Food for Thought (Advaita Vedanta)

[Guest guest]

In an interview with Ramesh Balsekar

 

http://www.wie.org/j14/balse.asp

 

the renowned teacher of Advaita Vedanta appears to say that

understanding Vedanta implies a totally fatalistic definition of

life. That is individuals have absolutely no influence on their

actions, and any actions, thoughts, emotions that is generated within

themselves is what is determined by "God".

 

What is "God" in Vedanta?

 

_/\_ Tat twam asi

 

Uma

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post 4520 "SRI RADHA KUTIR" wrote:

> Food for Thought

> Vedanta is not a religion or a dogma, it is the total philosophy of

> life,

[Guest guest]

>>What is "God" in Vedanta?<<

 

I do not know if you are refering to Advaita Vedanta or just Vedanta.

Either way, I'll talk about Vedanta.

 

Vedanta is mainly divided into three :

1. Dvaita (Dualism)

2. Advaita (NonDualism)

3. Vishishtadvaita (Qualified Non dualism)

 

There are also different margas, and other ways in which the Vedas

can be divided, but i'm not talking about those, as here we are

talking about Advaita Vedanta.

 

In Dvaita or Dualism, as the name indicates, there are 2 entities

namely God and 'I'. One could perceive God in any way one likes and

depending on how one surrenders, there r three ways:

1. I am His

2. He is Mine

3. I am He.

 

Nonetheless, there are 2 entities, viz, God and I. In dvaita, God

thus denotes the Paramatma or the Supreme soul, and the 'I' refers to

the Jivatma or the individual soul.

 

Advaita Vedanta is the Truth on a higher plane, where all is one.

According to advaita, if something is Immanent, then everything in

It, must be It itself. The constituents of that One thing cannot be

separate from It, even though it seems to assume a separate identity.

 

For eg. All the parts of my body belong to me. I have ten fingers,

and each and every finger belongs to me. Every finger seems to have

its own unique identity, function, morphology etc. They may seem like

different entities, that work in unison to perfom an action, but are

they really different?

 

Probably at the organ level each and every finger / organ can assume

a seprate identity. But when you rise to a higher plan of universal

Consciousness of the body, then seeparate identities of every

finger/organ cease to exist. They are all 'me'.

 

So too in this Universe, we all seem to have separate identities,

functions etc. At the level of the body consciosness we are all

separate, but when we rise to a higher plane of consoiusness, all

is 'God'.

There no longer are separate entities, as we no longer identify

ourselves with this finite body, but with the infinite. The 'i'

expands and merges into the 'I'. The jivatma merges into the

Paramatma like how the waves subside into the ocean. There is just

the One that IS.

 

God in Advaita Vedanta is hence the 'Self' which we call ParaBrahman.

 

The Mahavakyas declare :

1. Ayam Atma Brahma (The Atma is Brahma)

2. Pragjyanam Brahma (The Consciousness is Brahma)

3. Aham Brahmasi ( I am Brahma)

4. Tat Twam Asi ( That Thou Art)

 

Hari Aum !!!

[Guest guest]

Yes, I was talking about Advaita Vedanta since that is what the

article is referring to. My purpose for the question is an attempt to

understand the teacher who has been very well known in India with

followers all over the world, and certainly quoted in many circles.

 

Again, in an attempt to understand his point of view, if "God" in

Advaita is the "Self", then who determines one's destiny according to

Advaita Vedanta? "i" or "I" ? (= Self). Moreover that makes us two ..

so where is non-dualism in that?

 

_/\_ Tat twam asi

 

Uma

 

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post 4523 s_v_c_s wrote:

 

> I do not know if you are refering to Advaita Vedanta or just

Vedanta.

[Guest guest]

>>if "God" in Advaita is the "Self", then who determines one's

destiny according to Advaita Vedanta? "i" or "I" ? (= Self).<<

 

Everything is already predetermined, for only the 'I' is real.

The 'i' is apparent and has only an illusory existence. As long as

the 'i' exists, the apparent freewill seems to exist. To give an

analogy:

 

In a movie, all the actions and events are already predetermined. Yet

when the events occur when they are supposed to, the actors/actresses

react to them in the manner that is predetermined for them

respectively. All their actions and reactions seem to be very real,

but they have only an apparent existence. The difference between

movies and real life is, in a movie, the actors/actresses are aware

of their 'real' identity, hence do not associate themselves with

their characters. The joys and sorrows of their respective characters

do not affect them.

 

Contrarily, in this life, we forget our true nature, and identify

ourselves with this apparent 'i', and take the joys and sorrows of

this 'i' to be our own.

 

The 'i' in reality has no real existence, and spins a physical body

around itself and has its basis on ego. When a motion picture is

projected onto a screen, many things fall on the screen. But neither

the fire burns it, nor the water wets it. They are just pictures

projected, that have no real existence. When you try to touch, all

you can touch is the screen. The substratum of all is the screen. So

too all the events have only an apparent existence, and the

substratum 'I' alone is real.

 

Since my computer has problems i can't give appropriate QnA's of

Maharshi. However, I found the following in another group and pasting

it below:

 

Q: Are only the important event in a man's life, such as his main

occupation or profession, predetermined, or are trifling acts also,

such as taking a cup of water or moving from one part to the room to

another?

Bhagavan: Everything is predetermined.

 

Q: Then what responsibility, what free will has man?

B: Why does the body come into existence? It is designed for the

various things that are marked out for it in this life...As for

freedom, a man is always free not to identify himself with the body

and not be affected by the pleasures and pains consequent on it

activities.

 

Devotee: Has man any free will or is everything in his life

predetermined:

Bhagavan: Free will exists together with the individuality. As long

as the

individuality lasts, so long is there free will. All the scriptures

are based

on this fact and advise directing the free will in the right channel.

 

Editors note: Is this really a contradiction of the reply given

earlier? No,

because, according to Bhagavan's teachings, the individuality has

only an

illusory existence. So long as one imagines that one has a separate

individuality, so long does one also imagine its free will.

 

Bhagavan; Find out who is it who has free will or predestination and

abide in

that state. Then both are transcended. That is the only purpose in

discussing

these questions. To who do such questions present themselves.

Discover that

and be at peace.

 

>From The Teaching of Ramana Maharshi by Arthur Osborne.

 

Hari Aum !!!