Non-Traditional Modern Advaita Gurus In The West And Their Traditional Modern Advaita Critics

By Phillip Charles Lucas

*** Part 1 ***

ABSTRACT: The Modern Advaita movement has undergone a split between two factions: one remains committed to a more traditional articulation of Advaita Vedanta, and the other has departed in significant ways from this traditional spiritual system. Over the past fifteen years, the Traditional Modern Advaita (TMA) faction has launched sustained and wide-ranging criticism of Non-Traditional Modern Advaita (NTMA) teachers and teachings. This article identifies the main themes of TMA criticisms and interprets their significance using insights from the social sciences and history of religions. I suggest that some reconfiguring of the Advaita tradition is necessary as it expands in transnational directions, since the structures of intelligibility from one culture to another are rarely congruent. Indeed, adaptation, accommodation and reconfiguration are normal and natural processes for religious traditions expanding beyond their indigenous cultural matrices. In the end, the significant questions for Advaita missionaries to the West may be how much accommodation is prudent, how rapidly reconfiguration should take place, and what adaptations are necessary for their spiritual methodology not only to survive but also thrive in new cultural settings.

KEYWORDS: Modern Advaita, Neo-Advaita, Advaita Vedanta, Ramana Maharshi, Papaji, Nisargadatta Maharaj, transnational religious movements, Satsang Network, Transcendental Meditation, North American Hindu Communities, Chinmaya Mission, James Swartz, Dennis Waite

Continue reading

Ramayana

This November, attend a stage production like no other! Chinmaya Mission UK brings you…The Ramayana. Through dazzling drama, dance and music, discover the mysticism and significance of one of India’s greatest epics. There will be three shows.

Dates/venues:
Leicester – Peepul Centre: Saturday 4 November 2017, 3.30-6.30pm
Central London – Logan Hall: Friday 10 November 2017, 7-10pm
Harrow – Elliot Hall: Sunday 19 November 2017, 3.30-6.30pm

More info at – www.ramayanaplay.com

The Pursuit of Happiness

Everyone wants to be happy. This is the motivational force for everyone. The Vedas acknowledge this. The first part of the Vedas – karmakANDa – is effectively aimed at those who look for their happiness in external, limited, objects and pursuits; the latter part of the Vedas – j~nAnakANDa – is aimed at those who are looking to find the happiness within, through gaining knowledge of their true nature.

Here is a brief article from Ramesh Pattni, called

WHAT IS VEDANTA? VEDANTA AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

The pursuit of happiness has been the foremost goals of humanity from time immemorial. There is, however, a diversity of understanding and experience of happiness across traditions and cultures around the world. Eastern traditions which offer great insights into the human condition and psychological processes, have a universal appeal which point towards attainment of happiness by different means.

The development of Positive Psychology in recent decades has focused on the study of happiness and wellbeing and examined evidence for the ways and means to happiness.  Currently there are two dominant Western approaches to human happiness and well‐being: Hedonic and Eudaimonic perspectives. The former is based on the idea that pleasure is the only intrinsic good, and obtained through the contact with the world of objects. The eudaimonic approach is that happiness is an end in itself and the highest good and based on a life of virtuous living and contemplation. Continue reading

CIF Webinars

Here are further details about the on-line Vedanta courses being provided by Chinmaya International Foundation:

Chinmaya International Foundation is offering courses of Vedanta, Bhagawad Geeta, Sanskrit, Vedic Mathematics, Bhagavad and Make It Happen (Course on Self-Transformation) in the postal and online modes.

CIF has recently launched the Learning Sanskrit Grammar – the Paninian Way, a Webinar Course, and this has received enthusiastic response.

On the occasion of the Chinmaya Centenary Year, CIF is happy to announce launch of the Webinar Mode for its Foundation and Advanced Vedanta Courses and also its popular Bhagavad Gita Course. The uniqueness of the Webinar Course is that  participants will be directly and actively assisted by Chinmaya Mission Acharyas during their course study.  Hence the advantage of doing the courses through Webinar, as compared to the postal and online modes, cannot be overemphasised. Continue reading

Webinars with Chinmaya International Foundation

I have just received notification of the webinars which are being run by Chinmaya International Foundation. These are conducted on-line with audio and video content, covering both introductory and advanced texts – an opportunity to study with a traditional teacher when you do not have physical access to one! They are for serious students and feature Q & A sessions (in both directions!). Sounds excellent!

Here are brief details of current courses:

For more details about the courses and how to apply, look at their website.

If any visitor to this site takes up the offer, I would be interested in hearing back from them as to how they get on.