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Comparative study on Vedanta tradition, various religious traditions, emphasis on nature of faith, revelation, human destiny, and language. ... Read more

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by a leading specialist in Indian religion, study of nature of the universe and reality as experienced by human beings. Focus on Advaita Vedanta, explores use of metaphors and comparison with western concepts ... Read more

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In Indian philosophy and theology, the ideology of Vedanta occupies an important position. Hindu religious sects accept the Vedantic soteriology, which believes that there is only one conscious reality, Brahman from which the entire creation, both conscious and non-conscious, emanated.

Madhusudana Sarasvati, who lived in sixteenth century Bengal and wrote in Sanskrit, was the last great thinker among the Indian philosophers of Vedanta. During his time, Hindu sectarians, rejected monistic Vedanta. Although a strict monist, Madhusudana tried to make a synthesis between his monistic philosophy and his theology of emotional love for God.

Sanjukta Gupta provides the only comprehensive study of Madhusudana Sarasvati's thought. She explores the religious context of his extensive and difficult works, offering invaluable insights into Indian philosophy and theology.

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This book is composed of a series of questions and answers regarding some aspects of Non-duality (Advaita) discussed by Raphael, a Researcher-Philosopher who has achieved Asparsa-vada (i.e. the pathway of no support) and keeping alive Advaita Tradition which has had in Gaudapada and Samkaracarya its most representative 'revivers' both from the point of view of Realization and Doctrine. ... Read more

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Of great value to students of Advaita Vedanta
The Pathway of Non-Duality: Advaita-vada. By Raphael. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1992. Hardback, xi + 88 pages. ISBN. 81-208-09297

This book takes the form of a series of questions and answers regarding some aspects of Non-duality (Advaita). Raphael is a Philosopher-Mystic, a master of traditional metaphysics, who has achieved Asparsa-vada (i.e., the pathway of no support) and who is keeping alive the Advaita Tradition whose most important representatives, both from the point of view of Realization and Doctrine, have been Gaudapada and Shankara.

The best source of information about Raphael will be found at his Non-duality website, the Asram Vidya Order (www.vidya-ashramvidyaorder.org), which was founded by him as a channel for the Primordial Metaphysical Tradition.

There, we learn that: "Raphael is a Practising Asparsin and at present, after over 40 years of oral and written teaching, he lives at the Hermitage in retirement and silence." Asparsa-yoga is the yoga of Non-Duality.

To an interviewer, who once asked who he was, he replied disconcertingly: "I am you."

For Raphael, it would seem that biographical details, since they can refer only to wholly fictive entities, are quite without meaning.

See my Listmania list on Raphael for information about 'The Path of Non-Duality' and his other works.
... Read more

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The full and official life of Ramakrishna. Includes more material than the Romain Rolland translation Life of Ramakrishna.
The story of Ramakrishna is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face. No one can read his story without being convinced that god alone is real and all else is an illusion. M.K. Gandhi in the foreword. Gandhi is regarded as the father of modern India. ... Read more

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This is a unique work discussing the teachings of four of the great Advaita Acharyas: Gaudapada, Sankara, and his disciples, Suresvara and Padmapada. This work will be of great value to one who is seeking to develop his spirituality within the Advaita tradition. ... Read more

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In-depth examination of key topics
I had been aware of the existence of this book for a number of years but had postponed reading it because I was under the impression that it was of only academic interest, comparing the finer details of various schools or teachers. In fact, although there is a little of this (e.g. in comparing Gaudapada's teaching to aspects of Buddhism), its strength for me is in its detailed examination of some particular aspects of traditional advaita. Topics specifically addressed are Ishvara, jIva, upAdhi, nAma rUpa, avidyA, adhyAsa, lakShaNa, immediate versus mediate knowledge and experience, jIvanmukti, saMnyAsa, anvaya vyatireka - and their treatment is extremely clear and informative.

The chapters on Sureshvara and PadmapAda were also very enlightening for me personally, since I had not previously investigated them. In the case of the former, he provides an analysis of the naiShkarmya siddhi which is so interesting that I was prompted to order the translation by A. J. Alston (`Realization of the Absolute') immediately. In the case of the PadmapAda, he presents a valuable analysis of his commentary on Shankara's adhyAsa bhAShya.

