Re: What Advaita can offer ...?
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~~
namasté
Originally Posted by
Anirudh
Namaste Yajvan ji
How ever, I didn't understand certain portion of your reply. Could you be kind enough to explain those quoted texts especially the yoga part and the union.
established (or steadfast) in yoga ( union) perform actions (karma).
It suggests how this union is viewed and how sublime this union may blossom into.
Let me see if I can help...
Before we start, one needs to be aware that knowledge is different in different states of consciousness. I mention this because it helps to explain the different schools of thought that reside inside of sanātana dharma ( some prefer calling it ārṣa¹ dharma ). That is, a particular school such advaita or say the śāṁkhya school or the yoga school may be more aligned to a particular group of people verses another group. And for that matter, a person can grow or expand from one school into another school – it is quite flexiable. Yet the initial ~attraction~ to a school is predicated on a person’s level of awareness or comprehension.
So, with that in mind, I looked to a passage from the bhāgavad gītā that in my opinion is aligned to many-many schools and is spoken with authority i.e. kṛṣṇa-ji (48th verse, yogasthaḥ kuru karmānī- established (or steadfast) in yoga ( union) perform actions (karma)).
Now that said, the crux of what kṛṣṇa-ji offers us is both knowledge based, instructional, and practical. It also requires the native to experience this level of unfoldment to realize the value therein. That is, when an individual is no longer individual, but aligned to the Supreme in full ( known as established in yoga or yogasthaḥ ) all one’s actions are now the extension of the Supreme’s actions. All actions will bear the maximum results – not only for that person, but for the community, nation, and the world. They are properly aligned with universal dharma. One becomes the walking exponent of the Supreme. By default, the actions are whole in nature – they are not driven by the small-small (aṇu) egocentric person that only looks for personal gain. One becomes the exponent of Reality within the human frame.
One’s reference point is not that of billy, yajvan, tommy, sally, joey, ashcana ,etc. that are experiencing being limited, but that of their own Self that is none other then the Supreme within and without us.
Now back to all the schools ( I count 16)… these schools explain this relationship and how far this relationship may extend. That is why one needs to have broad vision and look across all the schools as much as comfortable. To have a broad base, but also (and in concert with this looking) one needs to come in contact with their true nature, their
true Being that is not outside of one’ s own purview. It is NOT something one gains, but what one re-establishes again.
This is where advaita comes in – it says you are this (Supreme) already. That is the core teaching, you are that , so says our upaniṣads. For some people they think these are flowery words that are to be repeated as being ‘in the know’. But being ‘in the know’ is speaking from direct personal experience. And this is encouraged in all schools.
Hence if for some reason the adviata approach causes some consternation, just re-evaluate and think maybe this is not my entry point into this massive ocean of knowledge; then choose accordingly. There are many roads that lead to Rome.
iti śivaṁ
1. ārṣa = relating or belonging to or derived from ṛṣi-s or seers of truth, of reality.
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
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