[Advaita-l] Importance of Ashram

[Mahesh Ursekar]

Pranams!

I would only encourage those who think Swamiji is not teaching Vedanta in
the true spirit to pick up some of his CDs/VCDs, etc (or better still,
attend one of his lectures - he travels all over India) and get familiar
with his teachings before casting aspersions. I am sure many of u r very
learned in this field and the criticisms are genuine & not mere
vilification. However, basing this on a web-stie post is probably too
simplistic.

On a lighter note - if at 81, I could work 12-14 hrs a day, travel the world
without fatigue, play a mean game of cricket (he recently took a hat-trick
in a game in South Africa) and have a happy disposition all day, even if I
didn't care for Vedanta, I would follow his teachings for such a wonderful
benefit! :-)

Best wishes in ur quest for the truth!

Pranams, Mahesh

On 1/1/08, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> --- Ramesh Krishnamurthy <rkmurthy at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On 31/12/2007, Mahesh Ursekar <mahesh.ursekar at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > b. Swamiji himself has studied in the UK and so is comfortable &
> > conversant
> > > with ideas of the West. In this respect, his teaching is a
> > wonderful blend
> > > of the East & the West
> > > c. His teaching is 100% rational with no element of superstition
> > or
> > > ritualistic leanings or blind beliefs.
> >
> > This talk of "blending east & west" always makes me squirm in my
> > seat.
> > Most people who make such claims are actually 99% west and 1% east.
> > Our problem is not the need to assimilate western paradigms but the
> > need to first understand our own.
> >
>
> Exactly.
>
> But there is hardly any doubt that Swami Parthasarathy is first and
> foremost a businessman who happens to be incidentally interested in
> Vedanta. For instance, here is the advertisement on his website:
>
> http://www.vedantaworld.org/cultural%20foundation%20bro_sc.pdf
>
> "... you will learn in a personalized setting with
> Swami Parthasarathy, the world authority on ancient wisdom
> in modern business."
>
>
> As to his credentials of being a great Vedanta teacher:
>
> http://www.vedantaworld.org/founder_person.htm
> http://www.vedantaworld.org/cultural%20foundation%20bro_sc.pdf
>
> "Above all, at 6 feet he has maintained a 32 inch waistline,
> 148 pound weight and ideal blood pressure and sugar levels
> for the past 60 years! Born to a premier business family,..."
>
> Swami Parthasarathy's waistline and weight are important selling
> points for his being a great teacher of Vedanta! Note the emphasis in
> "Above all, ..." - implying that his maintenance of waistline and
> weight is a clincher establishing him as a great Vedanta teacher.
> Does anyone care if Sankara or Sureshvara maintained a certain
> waistline or "ideal" blood sugar levels?! Bodily characteristics are
> inconsequential details to a Vedantin.
>
>
> The above link also says:
>
> http://www.vedantaworld.org/cultural%20foundation%20bro_sc.pdf
>
> "If you cannot find happiness in your work,
>   you will never find it."
>
>
> Advaita Vedanta teaches us that it is the RENUNCIATION of work
> (Sannyasa) that is the ideal to true and steady happiness. Isn't it
> strange that Swami Parthasarathy teaches us that it is IN work that
> happiness is found - a doctrine that is never found in the teachings
> of great Vedantins, all of whom unanimously teach us to either remain
> detached from the results of work (Nishkamya Karma) or renounce work
> altogether (Sannyasa)?
>
>
> Swami Parthasarathy respects Vedanta enough to incorporate it into
> his "version" of Vedanta and "Corporate Management", so he may have
> good intentions, but this still feels "cultish".
>
> The "Self-management" that is being taught here is what Vedantins
> would call "EGO-management".
>
> Gita 3.27 is very relevant in this context:
>
> ahaMkAra vimUDhAtmA kartAham iti manyate .
> "The soul deluded by the ego (ahaMkAra) thinks 'I am a worker'."
>
> > I am not sure what you mean by "superstition" and "blind beliefs"
> > but
> > rituals are quite central to Indian ways of learning. All our
> > philosophies are children of the ritualistic tradition, and not
> > rebellions against ritual as some modern historians would like us
> > to
> > believe.
> >
> > Ramesh
>
> Just a small note: Dharma encompasses all righteous action, not
> merely rituals.
>
> Regards,
> Kartik
>
>
>
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