Introducing myself

[Guest guest]

Sorry for the late introduction. I remember having spent my

early childhood playing pranks and practical jokes on others,

including some of my school teachers. Fortunately, for me,

I was also attracted to Yoga. Although I was a little obese

and other kids made fun of me in the Yoga class, the teacher

was a kind soul and never gave up teaching me. The result

was that I had an unflinching devotion to Yoga and I practise

it to this very day. Curiously, my initial training, as far

as scriptural study is concerned, was in jyotiSha-vidyA, since

my grandfather was quite knowledgeable in astrology.

I later graduated into Vedic study, and some upaniShadic

study mainly because of one of my uncles who used to be a

Sanskrit professor. I come from a R^igvedic family and I

chant portions of the R^igVeda everyday. I am also learning

Yajur Veda here in the US. But what made me turn increasingly

to advaita philosophy was - believe it or not - an unusually

strong dose of bhakti. I remember spending hours together

contemplating on various forms of God, especially ViShNu,

participating in bhajans and the like. I believe bhakti

and jnAna can be mixed freely, unlike karma and jnAna. While

in Mysore, I used to participate in regular discussions on

advaita/upaniShads, and attend private upanyAsa's given by local

VedAnta scholars to a closely-knit audience. I believe the

river kAverI is sacred. There is something magical in its waters.

Drinking it somehow purifies the mind and makes it turn to lofty

thoughts. As sacred as gangA is in the North, so is kAverI in the

South.

 

As far as association with neo-advaita, I have had the fortune

of attending satsangs and gItA classes conducted by Swami

TejomayAnanda in Austin, Texas a few years ago.

 

I am a computer scientist by profession. Currently, I design and

write communication protocols for a living.

 

Anand

[Guest guest]

Hello

I joined this list several years ago, but through a move changed email

accounts and just found that I'm still a member when took over .

So here i am again.

My name is Tamra Temple and I'm living in Louisiana usa, but was in

Pennsylvania last you heard from me.

 

My interest in joining this list was following inner experience that i later

found in a book, "Triadic Heart of Siva." The question of what 10th century

kashmir shaivism had to do with me led me to you all somehow, but i don't

recall the details tonight -- except that it had to do with the word

non-dual in relation to this school. You all also told me about a center in

PA where i visited one Thanksgiving and that was lovely.

 

It's been a couple years and 400 members is quite a list! I won't post much

and where i do, it will be obvious that lay terms are all i have to offer.

 

I took last semester off to look into religion a bit -- buddhism -- and only

online since there no buddhists here (precious few books as well). It's been

great to speak with people online about religion. But just this week, a bit

of sadness is growing as i notice how people can have all the words down, yet

still lack knowing their essence.

And because they are saying the same words, there's not an ability to discuss

when asked questions not in the book so to speak, but neither is there a way

to tell the ones who really know from the ones who don't without subtle

discernment.

 

I had decided to learn a tradition to avoid speaking in the personal style,

but last night, that all bothered me so much that i said to someone "if

learning religion will make me a parrot in an iron cage, i won't do it." What

i was thinking was that religion makes a hard shell of false knowing even

though the words are exactly right. They aren't the words of the heart.

 

Reading the post earlier about training the jiva brought that to mind and i

was sitting here contemplating it as the two requests for introductions came

through.

 

I have no idea and not enough observation or knowledge to even be speaking

about it, but do wonder how training the jiva would work in a dance of

recognition that isn't the dance of the jiva. It gets interesting to ponder.

 

Anyway, hello. Good to see some names i recall here. Also, what were you

looking for in an introduction? If i've omitted something essential, let me

know.

best,

Tamra Temple

[Guest guest]

I would humbly request the list members to send the introduction with a

subject header "MY INTRODUCTION" or "INTRODUCTION", as this will enable my

email client to automatically gather all introductions for creating a

database. Thank you.