Vedanta's Message for Our Time: Man's Need for the Eternal
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Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo Ghosh
UNIT 6 HINDUISM : SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND SRI AUROBINDO GHOSH Structure 6.2 Renaissance of Hi~~duis~iiand the Role of Sri Raniakrishna Mission 0.3 Swami ViveItananda's Philosopliy of Neo-Vedanta 6.4 Swami Vivckanalida on Nationalism 6.4.1 S\varni Vivcknnnnda on Dcrnocracy 6.4.2 Swami Vivckanar~daon Social Changc 6.5 Transition of Hinduism: Frolii Vivekananda to Sri Aurobindo 6.5. Sri Aurobindo on Renaissance of Hinduism 6.2 Sri Aurol>i~ldoon Evil EffLrcls of British Rulc 6.6 S1.i Aurobindo's Critique of Political Moderates in India 6.6.1 Sri Aurobilido on the Essencc of Politics 6.6.2 SI-iAurobindo oil Nationalism 0.6.3 Sri Aurobindo on Passivc Resistance 6.6.4 Thcory of Passive Resistance 6.6.5 Mcthods of Passive Rcsistancc 6.7 Sri Aurobindo 011 the Indian Theory of State 6.7.1 .J'olitical ldcas of Sri Aurobindo - A Critical Study 6.8 Summary 1 h 'i 6.9 Exercises j i 6.1 INTRODUCTION In 19"' celitury, India camc under the British rule. Due to the spread of moder~ieducation and growing public activities, there developed social awakening in India. The religion of Hindus wns very harshly criticized by the Christian n?issionaries and the British historians but at ~hcsanie timc, researches carried out by the Orientalist scholars revealcd to the world, lhc glorioi~s'tiaadition of the Hindu religion. The Hindus responded to this by initiating reforms in thcir religion and by esfablishing new pub'lie associations to spread their ideas of refor111 and social development anlong the people. -
Spontaneous Awakening Experiences: Beyond Religion and Spiritual Practice
SPONTANEOUS AWAKENING EXPERIENCES: BEYOND RELIGION AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Steve Taylor, M. Sc., PGCE Leeds, United Kingdom ABSTRACT: ‘Awakening experiences’ have been misunderstood to some degree by their long association with religious and spiritual traditions and practices. The research reported here – 161 reports of awakening experiences – suggests that most of them occurred outside the context of spiritual or religious traditions. Neither were they induced by spiritual practices such as meditation or prayer. Most occurred ‘spontaneously.’ As a result, they are termed here ‘spontaneous awakening experiences.’ Many activities and situations can be seen as having a certain degree of ‘awakening potential,’ capable of inducing – or at least being the context for – awakening experiences. Many are psychological in origin, although they may be interpreted in religious terms. Perhaps the term ‘spiritual experience’ should be applied only to awakening experiences related to – or triggered by – spiritual practices. I suggest a more neutral term (‘awakening experiences’) to describe them. A psychological/energetic view of awakening experiences is presented which provides a framework for understanding spontaneous awakening experiences. The word ‘spiritual’ is difficult to use with any precision, because it has so many diverse meanings to different people. In everyday speech, when someone says ‘She’s such a spiritual person,’ it could be interpreted in a variety of ways: that the person believes in ghosts and goes to se´ances; that she follows the teachings of a religion and goes to church or the mosque every week; that she has healing crystals in the bathroom, goes to see a Reiki healer and reads books about channelling and angels; or that she is calm and humble, generous and compassionate, rather than materialistic or status-seeking. -
The Neo-Vedanta Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda
VEDA’S JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL) Vol.6 Issue 4 An International Peer Reviewed (Refereed) Journal 2019 Impact Factor (SJIF) 4.092 http://www.joell.in RESEARCH ARTICLE THE NEO-VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA Tania Baloria (Ph.D Research Scholar, Jaipur National University, Jagatpura, Jaipur.) doi: https://doi.org/10.33329/joell.64.19.108 ABSTRACT This paper aims to evaluate the interpretation of Swami Vivekananda‘s Neo-Vedanta philosophy.Vedanta is the philosophy of Vedas, those Indian scriptures which are the most ancient religious writings now known to the world. It is the philosophy of the self. And the self is unchangeable. It cannot be called old self