Kanchi Paramacharya on Advaita Vedanta

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

http://www.kamakoti.org/acall/ac-advaita.html

 

" ADVAITA VEDANTA

The school of thought or sidhaanta expounded by Sri Adi Sankara, is

known as Advaita. Greater thinkers who lived before the time of

Acharya have also dealt with it. Wise men who came after Shri Acharya

have also written profusely about Advaita pouring into their writings

their own experience (Swaanubhava), of the Advaitic truth. There are

such works not only in English, but also in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu,

Marathi and Hindi. Some of them are original works of Advaita.

Persons belonging to other schools of Hindu religious thought and

persons professing other religions have also written on Advaita, out

of the abundance of their rich spiritual experience. Some of the

names that come to mind are Tattvaraya Swami, A Madhava, Mastan

Saheb, a Muslim and Vedanayagam Pillai, a Christian. In recent times

we have the example of the late A.V. Gopalacharya, who has written a

number of treatises and essays on Advaita.

It is worthy of note that whatever their mutual differences may be,

all thinkers belonging to schools other than Advaita, are one in

their attack on Sri Adi Sankara's views. This should be regarded as a

tribute paid by them to Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada. Each of them

singled out Advaita, as expounded by Sri Acharya, as the only system

worthy of taking notice of for the purpose of criticising. According

to Advaita, the ultimate bliss is the experience of non-difference

between the Jivatma and the Paramatma. Acharyas of other schools of

thought would wish to have at least a tract of distinction between

the two so that the Jivatma, standing apart, may be able to enjoy the

realisation of the Paramatma. Thus the difference between the several

systems of Hindu religious thought is slight, as all are agreed upon

the ultimate realisation of the Supreme. But when it comes to a

question of expounding each system, this difference got magnified to

the point of violent opposition. And yet we find that in their

ultimate reaches, all of them speak the language of Advaita. This

shows that the expansive heart of Sri Adi Sankara accommodated all

views of the ultimate reality and all approaches to it. Though other

systems quarrel with Advaita, Advaita has no quarrel with any.

The catholicity of Advaita is also evident from the fact that

pronounced Advaitins like Vachaspati Misra, who lived about one

thousand years ago, Vidyaranya and Appayya Dikshitar wrote

encyclopedic works on other systems with the fidelity of exposition

rarely equaled and much less excelled by the protagonists of those

systems themselves. Appayya Dikshitar says that as God's grace is

required to reach the Ultimate Reality, and as that grace can be

obtained only through Bhakti, he was expounding the other systems

which promoted this Isvara-bhakti.

According to Shri Adi Sankara, no school of thought is foreign to

Advaita. In the scheme of the path to realise Adviataanubhava, every

system contributes an essential step and so Shri Sankara used the

truths of each of them and pressed them into his service. By its very

name, Advaita negates duality and dissension and comprehends every

warring sect and system into its all-embracing unit. In fact, the

survival of Hinduism is itself due to this Advaitic temper, which

sees no distinction between Saivam, Vaishnavam and other

denominations. Shri Adi Sankara underlined the essential unity of all

Sampradaayas and sects and saved Hinduism from disruption. All

denominations have the common Vedic basis. By bringing to our minds

all the great Acharyas, we can acquire that peaceful frame of mind

and develop that catholic temper and universal accommodation

characteristic of Shri Adi Sankara and of the Advaita Vedanta he

expounded, which will enable us to live in peace and amity, so

essential for securing universal welfare. "

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Sunder Hattangadi" <sunderh>

wrote:

> Namaste,

>

> http://www.kamakoti.org/acall/ac-advaita.html

>

> " ADVAITA VEDANTA

> The school of thought or sidhaanta expounded by Sri Adi Sankara, is

> known as Advaita.

 

Namaste,

 

To continue Paramacharya's discourse:

 

http://www.advaita-

vedanta.org/series/shankara_sampradaya/sankara_sampradhayam-0.htm

 

Sankara SampradhAyam - 0

Prof. Hajme Nakamura had asked the same question to HH MahA SwAmy of

Kanchi when had come to have His dharshan - "When the bhAshyams of

AchAryAl talk about advaitham, how is that His successor (i.e.

PeriyavA) is wearing vibbhuthi (basmam) and doing Chandra moulIswara

pUja in the math daily ?"

 

SrI PeriyavAl's lucid and deep answer to this and also on the smArtha

sampradhAyam and as to why it is generally asscociated with saivaite

tradition, albeit wrongly, is worth reading:

 

"Sankara sampradhAyam", Deivathin Kural (in Tamil), Vol II, pp: 119-

157, Second Edition (1980).

 

[Note: The page numbers may slightly vary in the subsequent six

editions of this volume]

 

http://www.advaita-

vedanta.org/series/shankara_sampradaya/sankara_sampradhayam-0.htm

 

[The series has 19 more sections; please change the number 0 to any

between 1 and 19 to get to other sections.]

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

Thanks Sunderji.

 

Timely, brilliant and to the point in our current situation. This is

the first thing I read this morning. How lucky am I!

 

PranAms.

 

Madathil Nair

 

______________

 

advaitin, "Sunder Hattangadi" <sunderh>

wrote:

> Namaste,

>

> http://www.kamakoti.org/acall/ac-advaita.html

>

> " ADVAITA VEDANTA