Guest guest Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 What is the essential Advaita teaching? It is simply that Atman and ParamAtman are identical. This is not an intellectual understanding but an actual experience and self-recognition. When experience and the experiencer merge consciously, the state that is devoid of all sorrow is known as one's own Self and Being as Pure Existence and Pure Consciousness. I emphasize one's own Self because now we see our self as different from others and God as well. So the question arises how can our self that appears different from everything be identical to ParamAtman. The Advaita teaching of a careful investigation through the neti neti method brings one gradually to the clarity of Self-Knowledge. Knowing "another" can never lead to full knowledge because others (things, worlds, gods, celestial planes, the whole mysterious cosmos) can only be known through the Shakti of the self, our own self. So the Vedas teach that one should know that by which all is known. The teaching is beautiful and crystal clear and contains the essential method of Self-Realization. Knowing One's Own Self is in fact the dawn of self-knowledge as one knows one's nature to be Sat-Chit-Ananda. People might say that God is impersonal. Although it is true in a way that God is impersonal, it is a much more powerful truth that God reveals Him Self to be very personal! How can anything be more personal than your own Self! Love to all Harsha ===== /join Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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