[Advaita-l] Analysis of attributes and their locus

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

On Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 3:29 PM, kuntimaddi sadananda
<kuntimaddisada at yahoo.com> wrote:
>


> There is a book by Shree Arun
> Shourie that has in the title – suffering refutes religion with a question that
> if there is an infinite compassionate God then how can there be suffering?  Infinite compassion and God are oxymoron,
> says Mr. Shourie. If He exists, either He is sadistic since he is indifferent
> to suffering or powerless since he is incapable of removing the suffering;
> either way God thus defined is less desired. The problem lies not with the God,
> but in trying to define an infinite Brahman with attributes including the
> creator, sustainer and annihilator which are only incidental attributes and not
> swaruupa or swaabhaavika lakshaNa. Hence God defined is God defiled, since any
> description being always in terms of attributes. On the other hand, by changing
> the title of the book, we can say advaita refutes suffering. Infinite cannot
> have attributes, and therefore God, if he is infinite cannot be cause anything,
> much less suffering, as GouDapaada says. Suffering and happiness both are
> attributes of mind that has likes and dislikes or raaga and dweShas. In
> essence, even the happiness and unhappiness become attributes of the mind.
> Because of the ignorance of our true nature, we identify ourselves with the
> mind along with its moods or its attributive content. Question is then can we
> possibly remain as humans without identifying ourselves with our attributive
> minds – if that is possible, how can we know ourselves since we are the
> attribute-less subjects, and all entities are known via their attributes.

You will tell Mr. Shourie his son Aditya with cerebral palsy and his
wife with Parkinson's disease is attribute of mind? There is no
suffering for him or  son or wife? How can he believe it? For Shourie
his wife and son the suffering is very real. It is here and now.
Advaita is not for suffering people. AFAIK advaita is for strong
people only not for the weak because the Upanishad has said Nayam Atma
Balaheenena Labhya. The Atma cannot be won by the weak person with no
strength.  We have to be physically and mentally strong to practice
Advaita. For Advaita practice Yoga and physical endurance is very
essential. Physically and mentally weak people are not eligible. Adi
Sankara was physically and mentally very strong. He walked everywhere
in India and did some many physically hard things. Weak people can
understand Advaita only when they become strong.

>
> Rest in the next.
>
> Hari Om!
>
> Sadananda
>


-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh