Hello members. My introduction and a bunch of questions.

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri Rajuji:

 

The first starting place is to ask yourself: "Who is that asking all

these questions?" According to Advaita, the source that asks these

questions can ONLY provide the answers! When you know the source, the

questions disappear, you (as a separate identity) disappears and GOD

only remains!

 

It is possible for us to start as though there is a separate God and

ask Him questions and favors by surrendering our individual identity

to Him. Advaita calls this behavior as the vyavaharika level of

reality and attributes our behavior due to ignorance about the True

Identity. When the ignorance is cleared with our Self-Awareness

(gaining jnanam or wisdom) the separate identity melts and gets

superimposed with the Ultimate Reality - The Brahman or Naryana or

Siva, or any God of our preference. During the vyavaharika time

Advaita does recognize the GOD (SELF) and the prayers and worship are

conducted to get SELF-Revealation! The Dwaitans and Visistadvaitans

believe that Narayana reveals His Presence to the Bhakta and provide

the Moksha or liberation.

 

The ultimate goal of the schools of thoughts focus only

on "Liberation of the soul," though the path may appear different due

to our ignorance of our True Identity!

 

Since you rightly wanted in simple terms, I should stop here and

allow you to contemplate and find the REAL answer yourself!

 

Warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

advaitin, "raja_turbine" <raja_turbine>

wrote:

>

> Right now, I am in a terribly confused state.

> 1. Which is correct Dwaita or Advaita or Vishitadvaita?

> 2. Does Advaita nullify the existence of gods and devas.

>

> So, can some one explain me in simple terms.

[Guest guest]

Rajaji Namaste, I am equally new to this but I will try to chime

in.Please see inline.

> Right now, I am in a terribly confused state.

You are one with the Spirit. The Spirit is never confused.Trust in Him.

> 1. Which is correct Dwaita or Advaita or Vishitadvaita?

Spirit/Brahman is infinite. Rest are different ways of looking at the

supreme reality.

> 2. Does Advaita nullify the existence of gods and devas.

If you can imagine and pray to an infinite spirit devoid of qualities

and attributes, then you can take that path. If you need to associate

some qualities/attributes with the supreme being, you can pick a name.

That is how I look at it.

> 3. I see a lot of heated debates in one of the Harekrishna sites,(

> they spit venom on shankaracharya) and one of their claims is

> Advaitins ( mayavadis-their term) are doing a blashphemy by equating

> Krishna to Shiva or any other god and lowering him to a Demi god

> level....

 

Meekness is better than debate in my opinion. In the "deafness of

silence" you will hear the right answers from your heart.

> 4. If all is god, why do we have problems?

Our lack of understanding - Maya/avidya. We should understand him not

just know him as a philosophy or intellectual achievement.

> 5. What is the role of prayer, bhakthi and religion itself for an

> advaitin?

 

Listen to your conscience and do according to your highest sense of right.

>

> So, can some one explain me in simple terms.

>

> With regards,

> Raja

[Guest guest]

--- raja_turbine <raja_turbine wrote:

 

> I am Raja, I am from Madras (a city in India).

 

Shree Raja - First welcome to the list. It looks like you are going at

turbine speed. Slow down and think deeply after getting exposed to logic

of spirituality. Perhaps you can pullout topic on that line-discussed

couple of years ago that addresses some of your questions. Privately I

am interested in you corrosion problem too. I was at IIT Madras as

visiting professor (99-2000). I will be there in Madras from this coming

Feb and perhaps we can meet and discuss your so-called terribly confused

state.

 

 

>

> Right now, I am in a terribly confused state.

> 1. Which is correct Dwaita or Advaita or Vishitadvaita?

 

Since the question is posed to advaitin list - obviously advaita is

correct. If you want to get convinced, pl. study the quoted logic of

spirituality article. Remember all the confusions are in dwaita and

process of getting out of confusion is also in dwaita. By definition

there cannot be any confusion in advaita - And that is the truth.

 

> 2. Does Advaita nullify the existence of gods and devas.

 

No it does not - it unifies all into one - mattaH parataram na anyat

kinchidasti -

> 3. I see a lot of heated debates in one of the Harekrishna sites,(

> they spit venom on shankaracharya) and one of their claims is

> Advaitins ( mayavadis-their term) are doing a blashphemy by equating

> Krishna to Shiva or any other god and lowering him to a Demi god

> level....

 

There is no point in correcting the misguided ones. The first thing to

do is to resolve in our own mind what is the truth. The truth has to be

universal and any personification (although helpful for sadhana)

violates the very universality from the absolute point.

> 4. If all is god, why do we have problems?

 

If that truth is realized, then all problems are solved. Unfortunate the

very question implies that we do not realize that all is god - then

there is no more 'we' to have a problem. Where are 'we' to have problems

if 'all is God'. All problems and solutions are part of 'all'.

Recognition that 'all is God' is itself is solution to all our problems

since they have no more existence.

> 5. What is the role of prayer, bhakthi and religion itself for an

> advaitin?

 

To help to realize that 'all is God- there is nothing but God' In any

love, the culmination of absolute love is unity of the lover and loved.

They are one - manasa vaacha karamanaa - Love for the higher is bhakti.

Religion is practical application of methods to realize that advaitic

understanding that 'all are one and one in all' - yo maam pasyati

sarvatra, sarvancha mayi pasyati- one who sees me everywhere and

everything in me - he is the yogi.

>

> So, can some one explain me in simple terms.

 

 

I hope this helps and welcome again.

 

Hari OM!

Sadanadna

>

> With regards,

> Raja

>

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>

>

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>

 

 

=====

What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort.

Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only

the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda

[Guest guest]

Note from the List Moderators: Welcome to the list and we look forward to your

active participation in the list with thoughtful insights and questions.

 

Iam namasivayam

Iam also in chennai

Librarian

i want to meet friends who are interested in

 

spirituality

nama