Advaita Vedanta - whats your thoughts

Aurobindo was a great yogi and intellectual of the highest order, but he was not enlightened.

Hence Ramana Maharshi, J.Krishnamurty, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ramakrishna are indeed superior to him in spirituality.

 

It is not illusionist. It is not that the body is not born or does not die, of course it does. Only a fool would say that is not so. What vedanta teaches is that I am not the body. Who dies? Not me! My body dies. The idea that I am the body and am therefore subject to birth and death is the illusion.

 

Please don't put words in my mouth. If you do, at least take care that you don't missrepresent my views.
And tell me, what possible view is there other than either oneness of everything or separateness of everything?
The only thing that comes to my mind is complete absence or non-existence of everything. Not only is this illogical (because it would amount to saying nonexistence exists) but it is completely nihilistic and as such something you would no doubt reject without a second glance.

What else is possible? One thing, many things or no things. The entire real number system is encompassed therein. I see no other logical alternative.

 

Forgive my error in html formatting that led to a failur to highlight bold and italicize the key words in your summary of aurobindo:
I have to admit that my view of advaita is coloured by my studies of Sri Aurobindo, who definitely says in many places that advaita as commonly understood and practised is anti-life.

He never said the philosophy is wrong. Only that the way it is interpreted by many is wrong.
As for Niranjan's assertion that Sri Aurobindo was not enlightened, I can only humbly prostrate at the lotus feet of the great soul who can judge whether someone is enlightened or not. I, and the scriptures, dare not make such a judgement. But of course for someone like Nirannjan who has risen to the level above from which he can look down and judge all beings, such a matter is child's play.

 

I'd say you are incorrect there. Aurobindo was probably the most enlightened being to appear in India for millenia.

Have you read his major works like 'Life Divine'? If not I don't see how you could judge.

Either way, Sri A's followers certainly consider that both he and Sweet Mother were not only enlightened, but were actually avatars. Even Ghandi reffered to him as Rishi Aurobindo.

Many so called illuminati are simply incapable of understanding Sri Aurobindo's system.

 

I'll put up some quotes from Sri A on advaita when I have the time to look them up.

 

Your words Bhaskar. To me that is a good summary of the illusionist point of view. I'm not putting words into anyone's mouth.

 

Unlike Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, Sree Narayana Guru, Eckhart Tolle, J.Krishnamurthy, Ramakrishna and other enlightened masters who have declared their enlightenment , Aurobindo has not declared his enlightenment. Osho too clearly states that he is not enlightened.

He was indeed a great yogi, and intellectual of a very high order, but he was not enlightened.

 

That's your opinion and the opinion of others. No more than that.

My opinion is that Rashneesh was a phoney. The facts are that he encouraged his followers to engage in uncontrolled sexual promiscuity(fortunately, this was all at a time prior to the emergence of HIV) and drugs. He charged my pal over $300 for a 5 minute 'interview' during which time he was off his head on nitrous oxide.
Even the all night parties at the Poona ashram were probably a bit dull, as that was back in the dark days prior to electronic dance music.
Bhagavan gave his western followers exactly what they wanted - mainly sex and drugs. They were mainly middle class American and European kids who were well taken in.

Not that I'm against sex and drugs, but I am against idiots who pose themselves as spiritual teachers. Nice fleet of Rolls Royces he had too.
Now he's been re-branded as 'osho' no doubt the dollars continue to roll in.

I can assure you that if you were to actually read Sri A's works you'd soon discover that he did indeed 'declare his enlightenment' as you put it.

Not only that, but he obviously thought his 'enlightenment' was on a higher level than previous gurus, yogis etc, with the exception of the original Rishis.

 

Well, I think the opinions of buddha and krishnamurthy and ramana maharshi indeed hold weight.

If you read his works, you will find that he did indeed encourage his followers to have sex, but with awareness, not unconsciously, and there is a difference between the two. Osho with his techniques tried to make sex beautiful, full of love, and a meditation in itself, like tantric sex.

And as for the drug part, he did indeed say that western youth is interested in drugs in order to find higher levels of consciousness. He encouraged them to try meditation instead of drugs, as he said the effects of drugs is temporary and also damages the health.

And as for the Aids part, he did emphasize extensive medical procedures to determine whether anyone in his commune had aids and other transmitted diseases or not.

And whats wrong with making money. I would charge you money for my autograph.

Osho on his rolls royces.......


Why do you like your Rolls Royces so much?



I have tried all kinds of cars; and even Rolls Royce has many types and I have tried them too. Their best is the Corniche, but it doesn't suit me. It is a question of my back. I need a certain kind of chair—I use only this chair. It has been made by my sannyasins exactly to give support to my back, because doctors have said that they cannot do anything more.
Experts from England were called to India. They tried hard, and they said, "It is impossible. You will have to live with it." It was just a coincidence that one of the models of Rolls Royce, Silver Spur, suited me. The driver's seat in that car fits perfectly, gives me no trouble. Naturally, my people love….
They don't belong to me, those cars—nothing belongs to me. I am the poorest man in the whole world, living the richest life possible. My people love me; they want to do something for me. All those cars belong to the commune. They have made them available to me for one hour each day. I don't know which car they are bringing, but one thing is certain, that I can be comfortable only in a Silver Spur. And they love me so much that they are trying to have three hundred and sixty-five Rolls Royces, one for every day. And I say, "Why not? A great idea!"…
They have arranged ninety Rolls Royces, and I know they will be able to manage three hundred and sixty-five.

People are very much interested in your Rolls Royces. What do You want to prove with this, so many cars and so much luxury around You?


Why are people concerned? Then certainly they need it; then more Rolls Royces will be here. Until they stop asking me, more and more Rolls Royces are going to be here. Now it has to be seen that it is a challenge: the day nobody asks me about Rolls Royces, they will not be coming.
People's interest in Rolls Royces shows their mind. They are not interested what is happening here. They don't ask about meditation, they don't ask about sannyas, they don't ask about people's life, love, the laughter that happens in this desert. They only ask about Rolls Royces. That means I have touched some painful nerve. And I will go on pressing it till they stop asking.
I am not a worshipper of poverty. That's what those Rolls Royces prove. I respect wealth. Nobody before me had the guts to say it. The pope cannot say that he respects wealth, although he is the wealthiest man on the earth.

I am not a hypocrite. I am the poorest man on the earth. I don't have a single cent with me. But I want to show these people what attracts their mind. If there were no Rolls Royces here, perhaps there would be nothing for the whole world ask about me, about you, about meditation, about initiation into sannyas, about love, about anything. It is for those idiots that I am keeping all those Rolls Royces, because they cannot move their eyes away from those Rolls Royces. And meanwhile I will go on pouring other things in their minds. Without those Rolls Royces they would not have asked a single question.
Those Rolls Royces are doing their work. Every idiot around the world is interested in them. And I want them to be somehow interested—in anything in Rajneeshpuram. Then we will manage about other things.
So tell those people—when anybody asks, tell them that "These Rolls Royces are for you idiots. Otherwise you are not interested in anything." Once they stop asking about Rolls Royces, then I will have to think of something else, whether to have rockets which are going to the moon…. I will have to think of something else.

I received a letter from a bishop of Wasco County, who had been for almost five years condemning my Rolls Royces. In every Sunday sermon he was not preaching Jesus Christ, he was preaching me and my Rolls Royces. The day I was leaving he wrote a letter to me, "Now you are leaving, it will be great kindness on your part if you can donate one Rolls Royce to this church." Now, this shows the man….
I informed him, "Would you like all ninety-three, or only one?"
And a letter came, "If you can give all ninety-three, that is just the right thing. You are really great. I'm very sorry that I condemned you for five years. You are a man to be worshiped."
It is a very strange world if you understand people: whatever they are saying shows more about them than it shows about the person they are talking about.

Just the other day Anando was showing me one book published against me in Australia by a couple who have been sannyasins for three years and have been in the commune. But just looking at their ideas, it seems they have never seen me. They are saying that they were working, working hard, and with their work I was purchasing Rolls Royces. You can see the absurdity: their work was not bringing any money. Their work was making their own houses to live in, the roads—which were needing money, not producing money. But in their mind—and for all those three years also—they must have been resentful.
Those Rolls Royces were not produced by the commune. They were presents from outside, from all over the world. And I was not their owner—I had given them to the commune. They were commune property, and I have not brought any of them with me; I have left them with the commune. Everything that I had has been left with the commune. I never owned anything. But there must have been the idea that they are earning money, and I am wasting money. That is their resentment.
What money were you earning? In fact you needed money to make houses, to make roads, to make a dam—a dam needed two and a half million dollars to make. You were contributing your labor, but we were not creating money out of it so that I could purchase Rolls Royces, so that I could purchase anything. I have not purchased anything from the money produced by the commune because the commune never produced any money. The commune was absorbing money.
In fact all my royalties, all my books, all their profits were going to the commune. The situation is just the opposite—that I had given everything to the commune. Now, four hundred books in different languages were bringing millions of dollars in royalties, and those royalties were going to the commune.
If I had wanted to purchase Roll Royces, I could have purchased my own Rolls Royces, as many as I wanted, just out of my royalties.
But the resentment, the anger, is blind. In the commune we invested two hundred million dollars. Those sannyasins perhaps think they had brought two hundred million dollars there! Without me and the people who love me around the world, those two hundred million dollars would not have been possible.

I have read his books. Where exactly have he said that he is enlightened .

 

Wake up.


Millions satrve whilst a drug addicted old lecher like Rashneesh own millions of pounds worth of cars just as a pathetic prop to their status - to make them feel like 'big men'. And how did he get the money? Through decieving the gulible.

Personally, I drive a small 1.1 litre ford fiesta, becasue I think big cars are bad for the environment, and basically an ego extension symbol for those who need to prove something. If I lived ina less remote area, and if I could obtain food and other supplies by travel on public transport, I would happily let the car go.

