtha - statements talking of duality point to
non-duality only.
2 POVs- top-down (negation), bottom-up (rise above, transcend)

If we understand the above points, then things will be very easy. I am not
a scholar like many knowledgeable members here, but figured out a few
things that helped me understand advaita easily


Hari OM



OM

Sujal Upadhyay

"To disconnect from the self and to become Aware of anything else is
nothing but unhappiness" - Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi

He who has faith has all
He who lacks faith, lacks all
It is the faith int he name of lord that works wonders
FAITH IS LIFE, DOUBT IS DEATH - Sri Ramakrishna


On Sat, Jan 11, 2014 at 3:40 PM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>wrote:

> On Sat, Jan 11, 2014 at 11:01 AM, Sujal Upadhyay <sujal.u at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Namaste,
> >
> > Theories of creation are done for the sake of explanation only as Brahman
> > is unreachable through senses, undivided, etc.
> >
> > So everything happens in ignorance only. Brahman never gets deluded, else
> > it will loose it's omnipresence and it's eternal presence.
> >
> > Hence it is said, 'Brahman Appears to be deluded'. If it is actually
> > deluded, then it will violate basic tenets of Advaita. Bondage and
> > liberation are under ignorance only.
> >
>
> While it is true that Advaita holds that
> delusion-bondange-realization-liberation happens only to Brahman and that
> this is only apparent and not absolute, yet for the sake of giving out the
> method of knowledge-liberation, there arises a need to talk of
> delusion-bondage.  We have explicit statements to this effect in the
> commentaries of Shankaracharya.  One such is in the Br.up.1.4.10:
>
> While commenting on the line 'tad yo yo devAnAm pratyabudhyata...' of the
> mantra 1.4.10, which means: whoever among the devas, RShis and humans
> realized Brahman as his Self, becomes Brahman' Shankara says: /
>
> /the distinction between these beings as devas, RShis and humans is only
> from the worldly view and not from the view of Brahman-realization.
> ...therefore owing to the thinking that arises due to the body-mind
> apparatus that the distinction across devas, RShis and humans is
> recognized.  However, in each of these beings (devas, etc.) it is Brahman
> alone that was before the realization as 'I am Brahman', by wrongly
> identifying itself with the body-mind apparatus of devas, etc.//
>
> paramArthatastu tatra tatra brahmaiva agrE AsIt prAkpratibodhAt,
> devAdisharIreShu, *anyathaiva vibhAvaymAnam*. tadAtmAnameva avEt tathaiva
> cha sarvamabhavt.
>
> This expression *anyathaiva vibhAvaymAnam *is the confirmation that
> according to Shankara it is Brahman that is deluded into identifying itself
> with the bodies of devas, etc. prior to getting the realization of its true
> nature as 'I am Brahman' and thereby realizing its infinite nature.
>
> Thus, according to Shankara it is Brahman that is deluded and it is Brahman
> alone that acquires the knowledge/realization 'I am Brahman'.  Many
> non-advaitins object to the proposition that Brahman is subject to
> ignorance.  Many others who have not understood Shankara's bhashya too
> object to the idea that Brahman is deluded.  However it is to be borne in
> mind that Advaita, following the Upanishads, does not mean to say that
> Brahman is really deluded.  The delusion and the freedom from it is only
> apparent.  There is neither bondage nor liberation in absolute terms.  It
> is only a prakriyaa that is brought in to account for the apparent bondage
> that is experienced and liberation that is sought after.  The ultimate
> truth, in the words of GaudapAda is:
>
> न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिः न बद्धो न च साधकः ।
> न मुमुक्षुर्नवै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥ G.K. 2.32
> There is neither dissolution nor creation, none in bondage and
> none practicing disciplines. There is none seeking Liberation
> and none liberated. This is the absolute truth.
>
> regards
> subrahmanian.v
>
>
>