ATMANUBHAVA

[Guest guest]

ATMANUBHAVA

 

 

 

Dear Benjaminji,

 

Sincere thanks for two things :

 

- Your kind and detailed response to my note on Personal Adequacy;

 

- Your gracious permission to me to continue writing the way I seem to

be doing nowadays.

 

( you can imagine how garrulous I would be in case we should meet …. But that is

partly because of a gradual decline in aural proclivities …another thing is the

relative anonymity that email provides .. a cover for one’s embarrassment or

discomfiture .. it enables one to recover one’s equanimity and re-think one’s

views!)

 

 

 

I ACCEPT YOUR VIEWS UNCONDITIONALLY

 

 

 

I do not know much about Islam. I am only tempted to try to correct your

impression that ‘ colonialism was partly justified as a Christian duty.’ I am

of course speaking in the context of India.

 

The Portuguese ( including a person called Vasco Da Gama ) were the earliest

visitors from Christendom. They apparently reveled in materialism and like their

activities in South America , they only grabbed some wealth and land and defaced

the culture they found .( The sculptures at the rock temples at Elephanta off

Bombay – now Mumbai- were shot at by Portuguese soldiers for fun ).

 

Thankfully, the Spanish somehow did not make it to India.

 

The British arrived more as traders than missionaries. The riches they found in

this sub-continent caught their imagination and they gradually started putting

roots. The earliest British settlers were almost absorbed into the extant

culture ( mostly Moghul ). They became landowners, took Indian wives and started

settling down.

 

It was then that a Christian revivalist movement started in the UK and finally

found its way into the style of management of their activities in India.

 

The Christian missionary became an important part of British administration

because there was a fear that otherwise the British colonizers would be lost to

the culture of India. Christian missions were actively encouraged by the British

authorities and granted a lot of land and other facilities.

 

In spite of this precaution, there were any number of administrators ( at all

levels from a plain soldier to a high ranking official ) who contributed to the

collection, collation and compilation of vast amounts of historical data. Sir

John Woodruffe ( better known as Arthur Avalon ) and Paul Brunton are perhaps

the better known, but there were literally countless others, not only from the

UK but Germany and USA also.

 

I am currently compiling, for my own understanding and reference, a ‘ Life of

Sankara’. My basis are three books , published in 1933, 1959 and most recently

in 2002. In one of these , I have come across the name Charles Johnstone ,

apparently an English philosopher, one Professor Wilson, and one Dr Hultzch.

Unfortunately, the first two books do not give a bibliography. ( In case anyone

in this group can help me with a reference list or websites on Sankara’s life, I

would be most obliged !)

 

So much for missionaries. I wonder whether I am intuitively defending the people

I knew. I might as well come out with it … Mother Anne of the Convent of St

Joseph, Father Coelho of the Society of Jesus, Dr AJ Boyd, Dr John Macphail, and

Dr Chandran Devenesan , all of Madras Christian College..( Dr Boyd was a close

friend of my maternal grandfather who was himself an alumni of MCC !) None of

them ever tried any proselitisation .

 

 

 

This brings me to the point about ‘exclusiveness ‘ and ‘god-men ‘. This

grandfather of mine , Rajamantrapravina ( a title bestowed by the erstwhile

Maharaja of Mysore meaning ‘ Foremost amongst the King’s Ministers’ ) was a

fascinating person. He was at once a leading administrator, keenly involved in

matters of state, and a philosopher. The Maharaja, Sri Krishnarajendra Wadeyar,

at that time, was himself a visionary with strong leanings to heavy

industrialization( it was said that he spent a spell in the US and perhaps

Harvard ). At his prodding, my maternal grandfather and several other ministers

were made to look at all sorts of technologies. When they wished to put up a

hydro electric power station , the British authorities tried to demur stating

that electricity was not really required for this part of the world. While there

were extant treaties with the British which were of a ‘defence’ orientation, the

maharajas enjoyed considerable autonomy to rule as they liked. This

gentleman persuaded his ministers to go to the US. The result was the

hydro-electric power project did come up with GE equipment. The Mysore Lamp

factory was similarly put up with GE help !

 

 

 

Coming back to my grandfather, he was a Sishya of Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara

Bharathi of the Sringeri Math ( the first establishment set up by Sankara ). He

was deep into Vedanta. I remember him in the 1940s when he had retired, sitting

in his roon, practicing pranayama. He took a lot of interest in his

grandchildren. He knew every child’s birthday and you could be sure to receive a

letter from him with some Mantra or other benediction. He wrote every year to me

till 1972 when he passed away. He would invariably sign his letters with the

words, ‘ Yours affectionately …’ and a huge scrawl of a signature. But from 1969

he started signing the letter, ‘ Your grandfather in God …’ !

 

 

 

When he passed away, so my grandmother told me later when I came from Bombay to

call , the then Jagadguru of Sringeri, Sri Abhinava Theertha Bharathi, came to

call on her. As the house was in mourning ( for 13 days according to sampradaya)

he sat on a chair outside the front door and addressed her , ‘ Mother! Do not

grieve! Sri Ramanathan and I were fellow Shishyas ( Guru brothers is the word )

.. He has attained Moksha . He will never be born again !’

 

 

 

When we consider the question of ‘exclusiveness’ or ‘ God-men ‘ , I prefer to

think of ‘expansiveness’ and ‘ God-realised men ‘! The world may talk of

‘exclusiveness’ or ‘divisiveness’. It is their privilege. But as aspiring

advaitins seeking ‘ Total Consciousness’ which pervades the entire universe, we

can be ‘expansive’ in outlook and look seriously at the ‘God-realised men

‘.Admittedly there may be many hypocrites. But there may be genuine advaitins

also, who have ‘seen’ all that is to be seen and ‘known’ all that is to be

known. We can be discriminating but not dismissive. When we are rooted in our

conviction that there is only Parabrahman, rubbing shoulders with the world, may

be at best, beneficial, but never damaging.