If Rajneesh was enlightened, you'd expect him to lecture his followers on the dangers of carbon emission driven climate change. That is, if he could lay off the laughing gas for long enough, or look away from his favourite 'Tom and Gerry' cartoons, which he used to watch for many houirs at a time.

 

How nice. But I've already pouinted out that this all happened back in the 70's before HIV was known about.

I woudn't pay for anyone's autograph.

No - more of a nut case.

 

I already am, though i am not sure of you.

What does the starvation of millions has to do with Osho! He has publicly proclaimed himself as the rich mans guru.

And he himself has made hundreds of millions of dollars through the publication of his books in many languages, and which are only increasing in popularity even now.

Well if you are so 'idealistic' , why have a car in the first place, why not a bicycle.

Which again shows your foolishness. Osho indeed taught about the dangers of harming the ecology and about the green house effect and carbon emission, if you care to check.

And whats wrong with tom and jerry . I liked it as well. It indeed is humorous and innocent, and better than the crap there is in other channels.

Also hope you have noticed how Osho called the likes of you 'idiots'. I am sure you will cherish this compliment from Osho forever as this is a veritable truth.
He said this for your own good.

 

Well, the rich get what they deserve then.

They appeal to idiots with little education or sense of judgement. There are thousands of utterly useless volumes cluttering the shelves of bookshops which are equally useless. The fact they sell says nothing for their content, b ut more about the gulibility of those whop buy them, and the slick marketing used by the osho business to promote their crap.

I'm not fit enough these days for cycling - I have a knee problem which it would greatly aggravate. Used to cycle when I was younger and fitter. These days I walk a lot, as that is ok, but bikes are a no no for me at present.

Which shows what a hypocrite he was.

Nothin wring with T&G. It's the fact that a suposed guru couldn't find anything better to do with his time which is sad.

I care not a fig for the rantings of a loony like rajneesh.

Since he never met me, his comments would not have any relevance anyway.

He was probably suffering extensive brain damage, as that is one effect of long term use of nitrous.

Your attempts at insulting me won't work either - it is water off a duck's back.

 

lol.

So Niranjan, if I declare I am enlightened would you accept me at my word?

 

And whats wrong with the rich enjoying life with the money they have earned by honest means. Why are you jealous of them ! Is it because you have a small 1.1 litre ford fiesta, and not a rolls royce.

And who are you to say that the millions all over the world (and I have seen some very educated and intelligent people among them) who have bought these books of Osho are idiots.

Here are some teachings of Osho.......

“Don't choose. Accept life as it is in its totality.”


"Truth cannot be defined, although it
can certainly be experienced. But
experience is not a definition. A
definition is made by the mind, experience
comes through participating. If somebody
asks, "What is a dance?" how can you
define it? But you can dance and you
can know the inner feel of it. God is
the ultimate dance."

"Seriousness is a sickness; your sense of
humor makes you more human, more
humble. The sense of humor -- according
to me -- is one of the most essential
parts of religiousness."

"The heart is always right-- if there's a
question of choosing between the mind and
the heart-- because mind is a creation of
the society. It has been educated. You
have been given it by the society, not by
existence. The heart is unpolluted."

"The heart knows nothing of the past,
nothing of the future; it knows only of the
present. The heart has no time concept."

The perfectionist is bound to be a
neurotic, he cannot enjoy life, until he
is perfect. And perfection as such never
happens, it is not in the nature of things. Totality
is possible, perfection is not possible."

"To be alone in the only real revolution.
To accept that you are alone is the greatest
transformation that can happen to you."

"Falling in love you remain a child; rising in love
you mature. By and by love becomes not a
relationship, it becomes a state of your being. Not
that you are in love - now you are love"

"Experience life in all possible ways --
good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light,
summer-winter. Experience all the dualities.
Don't be afraid of experience, because
the more experience you have, the more
mature you become."

My approach is non-political. I have no vested interest in anything -- in any language, in any province, in any religion, in any tradition. My approach is that the whole past of humanity is ours. Thats why I have chosen to speak on Chinese masters, Japanese masters, Greek masters, Hebrew masters. I am going to speak on all the masters of the world so that, listening to all these different songs, you can become universal.


My approach is absolutely non-political, hence it is absolutely individual. And that is the religious approach as such. Religion will remain individual, it will never become a collective phenomenon; it cannot. Politics will always be collective, it will never become individual.

Politics is collective, religion is individual, spirituality is universal. Remember it.

Sorry about that.

Well, if you can drive a car , why can't he drive a car . And you should understand that he can drive only one car at a time, not 365 cars .

Thats a laugh. He is enlightened , and he has also gone through the episodes of life intensely. His love of tom and jerry reflects his own simplicity and innocence which is very obvious to any intelligent mind.

You should , it will do you a lot of good.

Why should he has to meet you. If you read his statements, he is merely making a reflection on the 'idiots' who are obsessed with his cars.

Reading his statements and teachings above, it doesn't seem like that to me.

I am not trying to insult you. There is no need to try. Just stating an obvious fact.

 

hahaha...if only it were that easy. lol.

 

No more.

 

I expect it originates in the disagreement between Advaitins and other schools of Vedanta.