Guest guest Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 I just recieved a small copy of the Principal Upanishads as translated by Alan Jacobs. It's a very attractive little red book and it seems great to carry with me. It also seems that this version is very freely interpretted? My confusion is in knowing which translation is a good one to have because I am sure all of them vary. I am not able to read any language but English. I have seen them in all different sizes and some contain certain parts while others contain other parts. Does anyone have a recommendation for a particular translation of the Upanishads or is any of them as good as the other? I am becoming more familiar with things the more I read but I cannot be sure about this on my own. I have the same confusion with the Gita. I have a very small copy with only less than 200 pages while I have seen other versions that occupy multiple volumes. Is this only because of the amount of commentary? Any help in understanding this would be wonderful! R Henry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 Note that the following is just my personal opinion:There is a wonderful 4 volume set of The Upanishads as translated by Swami Nikhilananda, available from Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center in New York (USA). This set also contains comments and explanations based on the interpretations of Sankaracharya.My favorite Gita version is the one with full commentaries by Swami Dayananda Saraswati available from Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Pennsylvania (USA). It is about 2,000 pages, but is available as a 2 disc CD set with the commentaries in pdf format that is quite affordable and can be printed out as needed (I have mine in binders by chapter).Hope that helps and I am sure you will get other great recommendations.advaitin From: rhenry1210Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:03:31 -0500 Upanishads and the Gita I just recieved a small copy of the Principal Upanishads as translated by Alan Jacobs. It's a very attractive little red book and it seems great to carry with me. It also seems that this version is very freely interpretted? My confusion is in knowing which translation is a good one to have because I am sure all of them vary. I am not able to read any language but English. I have seen them in all different sizes and some contain certain parts while others contain other parts. Does anyone have a recommendation for a particular translation of the Upanishads or is any of them as good as the other? I am becoming more familiar with things the more I read but I cannot be sure about this on my own. I have the same confusion with the Gita. I have a very small copy with only less than 200 pages while I have seen other versions that occupy multiple volumes. Is this only because of the amount of commentary? Any help in understanding this would be wonderful! R Henry Time for vacation? WIN what you need. Enter Now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 --- On Wed, 7/23/08, R Henry <rhenry1210 wrote: Shree Henry - PraNAms Just a word of caution - one cannot learn Vedanta by studying one self by reading gita and Upanishads directly. I suggest the following - wherever you are there are gita study groups where people discuss - Most of the US cities have a Chinmaya Mission study group where they study together and discuss - that is the best opportunities. Second is if you cannot attend gita or Upanishad discourses, next best thing is to listen to the audio tapes or CDs where you can devote particular time where you mind does not keep wondering. The last resort is to study the commentaries - in this list - gita discussions have been uploaded and you can download them and study. There are many introductory books - such as 'manual of self-unfolding' by Swami Chinmayanandaji - which can introduce some of the terms and their meanings along with basic concepts. In the study scheme - tatva bodha text by Shankara is recommended as the introductory text where all the technical terms are clearly defined. Other texts then follow. Hari Om! Sadananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 Shree Henry - PraNAms Just a word of caution - one cannot learn Vedanta by studying one self by reading gita and Upanishads directly. I suggest the following - wherever you are there are gita study groups where people discuss - Most of the US cities have a Chinmaya Mission study group where they study together and discuss - that is the best opportunities. Second is if you cannot attend gita or Upanishad discourses, next best thing is to listen to the audio tapes or CDs where you can devote particular time where you mind does not keep wondering. The last resort is to study the commentaries - in this list - gita discussions have been uploaded and you can download them and study. There are many introductory books - such as 'manual of self-unfolding' by Swami Chinmayanandaji - which can introduce some of the terms and their meanings along with basic concepts. In the study scheme - tatva bodha text by Shankara is recommended as the introductory text where all the technical terms are clearly defined. Other texts then follow. Hari Om! Sadananda Thank you! My confusion lies in knowing the difference between one group and the next. Is all Vedanta non-dualistic in it's philosophy? What is a Chinmaya Mission? This is a new term for me. There are so many words and terms used and I am not sure if there is a difference between any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 I heard this insightfull statement recently regarding asking questions by students (Don't know the source). The only stupid questions are the ones we will keep unasked. M. All, Thank you so much. One can never be too certain as some boards, it would seem, frown upon any interaction that is not quite substantial. I suppose, however, that it could really send someone in the wrong direction, just misinterpreting certain words. Most of the time, when I encounter confusion, it is beyond my ability to even say what is confusing me. Mostly I am able to interpret from the overall statement and I am referring to the definitions of the different sanskrit words when I encounter one that I do not know, which is most of them right now! Nondualism does not confuse me so much. I seem to have a good comprehension of the implications beneath the concept that there are not two things. I believe that, once this concept is fully understood, most other concepts are easier to understand. When we want answers, here in the west, the temptation is to take things apart in order to find them. I have learned, though, that to find the answer it is best to put things together until the answer is found. I have found this to be useful no matter the question. The truth is, indeed, already within and so it is there if I really want it. The truth does not change and it exists with or without the " I " to know it. The truth remains when all else is taken away. This is the opposite of what is not true. What is not true must have a knower in order to exist, and even then it can only exist in within the illusion. It is still a lie. What is a lie if not a thing that does not exist? Truth must remain once all thought is removed; all emotion is gone and all sense fades. Truth needs nothing else in order to stand. There are concepts such as that of evil that can only exist in the presence of a human. No other animal believes in this idea. All other living things only accept things without the judgment of whether it is good or evil. This means that evil is not real. I apologize for the tangient. I only express this thought because it is the manner in which I have always deciphered truth. I am happy to have found Advaita because it illustrates this so much more profoundly than I ever could have. As you may imagine, here in the Midwestern United States I do not regularly encounter others with whom I can carry on these types of discussions. People here are very attached to their material possessions and to their bodies and to one another. It is not well recieved when you tell them that none of this is real. I gave up trying to do this a long time ago! I have a sister who is firmly convinced that when she dies she will awaken to find that she is still herself and that she will be dellivered to her very own golden mansion in the clouds, which stands along a golden street. I tried one time to explain to her the symbolism in what she believes but she wants this to be real. How can I tell her otherwise? I can't, so I don't even try anymore! Again, I am very pleased to hae found Advaita. I would like to refine my own ideas and also learn to communicate them more efficiently and with more solidarity than my current ability. Thanks to all of you who play a role in that! In my own world I could go round and around, putting ideas together and creating my own metaphors. This is useless! It's as though I am trying to explain it to my ego, in some kind of effort to disolve it. R Henry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 --- On Fri, 7/25/08, R Henry <rhenry1210 wrote: Again, I am very pleased to hae found Advaita. I would like to refine my own ideas and also learn to communicate them more efficiently and with more solidarity than my current ability. Thanks to all of you who play a role in that! In my own world I could go round and around, putting ideas together and creating my own metaphors. This is useless! It's as though I am trying to explain it to my ego, in some kind of effort to disolve it. ---------------- Henry -PraNAms you are zeroing on the fundamental problem - the ego. Ego wants to eliminate ego! - Ego will survive in that elimination process - If the thief himself is assigned police to catch the thief - where will it end. Only way to eliminate the ego is to enquire about it. False guy cannot stand an enquiry since it is false. Any other solution will only give credence to the false and make the false the real. Advaita Vedanta centers on this - you are not that what you think - since any thought is finite and you the one who is conscious of the thought, egotistical or otherwise. The very inquiry should lead you that which is beyond inquiry.All the best. Hari Om! Sadananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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