Vedanta Puns

I felt very inspired to post this today, so inspired I am sending this from the gym but I digress!

Although many complicated terms are used in non duality teachings such as awareness, consciousness and so on and so on.. The problem is most average people can not relate to these terms and would have no idea what you are talking about.. teachers such as Rupert Downward Spiral are part of the problem here too!

But this is actually all very simple-

‘You are not the inner voice in your head, you are not the internal dialogue that you cling too!’

Once you have recognised this, you will get a true glimpse of who you truly are.. once the inner voice is silenced.. you are self realised!

I hope what I say here makes sense...

I am a young person (really early twenties) who has always enjoyed studying Vedanta and applying it to my daily life. I have always felt close to my favorite deity and enjoy poojas and festivals etc. I have heard that their is a lot of turmoil going on with Hinduism in India...(Hindutva etc). These things are things I don't really believe in or support or know too much about. As a young desi living in the West, there is no way I can understand or know exactly what is going on there or be able to untangle the complications that have arisen. However, I do know that I do not believe in using spiritual beliefs in such a political or extreme manner. I don't want to be a part of that.

That being said, how have those of you who still practice Hinduism managed to reconcile any dilemma or confusion(if any) that may come up for you when seeing that Hinduism has come to a point of contention now and that there are people out there using it for bad? Whenever you look up the word 'Hinduism' on the news, all you can see is the bad stuff popping up.

I feel confused. I want to practice my religion in my own personal way that I always have. However, it seems like there is a lot of negativity being created by people around it and I don't want to be a part of that either. How have those of you in a similar boat, managed to reconcile this?

I have seen a growing trend in those following Non-Duality, particularly the New Age Non-Duality, that devotion is not necessary at all. Even reading scriptures isn't necessary at all, since the reality is non-dual anyway and there is no 'you'. Work is useless and meaningless anyway. Meditation is not required. Aham brahmasmi. There is no me, no world, no nothing. Blah blah. So apparently there is nothing to do and nothing to feel. This is extremely self deceptive and the height of escapism to remain with our own individual illusions.

The reality might be Non-Dual, but look at our daily lives. Look at the facts of our life. We live in suffering. We live in deep anxiety. We live in confusions. We live believing that duality itself is the truth and lack faith in situations which threaten our sense of safety or ego. We live in loneliness. We live in boredom. So, it is wrong to deceive ourselves by saying that we don't need devotion or practice or selfless work or meditation. We do. Either devotion to some form of God which we feel close to and is our ideal, or devotion to the guru. The guru can either be a living one or even the scriptures themselves. The ultimate guru is within, which shows us the way. Meditation is important to watch the fickle mind and settle it down, eventually ceasing needless agitation of the mind. Selfless work is important to do good to others, to see divinity in others and to make good use of your physical life.

Non-Duality is not nihilism. It doesn't reject meaning. There is a meaning to devotion, and to other dualistic ways of seeing God or the truth. It rather is necessary for us with fickle minds and impurity in the heart to practice selfless work(karma yoga), devotion (bhakti yoga) and meditation (raja yoga). Karma yoga and bhakti yoga remove the impurity of the heart and raja yoga or meditation ceases the scattering of the mind. This creates the ground for realization to be conducive. It isn't that there is nothing to do. Rather, there is a lot to undo. And undoing is not inaction, rather, it is a non-action.

Kind of a rant I know, but seeing the nihilistic and lazy spirit growing in Neo Non-Duality reminded me of how tamas and sattva seem so very similar in nature but are drastically different.

Course Description

Learn Samskrit – the Language of Vedanta (Level 3)

India : https://learnsamskrit.online/course_details?name/=MDMzNjM2MzQ5OTM0MQ==

Others : https://learnsamskrit.world/course_details?name/=MDMzNjM2MzQ5OTM0MQ==

• This is the third of the 4 levels of Samskrit for Specific Purpose – Vedanta. • Samskrit Grammar required for studyingVedanta text books is taught in this level. • It is suggested that you read the text before viewing the videos. You need to refer the text book repeatedly while watching the videos. • Total number of videos = 33& Total viewing time = 8:07 hours. • By the end, learner is equipped with writing skills.

Course Requirements :

Learner should have :

1. good listening and spoken skills.
2. completed Level 2 of Vedanta series.

Target Audience :

• Samskrit Students, Practitioners of Vedanta Shastra, Pathashala students or any other interested learner.
• These courses are prepared considering that the learner is 16+.

