Reason and Experience

[Chandran, Nanda (NBC)]

First let me state my feeling that Vishwanathan Krishnamurthy is a
welcome addition to the list. The post on Karma, compiling the info from
the archives is well appreciated. And it's my opinion that one should
have a very clear understanding of the fundamentals and that post was
geared towards that.

On the Reason and Experience post :

Advaitam, even as per Nisargadatta, refutes the reality of the empirical
world. This I think is the major stumbling block for a saadhaka. Even if
we don't want to accept all such complex theories about the unreality of
the world, one can't but deny the logic that *all* things in the
empirical world are transient in nature. Even our life, because
ulitmately death awaits us! So the search is to find Reality - the
Eternal.

One may accept the logic of the arguments, but how do we truly get
beyond this empirical world? For as per Advaitam, if Brahman is the only
reality, then even our life as we know it now is false! For a normal
person, even if you understand these concepts, your mind won't leave you
alone. Ever will doubts assail you! No small reason that the Katha
Upanishad equates the path to walking on the edge of a razor!

The reality of this is that all of us are discussing Advaitam on this
list and not becoming samnyasins :-)

One cannot just go into a room and start meditating. You'll be out of
the room in a few minutes because you lack the conviction! So the
process requires that one must gradually develop a sense of
Discrimination - differentiating between the transient and the eternal.
Reading the scriptures, philosophical works etc will serve to cleanse
your mind, strengthen your conviction and make clear the purpose.

As Shankara states in Vivekachoodamani that salvation cannot be attained
by mere knowledge of the scriptures - but only by divine contemplation.
But to get to that level you've to undergo the process.

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