Guest guest Posted February 13, 2001 Report Share Posted February 13, 2001 namaste. We have come across this in many of our readings that man seeks immortality. Moksha is regarded as a major puruShArtha. But, there seems to be a contradiction in terms here. Let me expand. We should ask: who is seeking this immortality. Immortality means undying. The Atman is immortal and does not seek immortality or anything. It is the jIvA that seeks immortality through its ego. But the ego of the jIvA has to die before immortality is attained. The body, mind, intellect and the ego can never be immortal. They have to die. That is, immortality is not attained by any of these (the body, mind, ego..). If we go back to the question again, who is seeking immortality. We can answer, it is the deluded Atman that is seeking immortality. I use the words 'deluded Atman' deliberately because deluded Atman is the jIvA. By giving legitamacy to seeking immortality, we are giving legitamacy to a deluded's prattle. Rather than satisfying or legitamizing the deluded's wishes, should we not treat the disease of delusion itself? The medicine for this disease (of delusion) is jnAnam, Knowledge and that is what we should be treating the patient with rather than acceding to the deluded's wish-list. Regards Gummuluru Murthy ---- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2001 Report Share Posted February 14, 2001 Dear Murthygaru, Harih Om! The following is the article which has been published by our Sri Jerry Catz on his Non-Duality Digest in the month of October. I thought of sharing with you. Thank you. I remain yours, Madhava > > Gummuluru Murthy [gmurthy] > Tuesday, February 13, 2001 9:21 PM > advaitin > seeking immortality !! > > > > namaste. > > We have come across this in many of our readings that man seeks > immortality. Moksha is regarded as a major puruShArtha. But, > there seems to be a contradiction in terms here. Let me expand. > > We should ask: who is seeking this immortality. Immortality means > undying. The Atman is immortal and does not seek immortality or > anything. It is the jIvA that seeks immortality through its ego. > But the ego of the jIvA has to die before immortality is attained. > The body, mind, intellect and the ego can never be immortal. They > have to die. That is, immortality is not attained by any of these > (the body, mind, ego..). > > If we go back to the question again, who is seeking immortality. > We can answer, it is the deluded Atman that is seeking immortality. > I use the words 'deluded Atman' deliberately because deluded Atman > is the jIvA. By giving legitamacy to seeking immortality, we are > giving legitamacy to a deluded's prattle. > > Rather than satisfying or legitamizing the deluded's wishes, > should we not treat the disease of delusion itself? The medicine > for this disease (of delusion) is jnAnam, Knowledge and that is > what we should be treating the patient with rather than acceding to > the deluded's wish-list. > > > Regards > Gummuluru Murthy > ---- > > > > ------------------------ Sponsor > ---------------------~-~> > eGroups is now > Click here for more details > http://click./1/11231/0/_/489436/_/982088468/ > ----------------------------- > ------> > > Discussion of Sankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of > nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman. > Advaitin List Archives available at: > http://www.eScribe.com/culture/advaitin/ > Please Note the New Changes at the Mail Server > For details, visit: /local/news.html > Post message: advaitin > Subscribe: advaitin- > Un: advaitin > URL to Advaitin: advaitin > File folder: advaitin > Link Folder: advaitin/links > Messages Folder: advaitin/messages > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2001 Report Share Posted February 14, 2001 Dear Murthygaru, Harih Om! The following is the article which has been published by our Sri Jerry Catz on his Non-Duality Digest in the month of October. I thought of sharing with you. Thank you. 1) GIVING UP http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/umbada/1000mt.htm I remain yours, Madhava > > Gummuluru Murthy [gmurthy] > Tuesday, February 13, 2001 9:21 PM > advaitin > seeking immortality !! > > > > namaste. > > We have come across this in many of our readings that man seeks > immortality. Moksha is regarded as a major puruShArtha. But, > there seems to be a contradiction in terms here. Let me expand. > > We should ask: who is seeking this immortality. Immortality means > undying. The Atman is immortal and does not seek immortality or > anything. It is the jIvA that seeks immortality through its ego. > But the ego of the jIvA has to die before immortality is attained. > The body, mind, intellect and the ego can never be immortal. They > have to die. That is, immortality is not attained by any of these > (the body, mind, ego..). > > If we go back to the question again, who is seeking immortality. > We can answer, it is the deluded Atman that is seeking immortality. > I use the words 'deluded Atman' deliberately because deluded Atman > is the jIvA. By giving legitamacy to seeking immortality, we are > giving legitamacy to a deluded's prattle. > > Rather than satisfying or legitamizing the deluded's wishes, > should we not treat the disease of delusion itself? The medicine > for this disease (of delusion) is jnAnam, Knowledge and that is > what we should be treating the patient with rather than acceding to > the deluded's wish-list. > > > Regards > Gummuluru Murthy > ---- > > > > ------------------------ Sponsor > ---------------------~-~> > eGroups is now > Click here for more details > http://click./1/11231/0/_/489436/_/982088468/ > ----------------------------- > ------> > > Discussion of Sankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of > nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman. > Advaitin List Archives available at: > http://www.eScribe.com/culture/advaitin/ > Please Note the New Changes at the Mail Server > For details, visit: /local/news.html > Post message: advaitin > Subscribe: advaitin- > Un: advaitin > URL to Advaitin: advaitin > File folder: advaitin > Link Folder: advaitin/links > Messages Folder: advaitin/messages > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2001 Report Share Posted February 14, 2001 You are quite right, MurtygARU. The apparent confusion arises when mokshha is translated as immortality, which in turn is understood to mean undying. MokshhaH { from the root mokshh.h , 1P/10U,} means release. What the deluded jiiva seeks is therefore release from the delusion, which causes him to "forget" that as aatman , he is immortal (always). So, there is no question of the jiivaatman "seeking" immortality. The real remedy, as you rightly say, is Jnaanam . Regards. V.M.Sundaram. Gummuluru Murthy wrote: > namaste. > > We have come across this in many of our readings that man seeks > immortality. Moksha is regarded as a major puruShArtha. But, > there seems to be a contradiction in terms here. Let me expand. > > We should ask: who is seeking this immortality. Immortality means > undying. The Atman is immortal and does not seek immortality or > anything. It is the jIvA that seeks immortality through its ego. > But the ego of the jIvA has to die before immortality is attained. > The body, mind, intellect and the ego can never be immortal. They > have to die. That is, immortality is not attained by any of these > (the body, mind, ego..). > > If we go back to the question again, who is seeking immortality. > We can answer, it is the deluded Atman that is seeking immortality. > I use the words 'deluded Atman' deliberately because deluded Atman > is the jIvA. By giving legitamacy to seeking immortality, we are > giving legitamacy to a deluded's prattle. > > Rather than satisfying or legitamizing the deluded's wishes, > should we not treat the disease of delusion itself? The medicine > for this disease (of delusion) is jnAnam, Knowledge and that is > what we should be treating the patient with rather than acceding to > the deluded's wish-list. > > > Regards > Gummuluru Murthy > ---- > > > Discussion of Sankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman. > Advaitin List Archives available at: http://www.eScribe.com/culture/advaitin/ > Please Note the New Changes at the Mail Server > For details, visit: /local/news.html > Post message: advaitin > Subscribe: advaitin- > Un: advaitin > URL to Advaitin: advaitin > File folder: advaitin > Link Folder: advaitin/links > Messages Folder: advaitin/messages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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