Monthly Topics

[Guest guest]

Original ref. Message #19041 of Sept. 24, 2003

 

Namaste:

 

The monthly discussions topics during the past eleven months greatly

helped us to focus our thoughts and enhance our understanding of

Shankara's advaita philosophy. We plan to continue this for the next

year and in subsequent years. A list of topics proposed for the year

2004 also listed below and we still look for volunteers who can

dedicate their time to prepare and lead the discussions. I want to

assure the volunteering members that this simple sadhana will guide to

them to read appropriate books and writings and help them to

articulate their thoughts. This is a great opportunity for

self-learning and also to improve your writing and reading habits.

 

The file "Advaita Discussion Topics" at the site with the

URL:

 

advaitin

 

contains the details. This file will be updated regularly and will

become a useful reference file for the members.

 

The topics for year 2004 will be regularly revised with suggestions

from members. Members who propose suggestions/comments should make

sure that the topics fall within the scope of the list.

 

 

Updated - July 3, 2004

 

The topic can be carried over to the succeeding month if the

discussion remains

unfinished. The topic leader may give the signal for the next topic to

start

(on the 1st of the following month).

 

 

1. Jan. Atmananda's Vedantic Prakriyas - (Ananda Wood) wrap-up

2. Feb. Amritanubhava - Nirmala Limaye

3. Mar. What is happiness? Diverse perspectives of happiness (Dennis

Waite)

4. Apr. pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam - Completeness is Changeless (Madathhil

Nair)

5. May-June Maya in the Vedas - Ken Knight

6. July The Real and the UnReal - Chittaranjan Naik

 

7. "The place of practice in advaita vedanta: Is practice required? Does

it help?" (Gregory Goode)

 

8. AdhyArOpApavAda's role in advaita siddhAnta (Sri Bhasker)

=====================================================================

Other suggeseted topics:

 

Gita Topics for Discussion: Practicing Karma Yoga in daily life (Sri

Sridhar)

 

Gita's qualifications for a seeker - Value of Values (Sri Krishna

Prasad)

 

Advaita Vedantic Perspectives Evidenced through Gita Verses

----

 

Historical perspective of Shankara's Advaita

 

srishti-drshti vada of advaita (Doctrine of creation & perception)

 

Karma and/or karma-phala: what is it and its role in advaita

 

Three Vedantic Schools of Thoughts - Similarities and Differences

---

 

Proper understanding of wake-up/dream/deep-sleep states

 

The field and knower of the field - Purusha and Prakriti philosophy

 

Naive Realism - the philosophical doctrine on the existence of

objects

 

Panchadasi Ch 6 & 7 (added Feb. 16)

==================================================================

 

[With permission and grateful acknowledgment - Dennis Waite]

 

Key Issues in Advaita

 

http://www.advaita.org.uk/key_issues.htm

(with links to the original articles)

 

1. What is the nature of maya? - Professor V. Krishnamurthy (profvk).

2. The Enlightenment 'event' - Dr. Gregory Goode.

3. Free Will and Predetermination - Alan Adams Jacobs.

4. Creation Theories in Advaita - Benjamin.

5. Types of Thoughts - Francis Lucille.

6. The Real and the Unreal - Chittaranjan Naik.

7. Knowledge - Oneness in spite of duality - Madathil Nair

8. Truth, Appearance and Reality - Ram Chandran.

9. Reincarnation - Dr. Kuntimaddi Sadananda.

10. The Path of Knowledge - Professor Gummuluru Murthy.

11. God, creation and ignorance - Dr. Kuntimaddi Sadananda.

12. Idealism and the World - Dr. Gregory Goode.

13. dharma and guNa - Ranjeet Sankar.

14. Why should we believe in scriptures? - Dr. Kuntimaddi Sadananda.

15. Why can't I read your thoughts? - Benjamin, Greg and Dennis

16. On Creation - Vidyasankar Sundaresan

17. The Evolution of Consciousness - Burt Harding

18. No claim, no blame, no fame - Leo Hartong

19. Delight - Catherine Ingram

20. The Simplicity of What Is - Joan Tollifson

21. What Is - 'Sailor' Bob Adamson

22. The Heart's Wisdom - Nirmala

23. The Man Who Wasn't There - Dr. Nitin Trasi

24. The Role of Scriptures in Enlightenment - Stig Lundgren

25. Trust - Janaka Stagnaro

26. Teachers and the Truth - Wayne Liqurman

27. Seeing the Essence - John Wheeler

28. The SEEING is here and NOW - Mario Sanasi

29. The Hypnotic Dream of Separation - Tony Parsons

 

________________

Our Discussion Topics for year 2003:

 

January: advaita and visistadvaita

February: Blessed are the Peacemakers

March: Meaning of Consciousness is One (Sri Benjamin)

April:Fate and Freewill(Sri Dennis)

May: j'nana and Bhakti (Sri Gummuluru and Sri Sunder)

June: Some Ideas on Avatars

July: How I discovered the Awareness watching Awareness method.

August: Paramacharya's Discourses on Saundaryalahari (ProfVK)

September: Is there light in Enlightenment? (Sri Madathil Nair)

October: Non-Existence of Objects (Sri Greg)

November: Atmananda's Teachings of Advaita Vedanta (Sri Ananda Wood)

December: Purushartha (Human fundamental aspirations) (Sri Ram Chandran)