All in all, this is an excellent book, which is highly recommended for anyone who, though already familiar with the topics in a general way, wants to understand them in greater depth. It does seem that, as soon as you look in greater detail into something that you thought you understood, you discover that there is much more to it than you had thought and perhaps you didn't understand it properly after all. Michael Comans' book takes you deep into the undergrowth but guides you carefully out the other side.
Dennis Waite, author of Back to the Truth: 5000 years of Advaita

Quality and Depth
The author shows that he grasps the subtleties and nuances of not only Advaita Vedanta and it's commentaries, but also of Madhyamaka and Yogacara buddhism. He unpacks the meanings of these profound teachings in a precise, coherent and unpretensious manner without losing or overplaying his obvious scholarly expertise. Highly recomended for those intersted in understanding the knowledge revealed by Advaita Vedanta of the "first waters," as opposed to the subjecive experiential prattlings of neo-advaita in the current satsang culture. ... Read more

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Swami Satchidanandendra's major treatise, The Method of the Vedanta, represents the first large-scale critical history of Advaita Vedanta ever attempted. It seeks to establish a clear view of the traditional Advaita Vedanta based on the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita as systematised by Shankara and his close associates, unencumbered by the mass of conflicting theories developed by later writers of the school. ... Read more

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The only true method of Vedanta; an incredible work of scholarship
In this historiographic and analytical history of Advaita Vedanta, Swami Satchidanandendra will settle for nothing less than the "true method to the study of Advaita Vedanta". That is, the method which unifies and harmonizes the three starting points of Vedanta: the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras. After summarizing the essential elements of the three starting points, Swami Satchidanandendra admits that the average person, including himself, stands little chance of discovering this method simply from reading the Upanishads, Gita, and Sutras.

But Sankara is no ordinary person, and it is through Sankara that the true method shall be discovered. And in chapter three, we find the essence of Sankara's approach:

`For there is a saying of those that know the true tradition, "That which cannot be expressed is expressed through false attribution and subsequent recantation."' - Sankara on the Bhagavad Gita, 13.13.

And this, the only true method of Vedanta, will govern the rest of the book.

"The Method of the Vedanta: A Critical Account of the Advaita Tradition" is a groundbreaking achievement by Swami Satchidanandendra, and an incredible work of scholarship by the translator, Sanskrit and Vedanta scholar, Dr. A. J. Alston.

Best book on Advaita history.
Highly recommended for students of Advaita Vedanta.Explores the progression of Advaitic thought both before and after the time of Sankara. Presents a totally unique perspective. ... Read more

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comparartive study on influence of Schopenhauer, a great admirer of the Upanishads. Study of basic texts,Sankara, notions of mystical. ... Read more

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"A systematic, critical and comparative study of the nature of human awareness according to the most influental school of classical Indian thought." ... Read more

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Now from the founder of Quantum Psychology, a direct disciple of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and the author of fourteen books, comes the last word in Self-realization." The Nirvana Sutras and Advaita-Vedanta: Beneath the Illusion of Being." Following on Nisargadatta Maharaj's' basic premise, "All you can teach is understanding, the rest comes on its own", Dr. Wolinsky through a series of sutras and commentaries, demonstrates using eight contexts ranging from Buddhism to science, from Advaita-Vedanta, neuro-science and linguistics, and tantric yoga, to provide a long neglected understanding which lies at the core of all of these teachings, that all spirituality and psychology are dependent on the existence of a separate independent individual subject-I, and if this subject-I is an illusion, a product of the nervous system, a miss-perception, then a not only does the "I" disappear, but so does the foundation and basic premise of all spirituality, spiritual paths and psychology. This book as a follow-up to Walden III, can stand on its own. Not recommended for the weak of heart, or those who are more interested in a spiritual lifestyle than the realization of Nirvana. ... Read more

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NIRVANA means EXTINCTION
.....This statement alone is worth the price of the book. Dr. Stephen Wolinsky demonstrates step by step, the how and why of NIRVANA meaning EXTINCTION.
Wolinsky uses startling quotes from the Buddha, " you might not necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment" and from Nagarjuna, "there never was a Buddha who taught anything" to show the underlying nothing which is not nothing as a thing, but rather a word to describe what is not. ... BRILLIANT!

'This Is Not a Review'
This is a book and author that seem to go to the extreme of negation (neti-neti). There are a number of statements called 'nirvana sutras' in this book that attempt to drill into the head of the reader that the mind-body-ego mechanism that they believe themselves to be is but an illusion, as well as everything else in phenomenal existence. Please note that these 'nirvana sutras' are not any kind of text from the deep past, but the author's own creation. Here are some statements from the book, that might give you an idea of the content: 'No being ever entered Nirvana', 'You will not necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment', 'Nothing exists,' 'The Buddha never taught any Dharma.' Also, the author says that because spirituality and psychology are based on the 'I' that they're false.