and new self because it is changeless and ultimate. So the theory is also changeless. Neo- Vedanta is just like the traditional Vedanta interpreted with the perspective of modern man and applied in practical-life. By the Neo-Vedanta of Swami Vivekananda is meant the New-Vedanta as distinguished from the old traditional Vedanta developed by Sankaracharya (c.788 820AD). Neo-Vedantism is a re- establishment and reinterpretation Of the Advaita Vedanta of Sankara with modern arguments, in modern language, suited to modern man, adjusting it with all the modern challenges. In the later nineteenth century and early twentieth century many masters used Vedanta philosophy for human welfare. Some of them were Rajarammohan Roy, Swami DayanandaSaraswati, Sri CattampiSwamikal, Sri Narayana Guru, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, and Ramana Maharsi. Keywords: Female subjugation, Religious belief, Liberation, Chastity, Self-sacrifice. Author(s) retain the copyright of this article Copyright © 2019 VEDA Publications Author(s) agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License . -
Spiritual and Religious Issues in Psychotherapy with Schizophrenia: Cultural Implications and Implementation
Religions 2012, 3, 82–98; doi:10.3390/rel3010082 OPEN ACCESS religions ISSN 2077-1444 www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Review Spiritual and Religious Issues in Psychotherapy with Schizophrenia: Cultural Implications and Implementation Lauren Mizock *, Uma Chandrika Millner and Zlatka Russinova Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 940 Commonwealth Avenue West, Boston, MA 02215, USA; E-Mails: [email protected] (U.C.M.); [email protected] (Z.R.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-617-353-3549; Fax: +1-617-353-7700. Received: 18 February 2012; in revised form: 6 March 2012 / Accepted: 6 March 2012 / Published: 12 March 2012 Abstract: The topics of spirituality and psychotherapy have often been controversial in the literature on schizophrenia treatment. However, current research indicates many potential benefits of integrating issues of religion and spirituality into psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia. In this paper, implications are presented for incorporating spiritual and religious issues in psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia. A background on the integration of spirituality into the practice of psychotherapy is discussed. The literature on spiritually-oriented psychotherapy for schizophrenia is provided. Clinical implications are offered with specific attention to issues of religious delusions and cultural considerations. Lastly, steps for implementing spiritually-oriented psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia are delineated to assist providers in carrying out spiritually sensitive care. Keywords: religion; spirituality; schizophrenia; psychotherapy; culture; rehabilitation; recovery; religious delusions 1. Introduction The topics of spirituality and psychotherapy have often been controversial in the literature on schizophrenia treatment [1,2]. Some practitioners have argued that religion had no space in the Religions 2012, 3 83 psychotherapy setting given a need to be grounded in science. -
Leaving the Spiritual Teacher Behind to Directly Embrace Nondual Being
FINDING THE LION’S ROAR THROUGH NONDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY: Leaving the spiritual teacher behind to directly embrace nondual being. Written by Gary Nixon – Paradoxica: Journal of Nondual Psychology, Vol. 4: Spring 2012 Summary This article is a summary of a nondual psychotherapy session with a long time spiritual seeker of 40 years who had worked hard on a meditative path with a guru, but had not experienced an awakening. In the session, he is introduced to some nondual pointers to help him realize that it is all available right here, right now, he has to only see it. Over reliance on another, letting go of effort, embracing no knowing, realizing nothing can be done, coming to the end of seeking and stopping, sitting in one’s own awareness, abiding in consciousness, and taking the ultimate medicine are all reviewed to invite the long term seeker to see “this is it.” Gary Nixon, Ph.D. is a nondual transpersonal psychologist and an Associate Professor in Addictions Counselling at the University of Lethbridge. He was drawn to eastern contemplative traditions after an existential world collapse in the early 1980’s. After a tour through many eastern teachers such as Osho, Krishnamurti, Nisargadatta, and Papaji, he completed his Master’s and doctorate in Counselling Psychology and embraced the work of Ken Wilber and A.H. Almaas. He has had a nondual psychology private practice and been facilitating nondual groups over the last ten years. 2 Deconstructing Reliance on the Awakened Other I received the call from Tim (a pseudonym). He reported 40 years of intense Buddhist meditation in a Buddhist community with an enlightened teacher, all of the years trying to become enlightened, but still no awakening. -