Course Instructions :

1. Please set a specific time for 30-45 minutes preferably in the morning.
2. Write all exercises in a separate workbook.
3. Please use CHAT or WhatsApp or email to put your doubts & questions to a teacher. Please communicate with instructors or teachers only in Samskrit. This will give an opportunity to improve writing skills.
4. You can take test at the end.

The Language of Vedanta

Should I start with Dvaita or Advaita or something else? I have read Gita but haven't read vedas or Upanishads. Please advise.

Scientific evidences for non-dualism

• The String theory : The String Theory states that every sub atomic particle is basically made up of small vibrational strings which oscillates around in different frequencies to form different sub-atomic particles like Quarks, Photons, Gluons, Bosons, etc. and then all sub-atomic particles come together to form different atoms and then different atoms come together to form different molecular structures, which is the base for all life forms for us
• So this means that basically, everything is just vibration to the core, and all we are doing is living in a delusion where we se non solid things as solid things
• Our consciousness is not included in this illusion because it is not inside our body. There is no part in our brain where your “self” or your consciousness resides, as said by sir Sam Harris.
• By taking our consciousness to the core of this illusion, we can break through this illusion and attain what we call “enlightenment”. Note that enlightenment here is not some supernatural bullshit because of which we will know everything in the universe, but rather a realization that we are living in an illusion.

Philosophical evidences for non-dualism

• The uncertainity of our consciousness : As said in an earier point, there is no place in our brain where our consciousness resides. And this is why Sam Harris said that the self is an illusion, but Advaita or non-dualism says that everything else is an illusion and only and only the self is real.
• Everything else is an illusion because of the string theory, and the only part on our body which is not physical is our consciousness because it is not present anywhere in our body. So vice versa of what Sam Harris has said is true. Only our self is real, and the rest of the world is an illusion, even our thoughts and our mind.

Other than worshipping a particular diety, Hinduism has different paths to achiece ultimatum/moksha. Can anyone please explain or any video that explains all about those different paths? I am really interested in that part of hinduism and also what are small aspects make them different from other cult paths.

Any help would be amazing!

I fear I may have fallen into a trap of spiritual bypassing. I have fallen into a weird cycle that keeps on repeating itself every few months, and it goes something like this:

I'm a serious Vedanta student >> Bhagavan/Moksha becomes my only goal in life >> I lose interest in worldly things >> I stop pursuing my dream career because it no longer seems interesting and I consider it a huge distraction from my Vedanta studies >> after a while I feel like my worldly life has become stagnant being stuck in my same old dead-end job which doesn't pay much >> I then start to fear that if I stay stuck in a low paying job forever, then I might not be able to support myself in the future and be unable to afford to pay rent/bills, and I might be forced to work 2 or 3 jobs to get by and won't have time to study Vedanta and continue my spiritual practices anymore >> Therefore I decide to reignite my passion for my old dream career and pursue it out of necessity to avoid finding myself in such a predicament >> I find joy in having this new goal again, and work super hard to study my desired field so much that it occupies all my time and mental space >> slowly start getting distracted from my Vedanta studies >> My dream career has slowly replaced Bhagavan/Moksha as my only goal >> eventually burn out from so much hard work and also feel guilty I had neglected my spiritual practices >> so I start studying Vedanta seriously again >> Bhagavan/Moksha becomes my only goal in life again >> I lose interest in worldly things again >> I stop pursuing my dream career because it no longer seems interesting and I consider it a huge distraction from my Vedanta studies... Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.

I keep going through these weird phases in which my mind goes from Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic states, and never finds a true balance. Ideally I should be able to study Vedanta and also pursue my career goals at the same time. But I have a hard time putting Bhagavan/Moksha as my only goal because then that makes my career goal seem trivial and worthless in comparison. But I need to pursue it as a necessity, it's just that my MIND cannot balance these two goals. Either one takes up my mental space, or the other one does at any given time. Is this a good place to apply Karma Yoga, and if so, how? Any help?

Vedanta in pictures

This is an excellent explanation of (Advaita) Vedanta from first principles in pictorial format. The visualization makes it easier to understand the essentials of Vedanta, without compromising accuracy or content. This website is also a great resource for seekers with a module by module course on the basics of Vedanta. Kudos to the website creators - Vinay & Lidija Samadhi, students of James Swartz, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Swami Paramarthananda. All the credit goes to them.

I hope you all find this material helpful. May you find what you seek.

