File - Bhakti List Guidelines

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SrI:

SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH

 

[ Sent monthly to all rs as a reminder of

this group's purpose ]

 

Dear Bhakti List Member,

 

Thank you for being a member of this forum. Please feel free

to openly share your thoughts regarding the philosophy

of Sri Ramanuja.

 

The Bhakti List is a moderated email discussion group

intended for serious discussion of Sri Vaishnava philosophy

and religious practice. Specifically, this list is

dedicated to exploring the meaning of the poems of the Alvar

saints (Divya Prabandham), the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Srimad

Ramayana, and related core texts, as understood through the works

of Sri Ramanuja, who is the central philosopher of this

tradition.

 

Focus of the Bhakti List

------------------------

 

The primary focus of this list are the works and philosophy

of Sri Ramanuja and the Alvars, and the texts upon which they

based their written ideas. These include the following:

 

o Veda and Vedanta, particularly the principal Upanishads

o Bhagavad Gita

o Brahma-Sutras

o Sri Ramanuja's commentaries on the above

o Sri Ramanuja's Three Gadyas and the Nitya

o The Alvars' Divya Prabandham and their commentaries

o The works of Yamunacharya (Alavandar)

o Sri Vishnu Sahasranama and other important parts

of the Mahabharata

o Sri Ramayana

o Vishnu Purana

o Other related ideas such as yoga, meditation, and

daily life as a Vaishnava which arise directly out

of the above texts

o How these ideas contrast with those of other philosophers

 

Discussion should primarily center around philosophical

or poetic ideas drawn directly from the above mentioned authors

and texts, with the idea of learning what Sri Ramanuja and

the Alvars themselves said.

 

Explanations and elaborations of subsequent acharyas in the tradition

are welcome; however, please remember that they should be elucidatory of

an idea of Sri Ramanuja, a verse of the Alvars, or an idea from a

core scriputral text. Please feel free to contribute ideas from

these acharyas when they are of serious philosophical interest.

 

What may and may not be discussed on the Bhakti List

-------------------

o All questions concerning the Upanishads, Gita, Visishtadvaita

philosophy, Sri Ramanuja's works, and the Alvars' poems

are welcome.

 

o The ideas of post-Ramanuja thinkers are welcome provided they

elaborate the texts and ideas listed above. For example, discussion

of Parashara Bhattar's Sahasranama Bhashya, Pillai Lokacharya's

Tattva Traya, the commentaries on the Divya Prabandham, Vedanta

Desika's bhashyas on the Isa Upanishad and Ramanuja's works,

his philosophical tracts such as Tattva Mukta Kalaapa, the

commentaries of Manavaala Maamunigal on Periyalvar Tirumoli,

Tattva Trayam, Ramanuja Nurrandadi, etc., are all very suitable

discussion topics for this list.

 

o Announcements of scholarly publications concerning any of

the above are also welcome.

 

o For the sake of circumscribing discussion, presentations of the

poetry/stotras or the 'rahasya' works of post-Ramanuja saints

will generally *not* be allowed, unless they are presented in the

context of Sri Ramanuja's works or the works of the Alvars.

While these works are no doubt of immense value, I strongly feel

that email presentations tend to oversimplify the exceedingly

complex and subtle issues that are at hand. These works are

better discussed in private preferably under the guidance of

an acharya.

 

o For the same reason, discussion of the modus operandi of prapatti

(self-surrender of saranaagati) as explained by the later acharyas

should be carried out with great care, and with direct reference

to Sri Ramanuja and the Alvars. I will generally restrict such

discussion, as well as discussion of the corresponding doctrinal

differences between the subsects of the Sri Vaishnava tradition.

 

o Posts centering on hagiologies, traditional histories (sthala-purANa),

etc., will not be allowed unless their content is placed in philosphical

or poetic context or they are drawn directly from Divya Prabandham, etc.

These should go to one of the other forums.

 

o In general, biographies and tributes, particularly of later-day

acharyas and institutions, are not within the Bhakti List's charter.

(Some exceptions may be made from time to time).

 

o Please, no general questions on Hinduism, such as "Why vegetarianism?",

"Why shouldn't we cross oceans?", etc. This group is focussed on

understanding Vedanta through the works of the Alvars and Sri Ramanuja.

 

And, though it should be self-evident:

 

o No personal attacks

o No emotional outbursts

o No messages of a purely personal nature, including compliments

o No caste patriotism

o No advertising of any form

o No self-promotion of any form

o No fund-raising of any kind

 

If there is a doubt about any of these, please contact me, the moderator.

I reserve the right to make exceptions to some of these from time to time --

but rest assured they will be very rare.

 

All posts should be in English. Whenever other languages are

used, please give at least a rough translation of the passage or word in

English.

 

General Philosophy of Discussion

--------------------------------

I find that a free flow of ideas can often result in remarkable

dialogue between fellow seekers of Truth. For that reason,

this list was initially totally unmoderated. Due to the large number

of repetitive and off-topic posts, junk emails, and some needless

emotionalism and personal attacks, I have had to take a much more

active role in filtering the articles. Generally, I really don't like

to do this. I don't believe in policing people's thoughts.

Therefore, it's best if people moderate themselves and behave

as they would wish others would behave with them. I welcome

all relevant philosophical speculation. But please conduct

your discussions with respect and decorum.

 

Together, I hope we will discover in some measure the joy of the

insights of the rishis, the incomparable passion of the Alvars, and the

unifying brilliance of Sri Ramanuja. Please join me in this quest.

 

I remain,

aDiyEn, rAmAnuja dAsan

Mani