[Advaita-l] What do Advaitins practice for the realization of Self?

[Praveen R. Bhat]

On Fri, Apr 15, 2022 at 7:45 PM The Crimson Universe via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namaste, Greg here.
>
> I would like to know whether Shankara's traditional Advaita prescribe
> meditation to all its followers, or do Advaitins simply stress on acquiring
> knowledge from scriptures and gurus?
>

Namaste Greg ji,

The question appears to be loaded with words as you use "simply" in the
case of knowledge from scriptures and gurus as opposed to meditation
somehow being on a higher pedestal! First off, meditation cannot lead to
mokSha, which is why traditional Vedanta doesn't recommend it to anyone for
mokSha, but to everyone for ekAgratA (focus/ one-pointedness) of the mind.
Similarly, the study of scriptures independently also cannot lead to
mokSha, hence the need for a traditional Guru. The knowledge that one
receives in this manner leads to mokSha as it takes away all the
misconceptions about one's own real nature and once the misunderstandings
are removed, what remains is the unnegatable Atma, one without a second.
This can further be emphasised, held on to, by nididhyAsana, what you may
have called as meditation, but the holding on is also more of dropping off
the earlier impressions of having known one's nature wrongly. At the
highest stage of yoga samAdhi, one may have a glimpse of the real nature of
*one-self*, but there is no possible way to know that *that Self is One*,
without another oneself or non-self outside, without the scriptural
knowledge received from a Guru.

gurupAdukAbhyAm,
--Praveen R. Bhat
/* येनेदं सर्वं विजानाति, तं केन विजानीयात्। Through what should one know
That, owing to which all this is known! [Br.Up. 4.5.15] */