The standard narrative I have heard wrt to siddhis in vedanta and elsewhere is that you might come across them while on your sadhana, but they are distractions to the final goal and are to be discarded. The only goal for an advaita vedantic sadhaka is jivanmukti. The sadhana begins in earnest once you have renounced your desires for attainments in this world as well as the next (ihamutrartha phala bhoga viraga). Any demonstration of siddhis is frowned upon, and you are not even supposed to discuss them and any other spiritual experiences except with your guru.

I haven't come across mention of siddhis in the prakarana granthas I have read so far (drg drishya viveka,aparokshanubhuti, vivekachudamani), but advaitic lore does speak of them. Not to mention they are mentioned everywhere in the puranas (e.g., vishwamitra and trishanku), but these mainly come from the yogic or tantric traditions. These tradtions do mention siddhis explicitly (ashta maha siddhis, for e.g.).

Does advaita mention anything at all about siddhis? Are there any popular accounts of jivanmuktas who have demonstrated them? Or does advaita hold that siddhis don't exist? I have asked this question to a couple of swamis, and they repeat the standard line.

My motivation came from thinking whether there are any empirical implications for the advaitic claim on the nature of reality, or is it just a realization that only you are privy to. I.e., how would we scientifically establish vedanta in the 21st century before a skeptical audience? The straightforward answer to this or any other claim on the nature of reality is to demonstrate a real effect in a controlled laboratory setting that follows from the theory.

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**M

I think it can be looked at as either. At this stage in my investigation, I see support for both points of view.

Within advaita itself, it sees its thesis (brahma satyam jagat mithya, jivo brahiva naparah) as a statement on the actual nature of reality. I.e., it is actually the case that brahman alone is real, the jagat is unreal, and jiva and brahman are actually the same. However, in doing so, I think it steps on the territory of science. Some scientists have actually been enthusiastic about this idea. E.g., JC Bose invested a great deal of time in trying to prove a monistic view of reality; Schrodinger and Bohm were to some degree enthusiastic about vedanta. I think the recent developments in the philosophy of consciousness (panpsychism, literature on the hard problem of consciousness) might also hint that nondualistic idealism as in advaita is a correct view of the nature of reality as it actually is. So it might well be the case that advaita is a correct ontology, it's just that science hasn't caught up yet.

But advaita vedanta can also be seen as only a description of a particular state of consciousness arrived through contemplative practices - basically, as a phenomenology of experience. I have heard this said by Sthaneshwar Timalsina. This will explain why different vedantic acharyas arrived at different seemingly contradictory phenomenologies based on the prasthana trayi - there just are many different ways of describing your experience, or perhaps even different kinds of experiences. It will also explain the seeming difficulties that lie in deriving any empirically demonstrable theory or claim from the advaitic thesis (i.e., how can something "mental" like consciousness give rise to something "physical", for instance). But it would still satisfy the requirement that the practice of advaita vedanta leads to atyantika duhkha nivrrtti - maybe the description that atman = brahman is indeed a very blissful and satisfactory state of the mind, irrespective of whether it is true or not.

What do you think of this issue, and why? Do you know of any literature that deals with this specific issue?

I recall starting to read a book whose name I don't recall now (vedanta sara? vedanta paribhasha?), and it discussed the pramanas (pratyaksha, anumana, etc) in some detail. But I don't recall reading about samkhya or nyaya-vaisheshika concepts in any of the classical prakarana granthas that I have read so far.

So my question to those who have explored this: how does advaita vedanta make use of samkhya and nyaya-vaisheshika? Is a detailed study of the latter two useful in advaitic sadhana?

Edit: I suppose the same can be asked about vyakarana (e.g., a study of laghu siddhanta kaumudi, etc.), but at least the latter is important in understanding the text of the sanskrit works.

vairagya is a necessary pre-requisite for moksha as per vivekachudamani - giving up all the fruits in this life and the next - as well as mumukskutva - an intense longing for liberation. I also read in some text (aparokshanubhuti?) that one should have disinterest in everything from Brahma to our body just as we would have disinterest in the excrement of a crow.

Does this mean that sannyasa is a pre-requisite for advaitic realization? Is it possible to do advaita sadhana and attain jivanmukti while staying engaged with the world as a normal person (and not a monk)?

I was wondering about the similarities as well as the differences between the two. Both talk of a background reality as well as maya in a way, although it is put differently in kashmiri shaivishm. But I know that they have their differences in philosophy as well. Can somebody elaborate on this?

I am one of those strange people who likes to break things down to their most basic terms always and I feel it really could be this simple from reading various Vedanta texts.

