Digest Number 525

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

I heartily endorse Shri Shankarji's explications. Some additional

thoughts that occur are appended to a few of his commenents below:

 

 

>"Shankar" <shankar

>advaitin

><advaitin >

>Re: Digest Number 525

>Sun, 19 Mar 2000 08:15:20 +0200

>

>Greetings to all advaitins!

>

>I tend to agree with Mr.

>Varadarajan that the present

>trend of proceeding

>verse-by-verse is only

>appropriate. Had it not been

>so, Adi Shankaracharya would

>not have written a commentary

>in that way.

 

*** It would also be entirely in the spirit of Adi Acharya to cite cross

references to other verses in the Gita or the Upanishads, as this practice

can 'hone' one's understanding. On e has to guard against digressions,

though!

 

>

>

>Mr. Tony's statement regarding

>'Ahimsa and Advaita'

>As long as one has

>body-consciousness, one should

>try to follow 'ahimsa'.

>

 

*** Like Arjuna, we need to repeat:

Gita XI:31

 

aakhyaahi me ko bhavaanugraruupo

namoa.nstu te devavara prasiida.

vij~naatumichchhaami bhavantamaadyaM

na hi prajaanaami tava pravR^ittim.h ..

 

Tell me who Thou art, fierce in form. Salutations to Thee, O Supreme Deva!

have mercy. I desire to know Thee, O Primeval One. I know not indeed Thy

doings.

 

 

 

 

>

>If one is a non-vegetarian, by

>a little reflection, one may

>happen to 'understand' that

>the 'flesh' obtained by

>slaughtering 'animals', will

>have the 'force of suffering

>of the slaughtered animals'

>locked up inside them. This

>will affect adversely our

>consciousness, acting as a

>'deterrent' to our spiritual

>progress. So, one may try to

>'give it up' by a process of

>this kind of discrimination.

>

>Plants have a 'submental life'

>and therefore, one can eat the

>plants.

>

>However, if one feels pain

>even by plucking the leaves of

>plants, then 'one' can wait

>for the 'fruits' of plants to

>fall, and then eat the same,

>as in the case of 'Lord

>Mahavira'.

>

>Persistent engagement in

>self-enquiry' will gradually

>bring about the 'right

>understanding'.

>

>Each type of food is

>'appropriate' to the level of

>'one's evolution'. Thus,

>there is no place for any kind

>of 'guilt' or 'feeling of

>superiority/inferiority', at

>any level of evolution,

>regarding any kind of 'food'

>consumed.

>

>Further, acceptance of one, in

>any community whether formed

>and maintatined through e-mail

>lists or in terms of physical

>surroundings, has no

>'relevance' whatsoever. That

>acceptance depends entirely on

>'ones prarabdha'. Thus

>discriminating, one must

>eschew all such 'negative'

>feelings.

 

*** On aahaara, Gita has a verse XVII:8, as to what

constitutes 'saatvika' intake. It is a logical corollary of the fact that

one needs a 'saattvika' mind and intellect to grasp subtle Truth,

 

Chandogya Upanishad states: VII:xxvi:2

 

aahaarashuddhau sattvashuddhiH sattvashuddhau dhruvaa smR^itiH

smR^itilambhe sarvagranthiinaa.n vipramokshaH .

 

When nourishment is pure, reflection and higher understanding become pure.

When reflection and higher understanding are pure, memory becomes strong.

When memory becomes strong, there is release from all the knots of the

heart.

 

[This is the teaching of Sanatkumara or Skanda to Narada.]

Tr. Sw. Svahananda.

 

".. According to Shankara, whatever is gathered in through perception and

imagination is food for the mind..."

 

One may add, the memory[smR^iti] of one's Real Nature (svaruupa) becomes

firm with 'saatvika sa.nskaaras' and loss of memory of It(vismR^iti) tends

to dehaabhimaana(preoccupation with body and its adjuncts).

 

 

Regards,

 

s.

 

 

____

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[Guest guest]

Greetings to all advaitins!

 

First of all, I 'congratulate'

all the moderators of this

list, for having been,-

a managing this list, free

from 'virus-infection', and

b to this end, displaying

'steadfastness' ('firmness',

rooted in 'rightful'

discrimination),

in respect of their

'decision', not to accept any

e-mails with 'attachments'.