Why I Became a Hindu
Why I became a Hindu Parama Karuna Devi published by Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Copyright © 2018 Parama Karuna Devi All rights reserved Title ID: 8916295 ISBN-13: 978-1724611147 ISBN-10: 1724611143 published by: Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Website: www.jagannathavallabha.com Anyone wishing to submit questions, observations, objections or further information, useful in improving the contents of this book, is welcome to contact the author: E-mail: [email protected] phone: +91 (India) 94373 00906 Please note: direct contact data such as email and phone numbers may change due to events of force majeure, so please keep an eye on the updated information on the website. Table of contents Preface 7 My work 9 My experience 12 Why Hinduism is better 18 Fundamental teachings of Hinduism 21 A definition of Hinduism 29 The problem of castes 31 The importance of Bhakti 34 The need for a Guru 39 Can someone become a Hindu? 43 Historical examples 45 Hinduism in the world 52 Conversions in modern times 56 Individuals who embraced Hindu beliefs 61 Hindu revival 68 Dayananda Saraswati and Arya Samaj 73 Shraddhananda Swami 75 Sarla Bedi 75 Pandurang Shastri Athavale 75 Chattampi Swamikal 76 Narayana Guru 77 Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru 78 Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha 79 Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 79 Sarada Devi 80 Golap Ma 81 Rama Tirtha Swami 81 Niranjanananda Swami 81 Vireshwarananda Swami 82 Rudrananda Swami 82 Swahananda Swami 82 Narayanananda Swami 83 Vivekananda Swami and Ramakrishna Math 83 Sister Nivedita -
The Mysticism of Everyday Life
61 The mysticism of everyday life J. Matthew Ashley NE MIGHTWONDER WHY SPECIALconsideration should be given to the O theme of 'mysticism of everyday life'. Christianity declares to the marrow of its trinitarian bones a God intimately present to cosmos and history, a God with us and for us. This being so, how could that union not take place 'in the everyday'? Yet this question was the subject of a lively debate in Roman Catholic theology in the first half of the twentieth century, in which some insisted that the highest levels of mystical prayer ('infused contemplation') were reserved only for a few, according to the divine dispensation. Others, like Karl Rahner, argued that even Christians whose vocation was to live in the everyday word of family, work, politics and social interaction can and should expect to attain the highest stage of the mystical itinerary, properly understood. 1 This debate attests to significant shifts in the understanding and evaluation both of 'mysticism' and of 'the everyday', in contrast to the first millennium or so of the history of Christian mysticism, which makes it possible now to speak of a 'mysticism of everyday life'. Mapping these shifts will not only help us to understand why the mysticism of everyday life had to be justified, but will provide some parameters for evaluating and criticizing some of its more problematic aspects. For while it is clearly an advance that the riches of the Christian mystical tradition are now available to, and practised by, a much wider spectrum of believers, it is also true that the mysticism of everyday life seems particularly vulnerable to the privatization, commodification, and, all too often, trivialization of spirituality that is frequently found in popular literature on the subject. -
Topic for Dissertation MA Philosophy Semester