Your thoughts and opinions on this would be most welcome, but if you could suggestions as simple to understand as possible, it would be helpful. I love Vedanta because it's like an ancient science, so if you can keep your suggestions more 'science' sounding, it would be brilliant.

This is the conclusion I have drawn from my Vedanta findings. Many vedanta texts say 'You are Intelligence' and it seems once the conditioned reasoning intellect has been subdued or completely discarded, we are set free from all delusion and are set free from the bondage that the illusionary conditioned memory driven intellect imposes upon us. Am I anywhere close?

Atma = Soul = Consciousness/Awareness = Reality = Non Dual/One

= Infinite Unconditioned Intelligence

Jiva = Ego/Persona/Individual entity = Body/Mind = Illusionary = Duality/Separation

= Finite Conditioned Intellect

While there are texts like Yoga Vasishtam that assert free will. On the other hand there are many vedantic texts that imply that we (jivas) are merely puppets of Brahman. Which one is correct according to you and why?

specifically some weed, some acid, and maybe some delta 8 cbd gummies?

Sometimes I wake up and I think "You know ... I just wanna get high, make pizza rolls, and watch some kung fu movies". So I do it. And it's cool. And I don't have any guilt or misgivings about the ramifications of what I'm doing. I'm just along for the ride.

I mostly listen to Swami Sarvapriyananda and Rupert Spira. I’m also open to non-advaita podcasts that are somewhat related, like Joseph Campbell, Ram Dass, Sufism, etc

DISCLAIMER: Please excuse the self-post, I do apologize for it. And I want to give a disclaimer and say that I'm nothing special. I am a seeker like you. I am not claiming to be enlightened, and I know I still have work to do. I am only wondering if what I felt is anywhere near what enlightened individuals feel. Is this what the great masters feel?

With that out of the way, I have to say that today was spiritually important to me. I have been taking the advice of a swami, and wholeheartedly following his teachings. He has emphasized the importance of seeing everything as an appearance of Brahman. And this hit me hard while embracing it completely.

When seeing everything (including my body, who I think I am) as an appearance of Brahman, my consciousness felt like it was everywhere. I didn't feel like a singular person, I felt like I was everything and everywhere. Then I dove further and associated myself as this consciousness that underpins everything. All of my worries went away, I naturally had a big smile on my face while thinking about how silly worldly worries are. I felt like this life was only a game, after all I am this immortal consciousness which will never cease to exist. I had an intense feeling of love for everything.

What I thought was "reality", was actually just a play by me or God. No other people exist, they're simply expressions of myself. I felt overjoyed knowing that I am this one consciousness that thought it was an individual. I looked at my murti of Maha Kali, and realized completely that I and she are the same.

Well I could keep going on about this experience. I have only felt this previously after allowing myself to look beyond boundaries. This feeling has lingered, although I still get caught up in the maya of this world. The biggest realization from this, is that I believe this is the true meaning of life. The meaning of life is to go back to our source and realize our true identity as the one consciousness. To see ourselves as the whole, and not as an individual.

Many thanks for reading.

This, as well as the beliefs associated by some of its proponents, can stagnate progression or realisation. There is a trend of individuals who cling to some idea spoken by some lofty Guru.

There are the lost, and then those actively held captive by ideology.

Do you, and why? What is it you reject?

posted upon the advice of someone else to share here. Please delete if not welcome.

Absolutist answer giving statements, common to the Vedas, is the anti-thesis of Zen because no thing is fixed.

My post in the advaita group: 'Bring what you believe to be the truth in/of itself and I will come to refute it if it is not in alignment with actuality.

A large bulk of Eastern philosophy is just pure speculation and asserting answers to ultimate metaphysical claims which in themselves cannot be answered. A better answer would be: I don't know.

Notice one thing. Its always the men talking absolute hogwash and sitting in circles debating hard whilst the women are working hard & waiting for the men to wake up from their spell. 😃😃😃

Treating existence and oneself as if its a problem to solve. Diabolical.'

I have had numerous derealization (loss of sense of reality) episodes before but only a few of depersonalization (loss of sense of self). I’d like to mention that I was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol in any of the episodes. They happened 100% sober.

It was always a very scary experience, set off by stressors that seem very odd to me now: making eye contact with people was a HUGE trigger (I don’t know why), talking for extended periods of time, worrying about environmental issues, worrying about money, and so on.

Derealization would happen very suddenly and I’d feel like the world was an illusion, like a stage with actors and objects, and I was just witnessing a play. Sometimes it was even more nefarious, and leaned more into the Truman Show.