 

 

 

But I respect your views. I am sharing my ‘anubhava’ only to illustrate my

viewpoint, certainly not to dogmatise.

 

 

 

One more experience in the search for the Truth . Mahasivarathri is on Feb 18,

Wednesday. For the last three years, this has suddenly become a landmark in our

life, rather like Christmas. It is said that the mind waxes and wanes like the

moon. I actually think a particular aspect of the mind changes, and I call it ‘

the deluding capability ‘ of the mind. Every month, it is said, a couple of days

before the New Moon ( called Amavasya ) this aspect of the mind reaches its

lowest strength. The monthly occurrences are called Monthly Sivarathris. But the

Mahasivarathri occurs at the New Moon just before the March/April New Moon,

which heralds the New Year all over India. On this day, the ‘deluding aspect’ of

the mind is said to come to zero capability. Any form of meditation or worship

on this occasion is certain to be highly beneficial. Contact with the Self is

guaranteed, so to speak.

 

 

 

We keep an all night vigil from about 6pm that evening to 6am the next morning.

Just my wife and me. Having other people can distract. We break up the twelve

hours into hourly sessions and either chant or read something. Just ‘ Om’ for an

hour. Then maybe ‘Om Nama Shivaya’ for an hour. Then read the ‘

Sivasahasranamam’ which could easily take upto an hour. Then ‘ Sivananda Lahiri’

of Sankara which can take another hour. The first year, 2001, we said it all

aloud. The next year, 2002, we started saying a lot of it in our mind. Last

year, 2003, all was in the mind. I look forward to next week!

 

 

 

I believe some clarity has come to me , maybe partly because of this. Anyone can

do this. It may help in its own way.

 

 

 

Thanks for allowing me to share. Advaitins should feel free to comment.

 

 

 

Warm regards and pranams

 

Mohan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India Education Special: Study in the UK now.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste Mohanji

>Your gracious permission to me to continue writing

>the way I seem to be doing nowadays...

 

Please note that I am NOT authorized to assume any moderator roles!

It only appears that way sometimes because I talk so much here.

However, I am sure that the REAL moderators are quite glad to read

your articulate and heartfelt messages.

 

But let me remind the list that this month's main topic is supposed

to be the Amritanubhava, posted by Nirmalaji, who should be starting

up again any moment now, after her trip to Florida.

 

>I am only tempted to try to correct your impression that

>'colonialism was partly justified as a Christian duty'.

 

Oh my God!!! NO! NO! NO! I never said that! On the contrary, I was

criticizing those Christians in the past who used Christianity as an

excuse for colonialism. I was criticizing the tendency in

Christianity and Islam to think that their religion is the best one,

so that this sometimes justifies an aggressive attempt to propagate

it.

 

It shocks me that I choose my words so poorly as to be completely

misunderstood. By now, I must have a reputation as a criminal here!

:-)

 

The Portuguese did more than 'deface culture'. They sometimes

practiced cruel torture on 'heathens', if I can believe a fraction of

what I have read. The propagation of Christianity and Islam through

force and violence is a very dark chapter in the history of both

religions. I am embarrassed by the missionaries who, even today,

travel to India to tell you that Hinduism is wrong. We all have a

right to choose our religion but not to insult that of others. (Of

course, we must criticize religions that preach holy war.)

 

You say that the British arrived more as traders than missionaries.

It is true that they were primarily interested in profit and plunder,

but religion was used nevertheless to buttress colonialism. The

Victorians were quite pious, or pretended to be...

 

Still, let us not overlook the sincere appreciation of many of them

for Indian culture and religion. It is the politicians who cause the

trouble, but there will always be quiet scholars who appreciate the

finer things of life! You mentioned Sir John Woodruffe, for example.

 

Then, there is the 'Aryan Invasion' debate, which is blamed on

Western scholarship. Let's not get into that here! There is plenty

of that on the web, as you can see at

 

http://infinityfoundation.com/index.shtml

 

and

 

http://www.bharatvani.org/

 

I think it is wise to take a humanistic attitude and try to

synthesize the best of all the world's cultures, rather than arguing

who has the best one or who influenced whom. One of the reasons I am

interested in Advaita is because its vision keeps reappearing in one

form or the other all over the world, in many different religions.

It is the true 'mysticism' ... i.e. direct experience of the divine.

It is definitely worth studying, even if we don't reach it in this

lifetime.

 

And you are right that I must bear in mind the many decent Christian

teachers, such as the ones you knew, who, in your words, 'did not

attempt any proselytization'. I have never been to India, but I am

learning more it all the time. There are many Indians and ex-Indians

here in America who, like you, have been educated in Christian

schools. They are very nice people and are not one iota less Hindu!

Sometimes I spend to much time reading that history which dwells on

the darkest episodes of the past. There are many websites full of

such information, not all of it reliable! Nobody wants to talk about

the good people who attract no attention to themselves.

 

I totally agree with you about 'God-realized men'. This is different

from trying to have everything revolve around one single prophet,

which is what I was complaining about. As my Swamiji says, 'We are

all avatars, but do not yet realize it.' Some who have are pointing

the way. That is the right spirit!

 

Your messages are extraordinarily interesting, but we had better get

back to the Topic of the Month. Nirmalaji, are you back?

 

Hari Om!

Benjamin