Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Namaste Advaitins, I have been the member of this group for quite sometimes and enjoyed reading commentaries and discussion presented in the group. I have gained some knowledge through this medium, but still have an unsettling mind as I dont know where to start from. I like to ask the learned members of this group to guide me on books, scriptures, materials and discussion that I can refer to; for a novice to study Advaita. It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, Gopinath Panduranga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 advaitin, "Gopinath Panduranga" <brahmaprajna wrote: > > Namaste Advaitins, > > I have been the member of this group for quite sometimes and enjoyed > reading commentaries and discussion presented in the group. I have > gained some knowledge through this medium, but still have an > unsettling mind as I dont know where to start from. I like to ask the > learned members of this group to guide me on books, scriptures, > materials and discussion that I can refer to; for a novice to study > Advaita. > > It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from > novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. > > Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, > Gopinath Panduranga > Namaste Gopinathji, Please refer to Message #26754 and the accompanying messages in the same thread. Also all articles at: http://www.advaitin.net/ would be helpful. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 Please watch this space for an announcement later this month regarding next year's initiative in precisely this area! <<I have been the member of this group for quite sometimes and enjoyed reading commentaries and discussion presented in the group. I have gained some knowledge through this medium, but still have an unsettling mind as I dont know where to start from. I like to ask the learned members of this group to guide me on books, scriptures, materials and discussion that I can refer to; for a novice to study Advaita. It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, Gopinath Panduranga>> Best wishes, Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Dear Sri Gopinath-Ji, The study of Advaita is meant to take us beyond concepts and recognize our essential nature directly with immediacy and without hindrance. The term "Advanced Advaitic Concepts" does not refer to Advaitic knowledge but connotes intellectual study. One interested in actual Advaitic knowledge or Self-Realization would not necessarily be attracted to that. On the other hand, such a study may be beneficial for some, per their inclinations and destiny. Yesterday, I was trying my hand at writing an "Enlightenment Haiku". Haiku is a Japanese term for a three line poem which meets certain requirements of the number of words in each line. It is hard to write a Haiku in English using Japanese rules. So I improvised. Breath stolen Heart, stopping to hear Again, the same intimacy. Love to all Harsha Gopinath Panduranga wrote: > Namaste Advaitins, > > It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from > novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. > > Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, > Gopinath Panduranga > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 H.N.Sreenivasa Murthy Pranams to all. Dear Sri Gopinath Panduranga, Avadhuta Gita , in its very beginning sloka states: ISvarAnugrahAddEva puMsAm adwaithavAsanA || It means " By the divine grace alone the desire to realize Adwaithic Truth sprouts up in the hearts of human beings". You are really blessed by The Divine. As a beginner one has to get rid of certain basic misconceptions. [A] Adwaitha is not a concept, because the teaching is essentially about oneself and is about 'me' i.e.yourself. You are not a concept . Adwaita is not something to be studied. It is not about the accumulation of words and information from books. It is The LIVING TRUTH about yourself only. YOU ALONE HAS TO COGNIZE WITHIN YOURSELF BY YOURSELF. [C] In this quest one who has realized what he is teaching ALONE can give you that wisdom and neither books nor scholars can give you this. This is what my Guru taught me. May The Self bless you with the Upanishadic understanding. With warm and respectful regards, Sreenivasa Murthy. Gopinath Panduranga <brahmaprajna > wrote: Namaste Advaitins, I have been the member of this group for quite sometimes and enjoyed reading commentaries and discussion presented in the group. I have gained some knowledge through this medium, but still have an unsettling mind as I dont know where to start from. I like to ask the learned members of this group to guide me on books, scriptures, materials and discussion that I can refer to; for a novice to study Advaita. It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, Gopinath Panduranga Send free SMS to your Friends on Mobile from your Messenger. Download Now! http://messenger./download.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Namaste Advaitins, Thanks for the information. Since I am a novice, I might be wrong in framing the request plain from the heart. The verbal explaination to the request was merely composed at my view point (thats why I called Advaita a concept). However I humbly accept the correction. My interested on Advaita sprouted after listening to talks and the discussion in the group. I assumed that to understand these teachings, there should be a scholastic approach to study Advaita(I however accept that Sri Murthyji pointed out that Advaita is all about me and knowing myself). But, to know myself - I need some preliminary basic understanding of what I am trying to explore, like terminologies, examples etc. I am often wonderstruck, when I see the learned member of the group refering to sacred scriptures and giving detailed explanation. I feel they are the blessed one - as they have learned and experienced the oneness through the grace of their Guru, or through some stringent self-study. I thought, until I find my Guru, I will resort to self-study. So, please guide me!! Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, Gopinath Panduranga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Dennis-ji : Of all the responses given to Sri Gopinath-ji's inquiry on how a novice should approach the philosophy of Advaita , i liked your response the most . i know for a fact that you have been sharing your knowledge of this great philosophy with beginners and advanced students in your circle in U.K. as was obvious from your comments on a vivekachudamani verse sometime ago ! When someone comes and asks us a genuine question on how to learn the philosophy of Advaita , we should not scare him away by saying 'Advaita ' is not a concept etc ..... As a wise man put it , even to 'cling to oneness is to miss it. ' Please , i would humbly request you and other learned members to keep this in mind in 2007 and please share your knowledge of this philosophy in a simple and easily understandable manner even to a layman ! may i please share these powerful lines from Kena Upanishad ? "If you think, 'I know it well', you know just a little the form of brahman—that part of it which is you and that part of it which is among the gods. I think you should investigate that unknown:" "I do not think, 'I know it well', And I do not know, 'I don't know it, Whoever of us knows it, knows it, And does not know, 'I don't know it."' "It is thought of by the one to whom it is unthought; The one by whom it is thought of—he does not know, It is not understood by the understanders; It is understood by those who do not understand." So Dennisji - we will be looking forward to that sacred 'space' you are talking about ! with warmest regards advaitin, "Dennis Waite" <dwaite wrote: > > Please watch this space for an announcement later this month regarding next > year's initiative in precisely this area! > > <<I have been the member of this group for quite sometimes and enjoyed > reading commentaries and discussion presented in the group. I have > gained some knowledge through this medium, but still have an > unsettling mind as I dont know where to start from. I like to ask the > learned members of this group to guide me on books, scriptures, > materials and discussion that I can refer to; for a novice to study > Advaita. > > It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from > novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. > > Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, > Gopinath Panduranga>> > > Best wishes, > > Dennis > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I understand that Dennis has two new books coming out in 2007, although he is no doubt too modest to mention this. - dhyanasaraswati advaitin Monday, December 18, 2006 2:08 PM Re:Advaita for Novice Dennis-ji : Of all the responses given to Sri Gopinath-ji's inquiry on how a novice should approach the philosophy of Advaita , i liked your response the most . i know for a fact that you have been sharing your knowledge of this great philosophy with beginners and advanced students in your circle in U.K. as was obvious from your comments on a vivekachudamani verse sometime ago ! When someone comes and asks us a genuine question on how to learn the philosophy of Advaita , we should not scare him away by saying 'Advaita ' is not a concept etc ..... As a wise man put it , even to 'cling to oneness is to miss it. ' Please , i would humbly request you and other learned members to keep this in mind in 2007 and please share your knowledge of this philosophy in a simple and easily understandable manner even to a layman ! may i please share these powerful lines from Kena Upanishad ? "If you think, 'I know it well', you know just a little the form of brahman-that part of it which is you and that part of it which is among the gods. I think you should investigate that unknown:" "I do not think, 'I know it well', And I do not know, 'I don't know it, Whoever of us knows it, knows it, And does not know, 'I don't know it."' "It is thought of by the one to whom it is unthought; The one by whom it is thought of-he does not know, It is not understood by the understanders; It is understood by those who do not understand." So Dennisji - we will be looking forward to that sacred 'space' you are talking about ! with warmest regards advaitin, "Dennis Waite" <dwaite wrote: > > Please watch this space for an announcement later this month regarding next > year's initiative in precisely this area! > > <<I have been the member of this group for quite sometimes and enjoyed > reading commentaries and discussion presented in the group. I have > gained some knowledge through this medium, but still have an > unsettling mind as I dont know where to start from. I like to ask the > learned members of this group to guide me on books, scriptures, > materials and discussion that I can refer to; for a novice to study > Advaita. > > It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from > novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. > > Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, > Gopinath Panduranga>> > > Best wishes, > > Dennis > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Dear Gopinath-ji, While agreeing with other comments already made, especially for Advaita to grow out of our own 'Self-Inquiry', below are some of the works I found to be particularly helpful (and still do) in my own reflective inquiry. The first book I read on Advaita was "Self Knowledge (Atmabodha) of Sri Sankaracarya" translated by Swami Nikhilananda. The first half of this book is in the form of an introduction to terms and concepts in Advaita by Swami Nikhilananda. This is an excellent introduction, in my view. "Upadhesa Sahasri of Sri Sankaracarya", trans. Swami Jaganananda is a real Gem. "The Bhagavad Gita with commentary of Sri Sankaracarya" trans Alladhi Mahadeva Sastry (or by Swami Gambirananda) covers just about every aspect of Advaita and particularly helps us to discover it in everyday life. "Intuition of Reality" by Swami Satchidanandendra Saraswati. In my own journey, the most profound teachings in writing, came in the form of: "Forty Verses on Reality" (Ulladhu Narpadhu) by Sri Ramana Maharshi. This can be found published as "Revelation" by Lakshmana Sarma. These forty verses appear very simple while at the same time seem to express and sum up the entire spirit and teaching of Advaita Vedanta. It amazes me to keep coming back to them and each time realizing afresh just how much more they convey when we are ready to receive. Lakshmana Sarma also wrote a commentary on these verses which he later published as: "Maha Yoga". This is a particularly valuable work as his explanations and comments were under the guidance of Sri Ramana himself. The above are but a few works, but trust it gives at least one student's view