The author seems to negate everything, not leaving anything at all, but does have a short section on what might be left after all of these negations, call 'post-deconstruction'; not very much is offered though as to what might be left, and although it can't be expressed in words, some words of inspiration for us dreamers might be nice. The author draws from teachers like Nagarjuna and stresses dependent arising (the philosophy that says that because everything depends on everything else, that everything is empty).

There is a section at the end listing all of the so-called 'illusions,' some of which are: 'the illusion of being,' 'the illusion of not being,' 'the illusion of consciousness,' 'the illusion of unconsciousness,' and so on in this manner. These statements seem confusing at first, but according to Advaita, there is 'not two,' so for there to be consciousness, there must also be unconsciousness, and the Absolute Reality, whatever that might be, even transcends the distinctions of consciousness and unconsciousness!

To conclude, this isn't the first book on Advaita that you would want to read. If you do, there might be misunderstanding. Check out 'Self-Knowledge (Atmabodha)' by Nikhilananda for a good introduction to traditional Advaita-Vedanta. This isn't really a book that I recommend because of it can easily be taken as nihilistic and is a little too negative for my taste; also many of the `sutras' don't seem to have enough explanation and there is no table of contents. For older texts on Advaita, I recommend the works of Shankara and the Upanishads, Vasistha's yoga etc., and for modern reading books like 'I Am That' by Nisargadatta Maharaj and the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and Wei Wu Wei for the intellectually inclined.

P.S. Check out the Astavakra Gita-A beautiful text!
... Read more

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Advaita Vedanta. Bhagavad Gita, Guru-shishya tradition, Works of Adi Shankara, Upanishads, Pramana, Maya (illusion), Ashtavakra Gita, Avadhuta, List of teachers of Advaita Vedanta ... Read more

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Read the 'product' dedscription as often as you like...
Advaita Vedanta. Bhagavad Gita, Guru-shishya tradition, Works of Adi Shankara, Upanishads, Pramana, Maya (illusion), Ashtavakra Gita, Avadhuta, List of teachers of Advaita Vedanta Advaita Vedanta. Bhagavad Gita, Guru-shishya tradition, Works of Adi Shankara, Upanishads, Pramana, Maya (illusion), Ashtavakra Gita, Avadhuta, List of teachers of Advaita Vedanta... twice is enough...

AND ALL THE CONTENT OF THIS EXPENSIVE 'BOOK' STILL CAME FROM WIKIPEDIA.THE PD IS A LIST OF THE ENTRIES. ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Aurobindo Ghose, Véda, Advaïta Védanta, Rig-Véda, Mata Amritanandamayi, Adi Shankara, Râmakrishna, Edouard Salim Michael, Yoga-Sûtra, Ramana Maharshi, Patanjali, Vivekananda, Ramanuja, Turiya, Sama-Véda, Mâ Ananda Moyî, Atharva-Véda, Mirra Alfassa, Gaudapâda, Aitareya Upanishad, Musique Hindoue, Taittiriya Upanishad, Smriti, Brahma Sutras, Guna, Shakti, Viveka Chudamani, Vyāsa, Jnana Yoga, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swâmi Siddheswarânanda, Isha Upanishad, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Gheranda Samhita, Kirtan, Dvaita, Brāhmana, Bhajan, Marga, Chandogya Upanishad, Katha Upanishad, Mundaka Upanishad, Shiva Samhita, Āranyakas, Shvetashvatara Upanishad, Kena Upanishad, Anandagiri, Kaushitaki Upanishad, Govinda Bhagavatpada. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (en gujarâtî : ; romanisé : , API : ), né à Porbandar, Goujarat le 2 octobre 1869, mort à Delhi le 30 janvier 1948, est un dirigeant politique, important guide spirituel de l'Inde et du mouvement pour l'indépendance de ce pays. Il est communément connu et appelé en Inde et dans le monde comme Mahatma Gandhi (du sanskrit, Mahatma : grande âme) - « Mahâtma » étant un titre qu'il refusa toute sa vie d'associer à sa personne -, voire simplement Gandhi, Gandhiji, ou Bapu (Père dans plusieurs des langues de l'Inde). Il a été un pionnier et un théoricien du satyagraha, de la résistance à l'oppression à l'aide de la désobéissance civile de masse, le tout fondé sur l'ahimsa (totale non-violence), qui a contribué à conduire l'Inde à l'indépendance. Gandhi a inspiré de nombreux mouvements de libérations et de droits civiques autour du monde et de nombreuses autres personnalités comme Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luthe...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more