[Advaita-l] Advaita Vedanta, religion, and science

[Michael Shepherd]

Jaldharji

I find your comments very useful. Indeed, it could be said to be damaging to
one's own faith -- and that of fellow believers -- to uphold it by
denigrating other faiths or sects -- or nations !

It is said that Adi Shankara's statements often seem severe, reductive,
inapplicable, even 'untrue': because he was living at a time when faith
itself -- any faith -- was in such a mess that 'laying down the law' in the
most stringent terms was necessary.

The same applies to the Manusmriti, I understand -- the highest demands on
human behaviour laid down in times of chaos.

 I guess we have to make allowance for this, as for Adi Shankara, without
denying the essential truth ?

Incidentally, there are now many Westerners becoming increasingly interested
in 'non-dualism' in practice, with an eye on Advaita for a lead. They have
discerned Western writers and sages in the past whose minds are essentially
'advaitist'. That should be a great encouragement to every world faith and
to sanatana dharma -- without 'watering down' any faith or individual
belief.

Michael