 

Dear Patrick, the thought 'I

am a national of this or that

country, and on that score, I

cannot attain to the vedantic

truths' is a delimiting

adjunct woven by one around

oneself, that only

'aggrandises' one's ego,

thereby managing only to

'enhance' the obstruction to

the perception of the

ever-present Self. This is

the 'trend' in which Bhagawan

Sri Ramana Maharshi used to

advise.

 

I tend to agree with Mr.

Varadarajan that the present

trend of proceeding

verse-by-verse is only

appropriate. Had it not been

so, Adi Shankaracharya would

not have written a commentary

in that way.

 

By patiently perusing the

Bhashya, one will gradually

begin to understand.

Further,

a Surrender to the Infinite

Divine Force of the Adi

Acharya, and

b a 'patient waiting' upon

His Force to act in and

through one's egoistic

consciousness,

i revealing the

meaning of His Bhashya, and

ii simultanelously

purifying one's consciousness,

will be the most essential

pre-requisites.

For, the reading of either the

'Gita' or the 'Shankara

Bhashya' are not merely for

'understanding, but more for

one's true spiritual progress.

 

Further, a complete reading of

the 'Talks with Bhagawan Sri

Ramana Maharshi' and other

works of Sri Bhagawan, will

help one understand the works

of Adi Acharya, since these

days most of us do not know

Sanskrit and the works of Sri

Bhagawan have been translated

beautifully into English.

 

However, Dr Harsha may be

requested to 'send' to the

moderators of this list, the

translations of 'Bhagavad Gita

Saaram' by Bhagavan Sri Ramana

Maharshi, which is a summary

of the Gita.

 

It is also a rendering of

selected verses of the Gita

constituting the 'summary' of

the Gita from the Advaitic

Vision by Sri Bhagavan. This

would also fulfil the rightful

request for a posting of the

summary by Mr. Varadarajan.

 

The 'moderators' may then post

the 'translation' of the same,

at the time at which the

'related' verse comes under

discussion.

 

The way Ramachandranji is

conducting this list, is

indeed laudable.

Particularly, his statement,

"The purpose of the list

moderators, is to propogate

spirituality, and

none of us have any

intention to regulate

spiritual expressions",

can be voted for as a 'mission

statement of the millennium'

for all truly catholic e-mail

server lists.

 

Mr. Tony's statement regarding

'Ahimsa and Advaita'

As long as one has

body-consciousness, one should

try to follow 'ahimsa'.

 

But, one's own

body-consciousness is the

first 'himsa'. Having got

into the waking state and

having thus resumed the

body-consciousness, it must be

remembered that all other

'himsas' are based on that one

'himsa', and therefore, only

less serious than that first

'himsa'.

 

So, if attention is returned

from the perceived world to

the Self, all 'himsas' will

naturally and gradually cease.

 

If one is a non-vegetarian, by

a little reflection, one may

happen to 'understand' that

the 'flesh' obtained by

slaughtering 'animals', will

have the 'force of suffering

of the slaughtered animals'

locked up inside them. This

will affect adversely our

consciousness, acting as a

'deterrent' to our spiritual

progress. So, one may try to

'give it up' by a process of

this kind of discrimination.

 

Plants have a 'submental life'

and therefore, one can eat the

plants.

 

However, if one feels pain

even by plucking the leaves of

plants, then 'one' can wait

for the 'fruits' of plants to

fall, and then eat the same,

as in the case of 'Lord

Mahavira'.

 

Persistent engagement in

self-enquiry' will gradually

bring about the 'right

understanding'.

 

Each type of food is

'appropriate' to the level of

'one's evolution'. Thus,

there is no place for any kind

of 'guilt' or 'feeling of

superiority/inferiority', at

any level of evolution,

regarding any kind of 'food'

consumed.

 

Further, acceptance of one, in

any community whether formed

and maintatined through e-mail

lists or in terms of physical

surroundings, has no

'relevance' whatsoever. That

acceptance depends entirely on

'ones prarabdha'. Thus

discriminating, one must

eschew all such 'negative'

feelings.

 

Thanks and kind regards.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

CAN SOMEONE RECAMEND A SIMPLE BOOK ON SHANKARAS TEACHING.

THANKS BILL