Re: New-comer questions...
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
For those that are new to this dárśana¹ I find many attach themselves to one school or another early on .
They miss the lay of the land in return to become associated/aligned with one particular school ( which is not a bad thing).
Consider the following... one moves to a new country and takes up residence in a certain city; they are unaware of
the other cities/states that are possible. They settle-in to the city, its habits, its rhythm and this brings comfort and
familiarity - all well and good.
Yet what if before saying i will reside here in this city, this state, one looks at a map. They see the
lay of the land; on this map it gives the temperature, the seasonality, etc. Then one may say this
city, in this state looks like a good alignment to my needs and likes.
Can this be done in sanātana dharma ? I am of the opinion you can get a reasonable 'lay of the land'
-by allowing yourself to be introduced to the 6 systems of Indian thought.-
This can be done in a 2 volume set called ' The Systems of Indian Philosophy' by Subodh Kapoor ISBN 81-7755-887-0 and 81-7755-889-7.
Just like building a house one starts with the foundation... these books allows that foundation to poured, and for you to form opinions.
It is from these foundations that various sects, religious point-of-views, etc. are formed. These books then allow one to ( really) appreciate
the śāstra-s and āgama-s one might read, as the 6 schools are sort of the DNA to help one frame the conversation and comprehend
the various points of view.
The beauty of these 6 schools is they are looking at the same Reality from 6 different vantage points. They do not compete with each other ( yet some
tend to think so); they are there for our growth and expansion.
The 6 referred to here are :
- sāṁkhya
- yoga
- vedānta (sometimes called uttarā mīmāṃsā)
- mīmāṃsā
- nyāya
- vaiśeṣika
What do these 6 schools of thought address ? The views of Reality:
Reality = vyāvahātika + pāramārthika ( the manifest or the world of diversity + the transcendent). And what then comes of this thought ?
How they view this Reality:
- advaita - no separateness or not two - unity
- dvaita - separateness or 2 - diversity
- viśiṣṭādvaita - separate yet - unity in diversity
It is how we get to these branches that is considered the 'study' of sanātana dharma. It is worship with a foundation. Other wise one is like a kite in the wind, blown from here to there.
...well begun is half done.
iti śivaṁ
1. dárśana - seeing , observing , looking , noticing , observation , perception; school of thought. Some call out 6, I count 16 out of 22.
Last edited by yajvan; 01 December 2015 at 10:24 AM.
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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