Part 8 of the serialization of the presentation (compiled by R. B. Athreya from the lectures given by Swami Paramarthananda) of upadesha sAhasrI. This is the prakaraNa grantha which is agreed by most experts to have been written by Shankara himself and is an elaborate unfoldment of the essence of Advaita.
Subscribers to Advaita Vision are also offered special rates on the journal and on books published by Tattvaloka. See the full introduction and part 1 of the new series.
Here is Part 3 of a new, short series (5 parts) on the Mandukya Upanishad, from James Swartz.
This part asks the question ‘Who am I?’, examines the nature of upAdhi-s and describes a practical technique for meditation.
(Sorry I have run out of frog photos…)
Part 9 of the New Book Serialization!
The Sage tells the dreamer about the various levels or stages that he must pass through (i.e. his knowledge and understanding must progress) on the ‘path’ to jIvanmukti.
Here is a short poem, contributed by Ananda Wood (a direct disciple of Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon) and inspired by the book Philosophy of a Biologist by J.S. Haldane.
Here is what he says to introduce the poem:
I recently came across a book by J.S. Haldane, called Philosophy of a Biologist. I found it interesting because of its approach through reflective enquiry. In particular, I was interested by Haldane’s account of Western Philosophy from Descartes and Spinoza onward.
In particular, Haldane discusses philosophical questions progressively: in relation to Physical Science (Ch. I), Biology (Ch. II), Psychology (Ch. III), Religion (Ch. IV). And he concludes with a short chapter called Retrospect, where he approaches God as the inmost spirit of a universal personality. This is done in much the same way as the purusha-prakriti duality is used by Shri Shankara to investigate beyond all “knower-known” or “subject-object” duality.
This led me to write a piece of verse called Scientific enquiry: which tries somehow to summarize Haldane’s line of investigation. Continue reading
Recognizing Who You Are –
an extract from the forthcoming book by Enza Vita (and the offer to download the first 3 chapters).
You live in confusion and the illusion of things. There is a reality. You are that reality.
When you know that, you know that you are nothing, and in being nothing, are everything. That is all.
— Kalu Rinpoche
Here is Part 2 of a new, short series (5 or 6 parts) on the Mandukya Upanishad, from James Swartz.
This part introduces us to the three ‘experiencing entities’ – the waker, dreamer and deep-sleeper and to the distinction between microcosmic and macrocosmic.
Part 6 of the serialization of the presentation (compiled by R. B. Athreya from the lectures given by Swami Paramarthananda) of upadesha sAhasrI. This is the prakaraNa grantha which is agreed by most experts to have been written by Shankara himself and is an elaborate unfoldment of the essence of Advaita.
Subscribers to Advaita Vision are also offered special rates on the journal and on books published by Tattvaloka. See the full introduction and part 1 of the new series.
Part 8 of the New Book Serialization!
The sage Vasishta explains the working of the power of suggestion in creating both the dream world and the waking, the need for desireless ness and describes a metaphor for conceiving the nature of ultimate reality.
Here is Part 1 of a new, short series (5 or 6 parts) on the Mandukya Upanishad, from James Swartz.
This first part talks about the means for obtaining knowledge and the meaning of the word ‘limitlessness’, using the snake and rope metaphor.
(In case you are wondering about the photo, the title of the Upanishad is sometimes claimed to be derived from the Sanskrit ‘maNDa’, meaning ‘a frog’.)
Some of you may remember that I was posting a series of posts, presenting a new translation and commentary by James Swartz on the Panchadasi. Apologies for the long delay since the last post.
James and I had begun this collaboration on turning his lecture notes into a new written commentary on the text. But we have realized that this would require long-term commitment and we are both too busy at present. Accordingly, this is being postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, he has given his permission for us to serialize some of his other writing, beginning with his essay on the Mandukya Upanishad. So see the next post!