Spirituality = Adhyatma?
One could justifiably see spirituality (the Jewish, Christian and Islamic) as ‘Adhyatma’ if one focusses on the psychological transformations that a human being undergoes in the process of moving from…
Read moreDescriptions about the world vs. Manuals for action
It is broadly accepted that one of the most important functions of language is to describe the world outside it. Could it be the case that when it comes to…
Read moreThe Swami, the Priest, and the Rediscovery of the Indian Traditions
[Published on India-forum.com on 03/27/2007] I will take up some of the general points, which I think are relevant to the Indian American community at large. First, let me say…
Read moreAtman, Witness, and Experience
Some Swamiji claims: “One cannot experience the Atman is the witness, it is what experiences.” Obviously, this is a very rough and approximate formulation. This statement is both wrong and right…
Read more‘Grotesque’ nature of Murtis
Consider the fact that the Indian ‘gods’ are portrayed in at least two ways. First, there is their portrayal with four arms (say) and there is their portrayal in completely…
Read moreEnlightenment by Grace or Efforts or Birth?
9.32 Bhagavadgita māṃ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye ‘pi syuḥ pāpayonayaḥ striyo vaiśyāstathā śūdrās te’ pi yānti parāṃ gatim The situation is a bit more complex. The word ‘yoni’ here does…
Read moreProselytizing drive of the Eastern Christianity in India
1. Actually, there are two questions that need to be distinguished from each other. There is, firstly, the question about the nature of ‘Eastern’ Christianity. If it is muted in…
Read moreHumility is a despicable vice
1. Christianity (to some extent Judaism), presented an idea, unknown to the world in which it grew, namely the Pagan world of Rome. The idea was that human beings are…
Read moreAlleged conflict between ‘Buddhism’ and ‘Brahmanism’
If the ‘I’ cannot be individuated or described, then there is no possible distinction between the ‘I’ and ‘the Brahman’. They are different names for ‘self-awareness’ which pick out the…
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