[Advaita-l] Are actions essentially meaningless?

[S Srivastava]

Sir:

It is understanding alone that liberates us.

The understanding per se does not require any action. Rather it requires
application of a valid pramANa on a prepared mind by a competent teacher.

However preparation of mind does require action. Search for a teacher who
is knowledgeable (brahma nishtha) and competent to use the right pramANa
(shrotriya) also requires action.

This is not different from gaining any other knowledge. If I want to gain
knowledge of calculus I need a prepared mind, I need a valid pramANa like
deduction and a competent teacher who can use that pramANa on my prepared
mind. If all three are present understanding occurs instantaneously.
However preparation of mind such that the mind is able to understand
calculus requires action. Similarly search for a competent calculus teacher
also requires action. Even the best of the teacher cannot teach me calculus
if I have not done my homework on basic arithmetic etc. Similarly even the
most intelligent student cannot understand calculus unless it is taught to
him by some teacher (or a teacher's words recorded in a book).

When the first person thought of calculus, it must have been a case of
inspired intuition. However, all of us who came later need not depend upon
such serendipity. We can learn it from someone who learnt it from someone
who can trace his lineage to the original inspired rishi of calculus. We
need to tap into the calculus sampradAya started by the original seer.

For understanding of advaita, sAdhanA chatuShTaya is the action required
for the preparation of mind. Satsang is the action required for searching a
competent teacher from the sampradAya.

praNAm



On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 12:51 PM, Suresh <mayavaadi at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Friends,
>
> In dualistic traditions, actions are necessary to please god, to earn his
> grace. But in our tradition, we are already Brahman, so it is not like we
> need this or that action to take us there. We are already that.
>
> In this context, are actions simply a way for the deluded jiva to kill
> time (until he leaves the body at death and merges with Brahman)? Kind of
> like a prisoner keeping himself occupied until he becomes a free man.
>
> Regards,
> Suresh
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