Topic for Dissertation M.A. Philosophy Semester - IV(CBCS) 2017-18 1. The epistemological issues embedded in the skeptical challenge to knowledge as found in Indian tradition. Select Bibliography: Original Sources: Vigrahavyavartani of Nagarjuna Tattopaplvasinha of Jayarashi Bhatta Khandanakhandakhadya of Shriharsha Other sources: ―Lokayata/ Carvaka: A Philosophical Study‖ by Dr. Gokhale Pradip, OUP, 2015 ‗Philosophy, Culture and Religion: Essays by B.K. Matilal‘, Jonardon Ganeri (Ed.) Oxford University Press, Delhi, 2002. 2. The debate between the Realists and the Constructivists in the Context of Indian Epistemology Select Bibliography: Gillon Brebdan S. (Ed.), ‗Logic in Earliest Classical India‘, Motilal Banarasidas, New Delhi, 2010. Bhattacharya H.M. `Jaina Logic and Epistemology‘, K.P. Bagchi &Co., Calcutta, 1994. Popper Karl, `Conjectures and Refutations‘, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1963 Shastri D.N. ―Critique of Indian Realism‖, Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, 1972. Ayer A.J. `Problem of Knowledge‘, MacMillan, London, 1965. 3. Anekantavada as a paradigm for solving the philosophical issues: A Critical Study Select Bibliography: ‗Aptamimamsa: A Critique of an Authority‘, Editor, Dr. Nagin Shah Pub. Sanskrit- Sanskriti Granthamala, Ahmadabad, 1999. ‗The Central Philosophy of Jainism (Anekantavada)‘, Matilal B.K pub. L.D. Institute of Indology, Ahmadabad, 1981. Tattvartha Sutra,Commen. By Pt. Sukhlalji, Tr.Dixit, K.K. Pub. L.D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad, 2000. Harmaless Souls, Johnson, W.J., Motilal Banarasidas Pub. Delhi, 1995. Jaina Path of Purification, Jaini Padmanabh, Motilal Banarasidas, Delhi, 1979 1 Jainism: An Indian Religion of Salvation, Glasenapp, Helmuth Von, Eng. Trans. Shridhar Shrotri, Motilal Banarasidas Pub. Delhi,1999 Lectures on Jainism, Dr. Tatia, Nathmal , Pub. By Department of Jainology, University of Madras, 1998 4. -
After Awakening, the Laundry: Is Nonduality a Spiritual Experience? Jenny Wade California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, California, USA
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Volume 37 Article 8 Issue 2 Vol. 37, Iss. 2 (2018) 9-1-2018 After Awakening, the Laundry: Is Nonduality a Spiritual Experience? Jenny Wade California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, California, USA Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies Part of the Philosophy Commons, Religion Commons, and the Transpersonal Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Wade, J. (2018). After awakening, the laundry: Is nonduality a spiritual experience?. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 37 (2). http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2018.37.2.88 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Special Topic Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals and Newsletters at Digital Commons @ CIIS. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Transpersonal Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CIIS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. After Awakening, the Laundry: Is Nonduality a Spiritual Experience? Jenny Wade California Institute of Integral Studies San Francisco, CA, USA Historically the exclusive purview of contemplative religious paths, awakening into nonduality was considered the pinnacle of human attainment, even if, in some traditions, it proved to be the threshold to even more sublime states. Awakening was traditionally available only to dedicated elite seekers, usually renunciates who practiced for years in monastic communities, their progress directed by the authorities of their lineage. Today technologies for creating the electroencephalographic signatures of advanced meditators are available for purchase, and esoteric religious practices like Zen meditation and asana yoga have been secularized as stress-reduction techniques and physical exercise, respectively. -
K.P. Aleaz, "The Gospel in the Advaitic Culture of India: the Case of Neo
The Gospel in the Advaitic Culture of India : The Case ofNeo-Vedantic Christologies K.P.ALEAZ * Advaita Vedanta is a religiqus experience which has taken birth in the soil of our motherland. One important feature of this culmination of Vedic thought (Vedanta) is that it cannot be tied down to the narrow boundaries of any one particular religion. Advaita Vedanta stands for unity and universality in the midst of diversities.1 As a result it can very well function as a symbol of Indian composite culture. Advaita has "an enduring influence on the clutural life of India enabling people to hold together diversities in languages, races, ethnic groups, religions, and more recently different political ideologies as