reply to Madhava

[Guest guest]

Dear Madhava & all,

> [Madhava Replies:]

>

> It is like "show me a place to stand and I will

revolve the earth

> the other way round"... We stand on nowhere.

Nagarjuna's middle way stops

> you at the nihilism. But Advaita goes beyond.

There is a supreme state

> which is true. You are presumed ignorant of it.

It is a state where

> neither the body nor the mind nor the intellect

are involved. How do we

> comprehend it!?

>

 

Well, in fairness to Nagarjuna, I think many

commentators say he is only negating "views"

(opinions, beliefs, etc.) *about* truth , not

negating truth itself. To say truth is

inconceivable is *not* saying there is no truth or

truth is non-existent or nothingness. By the same

token, inconceivability does not automatically

translate as "eternal" or "changeless" or

"partless" either... :-))

 

My answer to your question "how do we comprehend

it?" is to wait alertly but patiently in the

abscence of any possible concept about it.

Philosophy might give us intellectual

understanding of why all possible concepts are

incomplete or incoherent or both and this may help

end conceptual grasping for some but perhaps most

people require other measures only a guru could

supply?

 

Even though religious beliefs may not be absolute

truths they may also be instrumental in bringing

about the realization of the conceptually

ungraspable. I enjoy many such ideas very much

and find it's often easier to surrender the

intellect's futile striving from a warmth of

feeling as opposed to mere argument.

>

> IMHO, I would suggest that one should read a

good commentary

> available on Amrutanubhava by Swamy

Anubhavananda. It is a very interesting

> and thought provoking commentary. A must reading

for advaitins.

>

 

I will look for the correctly spelled title as you

suggest. :-))

 

pranams to you Madhava...