[Advaita-l] Re: Liberation outside the Sampradaya

[Rishi Lamichhane]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply.

"As far as Advaitins are concerned, yes only those who follow Advaita
Vedanta can be liberated.  But Advaita Vedanta is defined as the practices
of those who are liberated so its a bit circTular.  If someone makes a
claim of being a jnani, we should compare them to those we already know
are jnanis.  If there is a match, we should accept them even if the link
between them and the mainstream tradition is hard to discern."

If someone claims realization that is in major things ("aham
brahmasmi" the same as Advaita Vedanta (eg: Kashmir Shaivism), but
differs on other philosophical issues (sometimes significantly), could
that be considered a valid realization? What I am trying to get at is
how loosely we consider Advaita Vedanta. Surely it would not normally
be said that someone practicing Samadhi Yoga with an Advaita Vedanta
perspective (as is very common these days) can attain realization by
virtue of that Yoga, but as you say one accepts a person as a Jnani if
there is a match even when there is no apparent link with tradition.

In this regard, I would also like to ask a related question about
Mahavakyas which are so important for liberation. If there is a
statement such as "shivoham" or equivalent, that is basically
synonymous to "aham brahmasmi", does that count as the same or is
there something special about "aham brahmasmi" by virtue of it being
in Sruti? Is it only the meaning that matters or is there inherent
strength in the acclamation (perhaps not unlike a mantric effect),

Regards.