cc of letter sent to Balsekar.

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Letter sent thru email on 23 Feb 2004

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Pujya Balsekarji,

Pranam.

 

FIRSTLY, A CRITIQUE

 

im not a " convert " and im not sure i have " understood "

correctly or whether your exposition is IMPECCABLE. I

particularly find the recourse to the concept of

" pools of consciousness " very inelegant & looking to

somehow explain rebirth by the backdoor.Regards

rebirth my humble request is either dismiss it

altogether or allow it in your conceptual

framework.The mayic paradox will always remain ,so why

not give the devil his due? - rebirth or reincarnation

is a fact, but it is not the Truth.

" Pools of consciousness " is comic to say the

least...one would rather say- " Fools of

consciousness " .It very much strikes me that somehow

you are " consciously " taking the Gaudapada-Buddha

approach of Ajatavada.

i found something very beautiful on the internet on

rebirth(maybe from one of yours or Nsgdutta Mhj's

books) , i paste it below, it harmonizes the concept

elegantly.

 

" It is like the play of wavelets arising on the smooth

surface of a calm ocean after the

wind spontaneously comes up...the wavelets may think

that they exist separate from

the water, they may imagine that they are performing

independent actions and that

they have to experience the imagined consequences of

these actions, and that periodically

they are being dissolved and reborn again as wavelets

taking on specific forms in

relation to these past actions. Finally, to escape

their misery, they may yearn to merge

and become one again with the water, and be liberated

from their imagined existence

separate from the water... but this is all just a

silly mistake. When it is seen in the light of

truth, one realizes immediately that the whole concept

of rebirth is sheer nonsense; it is

just the product of the obfuscating imagination of the

mind, seeking to explain a

mistaken notion by propounding a further mistaken

notion. Wavelets are always water,

and phenomena are always noumenon, the unchanging

Absolute, which, without being

in any way affected, appears in form as images that

rise and set in the play of consciousness. "

 

things would be very simple if this approach is taken

rather than the laborius " pools of consciousness " .

 

NEVERTHELESS,

 

i write to thank you because i have greatly benefitted

from your angle of putting things and your

perspectives on Advaita.It definately makes things

very surprisingly simple and can put lot of godmen out

of business.it has greatly help me in

de-baggage-ification.

 

LASTLY,Your books are very highly priced for a middle

class Indian like me. Kindly consider bringing out low

priced books for your Indian audience .

 

 

Pranam+rgds,

Devendra Vyas