I had a depersonalization attack occur when I was living on pennies and dimes in a bad rent situation with an abusive landlord. I thought long and hard about taking my life and I lost about two hours of memory, during which time I apparently traveled to my mother’s house totally separated from my ego/identity. I distinctly remember viewing myself from an “outside” perspective and thinking “how silly it was of (my name) to try something like that!”, referring to myself in third person as if I wasn’t me.

Cut to November 2019. I was at rock bottom and I had stumbled across a very strange (at the time) guided meditation online called “The Template”. I decided to try meditation out on my own and had my first definitive experience of “sat-cit-ananda”, and when I say it was like heaven on earth, I can’t stress it enough. I was reduced to tears for the next few days, because it completely changed me.

Things I was previously obsessed with became pointless, nonsensical, etc. Seven years of atheism went out the window because I knew what I felt that night had to be God, Brahman, whatever you want to call it. It was the most peaceful feeling I had ever felt, almost like being back in the womb. Since learning about Advaita Vedanta and training myself to see the Atman/Brahman in everyone/everything around me, I have not looked back, and I haven’t had another dissociative episode.

In a way, I feel like I was inadvertently reaching for the same thing (enlightenment) that Advaita Vedanta is all about, but in a very bleak and harmful way. Kind of like groping around in the dark. Now, I know that the world is indeed illusory, but I’m not afraid anymore. I don’t get “triggered”. I can stare people in the eye all day

Any books recommendations about vedanta in general and specifically about advaita vedanta?

Probably will get downvoted for this… but I’ve gotta ask and I hope what I say here makes sense...

I am a young person (really early twenties) who has always enjoyed studying Vedanta and applying it to my daily life. I have always felt close to my favorite deity and enjoy poojas and festivals etc. I have heard that their is a lot of turmoil going on with Hinduism in India...(Hindutva etc). These things are things I don't really believe in or support or know too much about. As a young ABCDesi, there is no way I can understand or know exactly what is going on there or be able to untangle the complications that have arisen. However, I do know that I do not believe in using spiritual beliefs in such a political or extreme manner. I don't want to be a part of that.

That being said, how have those of you who still practice Hinduism managed to reconcile any dilemma or confusion(if any) that may come up for you when seeing that Hinduism has come to a point of contention now and that there are people out there using it for bad?

I feel confused. I want to practice my religion in my own personal way that I always have. However, it seems like there is a lot of negativity being created by people around it and I don't want to be a part of that either.....

Vedanta in pictures

This is an excellent explanation of (Advaita) Vedanta from first principles in pictorial format. The visualization makes it easier to understand the essentials of Vedanta, without compromising accuracy or content. This website is also a great resource for seekers with a module by module course on the basics of Vedanta. Kudos to the website creators - Vinay & Lidija Samadhi, students of James Swartz, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Swami Paramarthananda. All the credit goes to them.

I hope you all find this material helpful. May you find what you seek.

Course Description

Learn Samskrit – the Language of Vedanta (Level 4)

India : https://learnsamskrit.online/course_details?name/=MjU3ODc4OTM5NTM1MQ==

Other Countries : https://learnsamskrit.world/course_details?name/=MjU3ODc4OTM5NTM1MQ==

• Course contents are e-book and self-learning videos in Samskrit.• This is the final of the 4 levels of Samskrit for Specific Purpose – Vedanta.• You will study “Panchadashi” of Maharishi Vidyaranya.5 out of 15 chapters are explained.• Total 29 videos. Total viewing time = 16:14 hours

Course Requirments :

Learner should have good command over Samskrit Grammar or completed Level 3 of Vedantaseries.

Target Audience :

• Samskrit Students, Practitioners of Vedanta Shastra, Pathashala students or any other interested learner.• These courses are prepared considering that the learner is 16+.

Course Instructions :

1. You can learn yourself and enjoy the text.
2. Please use CHAT or WhatsApp or email to put your doubts & questions to a teacher. Please communicate with instructors or teachers only in Samskrit.
3. This course supports your interest to learn subject text and gives all linguistic help required. Please pursue & master Samskrit. There will be no test or certificate for this level.

Vedanta in pictures

This is an excellent explanation of (Advaita) Vedanta from first principles in pictorial format. The visualization makes it easier to understand the essentials of Vedanta, without compromising accuracy or content. This website is also a great resource for seekers with a module by module course on the basics of Vedanta. Kudos to the website creators - Vinay & Lidija Samadhi, students of James Swartz, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Swami Paramarthananda. All the credit goes to them.

I hope you all find this material helpful. May you find what you seek.