What is ethical about pursuit of happiness (Ananda)
Here is what I say in my article on ‘how to speak for the Indian traditions’: “Our middle-aged man is, thus, raising the question of Aristotle.”I have pursued many things…
Read moreAchievements of Indology: Esoteric Indian traditions
A science of cultures is not Atmagyaana or Brahmagyaana. Let me also add that I find a quest for happiness a normal human striving. According to the Indian traditions, experience…
Read moreExtended reproduction of religion and revitalization of Indian traditions
1. Why did Christianity become a ‘universal’ religion? How did Christians replace the ‘chosen’ people? What was the logic behind the transformation of the Jewish god into God of the…
Read moreThe absence of supernatural entities in Indian traditions
1. The absence of supernatural entities in the Indian traditions may seem counterintuitive to many. We can let someone else do the talking for us, namely Dale B. Martin in…
Read moreIs maaya an illusion? Is maaya real? Does maaya exist?
According to your account, Vedanta claims that the world is an illusion and that only the Brahman is real. If the world is an illusion, Vedanta has to deny the…
Read moreYoga, shudras, and women
X says: Yoga practice of self attainment without the help of external deity worship so common in those days of Patanjali as today was restricted to very few as it required…
Read moreIs enlightenment learnable?
Is enlightenment learnable? (In a less loaded formulation: Can all people be happy?) My answer is an unequivocal ‘yes’. Before we go further, we need to be clear what exactly…
Read moreAvidya, Ajnana, Maaya, Ignorance: a learning process
When we speak about ignorance, we can do so in two ways. One is by talking about ‘how the world is’; the other is by talking about ‘how we think…
Read moreCultural difference: temporality
Experiences are structured differently in different cultures. We believe that it is possible to give a true description of this difference, at some level or the other, as a difference regarding the experience…
Read moreLegislations against proselytization: a weakness of Indian culture –S.N. Balagangadhara
Question: One thing that Balu says is that propping up legislations against tricky proselytizations reflects the weaknesses of Indian culture needs to be explained though. How is it a weakness?…
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