as to what *might* be helpful. Best wishes, Peter _____ advaitin [advaitin] On Behalf Of brahmaprajna 18 December 2006 04:29 advaitin Re: Advaita for Novice Namaste Advaitins, Thanks for the information. Since I am a novice, I might be wrong in framing the request plain from the heart. The verbal explaination to the request was merely composed at my view point (thats why I called Advaita a concept). However I humbly accept the correction. My interested on Advaita sprouted after listening to talks and the discussion in the group. I assumed that to understand these teachings, there should be a scholastic approach to study Advaita(I however accept that Sri Murthyji pointed out that Advaita is all about me and knowing myself). But, to know myself - I need some preliminary basic understanding of what I am trying to explore, like terminologies, examples etc. I am often wonderstruck, when I see the learned member of the group refering to sacred scriptures and giving detailed explanation. I feel they are the blessed one - as they have learned and experienced the oneness through the grace of their Guru, or through some stringent self-study. I thought, until I find my Guru, I will resort to self-study. So, please guide me!! Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, Gopinath Panduranga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 " I thought, until I find my Guru, I will resort to self-study." ------------- "D.: Is success not dependent on Guru's Grace? M.: Yes, it is. Is not your practice itself due to such Grace? The fruits are the result of the practice and follow it automatically. There is a stanza in Kaivalya which says, "O Guru! You have been always with me watching me through several reincarnations, and ordaining my course until I was liberated." The Self manifests externally as Guru when occasion arises; otherwise He is always within, doing the needful." (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi: Talk 425) Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 advaitin, "Gopinath Panduranga" <brahmaprajna wrote: > Namaste Advaitins, > > I have been the member of this group for quite sometimes and enjoyed > reading commentaries and discussion presented in the group. I have > gained some knowledge through this medium, but still have an > unsettling mind as I dont know where to start from. I like to ask the > learned members of this group to guide me on books, scriptures, > materials and discussion that I can refer to; for a novice to study > Advaita. > > It is a great honour to me, if I can get the list starting from > novice to expert, viz. ABC of Advaita to Advanced Advaitic concepts. > > Om Nirguna Sai Brahmane Namaha, > Gopinath Panduranga Namaste Gopinath-ji The year 2077, according to our incoming Chief Moderator, is scheduled to be devoted to advaita for the novice. In the meantime, you may have a look at the following: http://www.advaitin.net/advaitadialogue.pdf which is a 1008-piece dialogue of one line each (with a few exceptions ) giving the novice a step-by-step exposure to advaita. Alternatively you may look at http://www.advaitin.net/AyyarAdvaitaVedanta.pdf which is a presentation from scratch for beginners of almost all aspects of advaita. PraNAms to all advaitins profvk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Sri Gopinath Ji, As a novice, I find Prof VK's translation of Mahaswamigal's Advaita Vendanta Sadhana (which is also uploaded as PDF file in this group) an excellent place to start. Also, there is a book Titled "The Vedas" by Mahaswamigal Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchi which gives the basic concepts very well. I have posted a similar request a while back in the post # 31466 Please follow that thread and there are some good suggestions given by the learned members of this group. Thanks Sudesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 Namaste Advaitins, Thanks a million for considering my request and responding so earnestly. I will definitely take reference all the guidance given and looking forward for Year 2007 as "Year of Advaita Learning" om nirguna saibrahmane namaha, gopinath panduranga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 advaitin, brahmaprajna <brahmaprajna wrote: > > Namaste Advaitins, > > Thanks a million for considering my request and responding so earnestly. I > will definitely take reference all the guidance given and looking forward > for Year 2007 as "Year of Advaita Learning" > > > om nirguna saibrahmane namaha, > gopinath panduranga > Namaste to all, One thing which I appreciate so much about the teachings of Advaita/Vedanta (and for which I have a lot of gratitude) is that they 'begin at the beginning.' That is they start where the student is and take the student's mind step by step to the direct realization of the truth. It is the view of many in the beginning that I am a separate body/mind/sense organs individual living in an inert universe. God is in heaven (if existing anywhere at all) and has little to do with me. The shruti with infinite patience and compassion, in the hands of a teacher who knows how to use the words therein as a pramana, takes the mind of the student step by step to see that none of the above suppositions is true. If at some point, after studying for some time, and through Grace, we are able to understand the sayings of some great masters, (mystics from traditions outside Vedanta or who perhaps had no tradition but yet knew the truth) then lucky indeed are we. If on the other hand, we are not yet able to comprehend what these masters say, then how wonderful it is that Vedanta exits, that teachers who know how to use Vedanta as a pramana exist, that lengthy and precise explanations exist. Because the truth ultimately being 'way too simple' as Swami Dayananda once said, and our minds and interwoven ignorance being rather complicated, we may need very precise and lengthy explanations before ignorance is knocked off and we can directly see the 'simple' truth that is being pointed out. And the compassionate Mother Shruti (just as a mother prepares the correct food for each child's needs) is able to point out with infinite logic and patience, from more angles than one human mind can possibly conceive of, how it is that I am Brahman, that I am indeed That which I seek. What a wonder! Om Namah, Durga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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