The book by Acharya Sadananda which was published in July is available free in Amazon Kindle format on Oct 13th, 14th and 15th (3 days only). An opportunity not to be missed!
Tag Archives: Vedanta
Vedanta the Solution – Part 45
VEDĀNTA the solution to our fundamental problem by D. Venugopal
Part 45 looks at the ways in which Ishvara affects our lives and dharma.
There is a complete Contents List, to which links are added as each new part appears.
Can we step out of Plato’s Cave? (Quora)
X As I remember, Plato spoke of the few that escaped into the bright light of day, becoming (at least temporarily) blinded. That, by itself, has a metaphorical meaning. But if the question is rhetorical, the answer is a conditional ‘Yes’ – that is, by leading the life of a philosopher (‘lover of wisdom’), i.e. following the path of philosophy. That is a lifelong process or journey, in Plato’s terms.
Y Plato mistakenly thought we could get a Truth by purely mental means and a priori principles. Not so. We have to look at, touch, feel, smell, taste and handle reality.
X Sorry to disagree. First, we don’t know what were his oral doctrines to selected disciples (the 7th letter says something in that regard, while undervaluing the written word). Second, his ontology was non-dualist rather than a scalar one: all the lower steps or stages being incorporated step-wise in the higher ones, till getting to the Good as a first principle (supreme arché) – each step or degree of being, a reflection of the one above, exactly the same as with the five koshas or sheaths of Advaita Vedanta, except that here each kosha is within the previous one and thus becoming subtler and subtler. This would result in contemplation of a unity or oneness – one reality. When Socrates spoke of Diotima, his mentor, he did so reverently, signifying or suggesting something sacred – a spiritual transmission (one might google: Plato’s secret doctrines).
Vedanta the Solution – Part 44
VEDĀNTA the solution to our fundamental problem by D. Venugopal
Part 44 begins the discussion on Ishvara and the ‘orders’ that govern the world-appearance.
There is a complete Contents List, to which links are added as each new part appears.
Q. 420 – Honoring the truth
Q: I have heard a teacher say that, if you have listened to Vedanta / Upanishads teaching, you have heard the truth; if you do not honor this by continuing to deepen the listening, there are the following consequences : you will not hear the truth for thousands of lifetimes, and have to be reborn starting again from plants, insects and so on. Can you shine some light on this please?
A (Dennis): What you have heard is nonsense. The most important requirement for pursuing Advaita is what is called mumukShutva, which means the ‘burning desire’ to discover the truth. Once you have that, you are going to continue seeking anyway. The other requirements are things such as a still mind, ability to concentrate and discriminate, ability to control the mind and senses so that your attention is not easily distracted, being prepared to put provisional trust in what is said by the teacher.
The theory of karma says that your actions will have lawful consequences in this life or the next. But this is all interim teaching anyway. The ‘bottom line’ is that who-you-really-are was never born in the first place and is already perfect, complete and free. You just don’t realize this. Hence the requirement for finding and listening to a qualified teacher.
Q. 417 – Value of practices
Q: Knowing that you have extensive knowledge regarding various pathways to enlightenment, I would like to ask your views, if you have any, on the combining of Holotropic Breathwork with perhaps Vedanta.
I have done some Breathwork in the past, and have had some energetic and some emotional experiences, for which I had no knowledge base to anchor my experiences to (to borrow the explanations I have heard from Vedanta).
Now that I am aware of the conceptual explanations (at a basic level) for reality (e.g. James Swartz’s videos, Rupert’s videos, Pure Light of Knowing meditations, etc.), I wonder if the ‘jarring’ of my energy / emotional bodies might trigger the internalizing of the knowledge that is perched in the mind, ready to ‘colonize’ my ….?? (Awareness, Intellect, Mind, …??) and create an awakening experience that will stick if I continue my sadanas.
A (Dennis): The bad news is that I have never heard of Holotropic Breathwork; the good news is that this does not matter as far as answering the question is concerned.
‘Enlightenment’ means Self-knowledge. And knowledge is the ONLY thing that can bring enlightenment. Actions of whatever kind will never do so, because action is not opposed to ignorance. Also, any ‘awakening experience’ is incidental to the gaining of Self-knowledge and not necessarily indicative of it. You can have the most amazing experience (as a result of drugs for example) but remain totally ignorant of your true nature.
Unless you can think of some mental ‘purification’ that may result from this ‘breathwork’, I would ignore it to be quite honest. Meditation is good because it does aid in control of the mind, improves mental discipline, increases stillness etc. All these are pre-requisites of a mind ready to assimilate the teaching so will be of use to most spiritual seekers.
Look into Shankara’s sAdhana chatuShTaya sampatti. The ask yourself about any potential ‘practice’: “Will it help bring about any of these elements?” If the answer is clearly ‘yes’, then by all means take it up. Otherwise, direct your efforts to something more fruitful!
Introduction to Vedanta
Just to announce that the book by Acharya Sadananda which was published last month will be available free in Amazon Kindle format on Aug 16 – 17th (2 days only). An opportunity not to be missed!
Vedanta the Solution – Part 43
VEDĀNTA the solution to our fundamental problem by D. Venugopal
Part 43 explains how every cognition is a mithyA superimposition of name and form upon the sat brahman.
There is a complete Contents List, to which links are added as each new part appears.
Acharya Sadananda new book
Introduction to Vedanta
Bad news: Some readers may have noticed that the series ‘Introduction to Vedanta’ by Dr. K. Sadananda disappeared from my website a few days ago.
Good news: The series has now been published by Sethu R Rathinam in a quality, 218 page paperback and as an E-book on Amazon Kindle.
From my foreword to the book:
‘An Introduction to Vedanta’ was originally serialized on the Advaitin discussion group where it was justifiably well-received. As they say in the advertising media: ‘it does what it says on the box.’ It covers all of the material needed to introduce the subject to a new seeker, clarifying aspects that could otherwise prove difficult or even dampen enthusiasm. He never talks down to his listeners but speaks directly to them using everyday examples that resonate immediately. No doubt he benefits from having been taught directly by Swami Chinmayananda and more recently by many other teachers including Swami Tejomayananda and Swami Paramarthananda, but his scientific background also brings naturally clear reasoning ability to his analysis of the subject with the result that he seems able to explain the most difficult topics.
Anyone looking for an overview of the essential teaching of Advaita could not do better than to read this Introduction.
And I consider myself fully qualified to recommend the book since I editied it myself!
The paperback or Ebook may be purchased now from Amazon:
Buy from Amazon US (book) ….. $10.00 Buy from Amazon US (Kindle) ….. $5.00
Buy from Amazon UK (book) ….. £8.00 Buy from Amazon UK (Kindle) ….. £3.82
Vedanta the Solution – Part 42
VEDĀNTA the solution to our fundamental problem by D. Venugopal
Part 42 provides a detailed explanation of the of the pa~ncha kosha prakriyA – the ‘sheath’ metaphor from the Taittiriya Upanishad.
There is a complete Contents List, to which links are added as each new part appears.