Sri Atmananda's teachings (was: "Existence of Objects")

[Guest guest]

At 09:43 AM 10/10/2003 +0000, Madathil Rajendran Nair wrote:

>This may be the reason why Shri Atmananda Krishna Menon's approach

>resonates well with Western minds as they prefer an effective

>analysis of the objective world in order to get down to the Truth.

>(All the more reason that we had a thorough discussion on Shri

>AtmAnandaji's works led either by you, Sir, or Gregji, particularly

>because our Members Rajkumar Nair and Ranjit Sankar have said that

>Indians at home are unfamiliar with his writings which are are hard

>to get in the bookshops.

 

 

Here's one reason I have always found Sri Atmananda's teachings so appealing,

and I think this might apply to other Westerners as well.

 

1. He is very logical. It's hard to fault his reasoning or premises, and feel

yourself being ineluctably carried away to the conclusion that what you thought

was the world of objects is actually the Self.

 

2. He talks about memory, which can be a big sticking point for Westerners.

 

3. He talks about causality, which can also be a big sticking point for

Westerners.

 

4. He is very streamlined. He uses 3 levels, where classical advaita uses 5.

That is, he breaks down the world of phenomenality in a way familiar to modern

Westerners. He talks about "mind, body, world." That's it. Anything

phenomenal must be included in one of these three categories, and Atmananda's

neat dialectics effectively implode each of these levels.

 

This is more familiar to the person of Western background than the quintuplicate

"kosha" division in classical advaita. For example, in classical advaita

teachings, there's the concept of the pranamayakosha or vital air sheath or

etheric body. This, perhaps by a different name, is familiar to some Western

mystics, but to most Westerners who come fresh to the teachings of advaita, it

is a new concept. Then there's the advaitic distinction between "mind" and

"intellect," or manas and vijnana. After it's explained, this distinction makes

good sense to the newcomer. But at first, it's puzzling.

 

If anyone would like to engage in a discussion of this great teacher, I'd be

glad to participate, and have some ideas about how this could proceed....

 

Om!

 

--Greg

[Guest guest]

Namaste Gregji.

 

You are right about whatever you said.

 

I have found some brilliant Advaita masters who also reduce the

classical quintuplicate into the triad of mind, body and world with

intellect included naturally in the first one. This is a logical

short-cut and no wonder is easily appreciated by the Western mind.

The less the multiplicity, the easier to get rid of duality! In

fact, I have often pondered why even the mind and body are required

when there is an appreciation that I am carrying the whole world

(including mind and body) within me!

 

Thanks for your offer to participate in a discussion on Shri

Atmanandaji. I hope the Moderators will arrange the required

platform and programme.

 

PraNAms.

 

Madathil Nair

_______________

>

> 4. He (Shri Atmanandaji) is very streamlined. He uses 3 levels,

where classical advaita uses 5. That is, he breaks down the world of

phenomenality in a way familiar to modern Westerners. He talks

about "mind, body, world." That's it. Anything phenomenal must be

included in one of these three categories, and Atmananda's neat

dialectics effectively implode each of these levels.

>

> This is more familiar to the person of Western background than the

quintuplicate "kosha" division in classical advaita. For example, in

classical advaita teachings, there's the concept of the

pranamayakosha or vital air sheath or etheric body. This, perhaps by

a different name, is familiar to some Western mystics, but to most

Westerners who come fresh to the teachings of advaita, it is a new

concept. Then there's the advaitic distinction between "mind"

and "intellect," or manas and vijnana. After it's explained, this

distinction makes good sense to the newcomer. But at first, it's

puzzling.

>

> If anyone would like to engage in a discussion of this great

teacher, I'd be glad to participate, and have some ideas about how

this could proceed....

[Guest guest]

On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 09:01:24 -0400, Greg wrote:

>If anyone would like to engage in a discussion of this great teacher, I'd be

glad to

participate, and have some ideas about how this could proceed...

 

Greg,

 

Much appreciate your clear descriptions of Shri Atmananda's teachings. If there

is to be a

discussion of them, I think you'd be the right person to lead it, and you can

count on

any assistance I can give you, on-line or off-line. Just let me know...

 

Ananda Wood