well. " 2 It was its cultural unity based on religion that held India together historically as one. The survival of the political unity of India is based on its cultural · unity within which there persists a 'core' of religion to which the senseofAdvaitaor'not-twoism'makesanenduringcontribution.3 Advaita represents a grand vision of unity that encompasses nature, humanity and God.4 Sociological and social anthropological studies have shown that in Indian religious tradition the sacred is not external to the secular; it is the inherent potency ofthe secualr. There is a secular-sacred continuum. There is a continuum between the gods and the humans, a continuum of advaita, and this is to be found even among the primitive substratum of Indian population. 5 So the point is, such a unitive vision of Advaita is very relevant for an Indian understanding of the gospel manifested in Jesus. -
Spiritual Activism & Liberation Spirituality
Spiritual Activism & Liberation Spirituality PATHWAYS TO COLLECTIVE LIBERATION Claudia Horwitz & Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey There is a new culture of activism taking form in the worlda new paradigm for how we work, how we define success, how we integrate the fullness of who we are and what we know into the struggle for justice. Activists are being asked to examine our current historical moment with real intimacy, with fresh eyes, fire, and compassion. Many of the once-groundbreaking methods we know and use have now begun to rot. Many of our tactics are now more than simply ineffectivethey are dangerous. For agents of change, and all those who we work with, the detriment is twofold. We are killing ourselves and we are not winning. A life of constant conflict and isolation from the mainstream can be exhausting and demoralizing. Many of our work habits are unhealthy and unsustainable over the long haul. The structures of power have become largely resistant to our tactics. Given the intensity of our current historical circumstance it would be easy for us to rely on what we know, to fall back upon our conditioning and our historical tendencies, in our efforts to create change under pressure. Many lessons of the past carry wisdom; others are products and proponents of dysfunctional systems and ways of being in the world. A new paradigm requires a complex relationship with history; we must remember and learn from the past, but we cannot romanticize it. Neither do we presume that the answer lies only in the new, the innovative, and the experimental. -
The Spiritual Practice of Pilgrimage: Resources List
THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE OF PILGRIMAGE: RESOURCES LIST Many believe a pilgrimage is about going away but it isn’t; it is about coming home. Those who choose to go on pilgrimage have already ventured away from themselves; and now set out in a longing to journey back to who they are. -L.M. Browning BOOKS (general): Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction by Ian Reader. Every year, millions of pilgrims journey to both religious and secular pilgrimage centers. This Oxford University Press book introduces pilgrimage in a global and historical context. Through a wide range of examples, the author explores how people take part in and experience their pilgrimages, and what they take back from their journeys. Pilgrimage- The Sacred Art: Journey to the Center of the Heart by Dr. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook. Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice in nearly every major religion of the world and also for those who practice no religion at all. This book explores the sacred art of pilgrimage and integrates spirituality, practice, spiritual formation, psychology, world religions and historical resources. It examines the relationship between pilgrimage and transformation. The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred by Phil Cousineau. This book is a global sacred travel guide, full of inspiration for the spiritual traveler. It includes stories, myths, parables and quotes, as well as practical suggestions. The Pilgrim Journey: A History of Pilgrimage in the Western World by James Harpur. This book tells the story of sacred travel in the West over the course of the past 2000 years. In addition to describing pilgrim routes and sacred destinations, it explores the traditional stages of pilgrimage, the challenges of travel and spiritual motivations and rewards.