[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** Only Self knowledge gives liberation...

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Subbuji - Pranama

There are lot of confusion about Nirvikala Samadhi. Some one asked me this in facebook and I am still composing an answer to this question and now saw this email. There is a notion in the Ramana Maharshi groups that Vedanta study is not needed and one can sit and meditate and go beyond the mind and knowledge gets revealed to you. 

 Perhaps you can explain what exactly the nirvikapa samadhi and its role in the pursuit of truth.

Hari Om!
Sadananda

--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 6/30/15, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** Only Self knowledge gives	liberation...
 To: "Vivek" <ammasfeet at icloud.com>, "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2015, 12:47 AM
 
 In Shankara's
 Vedanta, meditation is nididhyāsanam that is taken up
 after
 shravanam and mananam.  This is the
 only method Shankara has approved based
 on
 the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.5.6:: आत्मा वा
 अरे द्रष्टव्यः
 श्रोतव्यो
 मन्तव्यो
 निदिध्यासितव्यो....One can
 read the bhāṣyam for this.
 
 subrahmanian.v
 
 On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 5:33 AM, Vivek via
 Advaita-l <
 advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 wrote:
 
 > Still some
 doubt is there. As Shankara says, "Meditation can not
 give
 > moksha" neither can any other
 practices except Jnana.
 >
 > You said that Self knowledge will dawn
 after intense meditation.
 >
 > Somehow it seems like a slight
 contradiction from Shankara's words.
 >
 > Anyone wants to
 elaborate on this?
 >
 >
 Vivek.
 >
 >
 >
 > > On Jun 29, 2015,
 at 10:00 PM, RAMESH RAMANAN <rameshramanan at yahoo.co.uk>
 > wrote:
 > >
 > > Dear Sri Vivekji,
 > >
 > > Pranams,
 > >
 > > Through the
 practice of intense meditation, chittha shuddhi takes
 place
 > and in that state, self-knowledge
 dawns automatically, just as when one
 >
 drives away the marshy substance, the clear water below,
 which remained
 > hidden due to the marshy
 substance, becomes clearly visible. Or, as when a
 > dark room is lit up, the darkness
 disappears, the chittha shuddhi leads
 >
 directly to self-realization, for which a study of Vedantic
 literature is
 > not required. Further,
 Sri Ramana Maharishi has said that he may have
 > completed most of his sadhanas in his
 previous birth,  which has fructified
 >
 in the current birth. This could apply to the saints, who do
 not seem to
 > have read vedantic
 literature in their present birth. Sri Ramakrishna was
 > almost an illiterate person, who also
 forgot how to sign his own name,
 > though
 he did attend some schooling. His knowledge of Nirvikalpa
 Samadhi
 > was through direct experience.
 He may also have finished all of his
 >
 spiritual readings in an earlier birth and in this birth,
 that past reading
 > may have speeded up
 the process of his self-realization.
 >
 >
 > > I think there is a saying in
 Sanskrit: to the effect: "One should always
 > try to upgrade one's learning. Though
 it may not be beneficial in this
 > birth,
 it is bound to be beneficial in a later births." This
 could apply to
 > both secular and
 spiritual knowledge. We see so many child prodigies and
 > some children have been recorded for their
 ability to recollect their past
 > lives.
 The child prodigies may have completed their education in
 their
 > previous lives and may have
 acquired success in retaining such learning
 > through intense efforts, which fructify in
 a later birth.
 > >
 > > Namaskars once again, Ramesh
 Ramanan.
 > >
 >
 >
 > >
 > > On
 Monday, 29 June 2015, 17:32, Vivek via Advaita-l <
 > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 wrote:
 > >
 >
 >
 > > Hari Om,
 >
 >
 > > Shankara says that only
 through self knowledge you can become
 >
 enlightened and that puja, japa, selfless service,
 meditation etc can not
 > enlighten you.
 They can purify you, make your mind calm and thin out
 your
 > ego but not  give you
 liberation.
 > >
 >
 > At the same time there have been countless saints that
 attained
 > liberation by doing long and
 intense mantra japa or other practices and it
 > doesn't seem they studied Vedanta at
 all.
 > >
 > >
 This has created a conflict in my mind.
 >
 >
 > > Can someone shed some light
 on this?p
 > >
 >
 > Many thanks,
 > > Vivek
 > >
 > >
 > >
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