nonduality (advaita)

hi
i wish to learn about nonduality... i wish to know everyone's views on it... i'm not able to grasp it much at my present state of being...

Hello Prachi,

Advaita (non-duality) is the theory that the individual soul and God are 'one and the same'. I personally explored and meditated on this concept for a number of years, but then came across another philosophy which to me is much more profound:

Acintya-bheda-bheda tattva (inconceivable one-ness and difference).

This philosophy promoted in recent years by Caitanya Mahaprabhu (b1486) is based on ancient yoga practice and describes how we are one with God in quality, but that He is much greater in quantity, with the actual specific nature of our one-ness and difference being beyond the range of mere logical/philosophical perception.

The realisation of this truth is said to be achieved by chanting the famous Hare Krishna mantra. Caitanya was the first person to promote the mantra to the general public regardless of caste, creed or qualification...

Best Wishes,

Das

When you dream at night, who is the dream's creator?
When you dream at night, who are the dream's characters?
If you create the dream, are you not the creator?
If you create the characters, are the characters not just an aspect of yourself?
If you are the dreamer and the dream where does duality end and non duality begin?
What is real? Something but nothing? Source and void?
Life is but a dream...live the dream....think big.

Hello Dasa,
thanks for the information on non-duality and the other concept.
i read about non-duality and so many other things. yet i guess sometimes it's best to leave things in hands of Creator... God ill send me that knowledge when God wishes...
Thanks for the information on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu...
the day of his appearance is very special to me as i got engaged that day at ISKCON temple here in melbourne... that too it was a surprise from my fiance-Edward...
Thanks for telling me Chaitanya Mahaprabhu promoted Maha Mantra.
Krishna is full of beautiful surprises :-)
i guess it will take me time to understand things... and well there's so muchto know... and in the end there's just one truth as Baba Faqir Chand said " i don't know nothing"
AUM

Hello Dreamer,
i've been reflecting on what u wrote.. and i guess i'll be reflecting on it for sometime... it's very profound :-)
thanks...

Originally Posted by dreamer

When you dream at night, who is the dream's creator?
When you dream at night, who are the dream's characters?
If you create the dream, are you not the creator?
If you create the characters, are the characters not just an aspect of yourself?
If you are the dreamer and the dream where does duality end and non duality begin?
What is real? Something but nothing? Source and void?
Life is but a dream...live the dream....think big.

The mirage of seeing water in the desert only exists because real water actually does exist outside the desert.

Gouranga

Yes, the something is nothing without the nothing.

"Whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness." (From the Srimad Bhagavatam)

Misconceiving one thing for another thing is called illusion. For example, accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false. The rope, as it exists in the front of the illusioned person, is not at all false, but the acceptance is illusory. Therefore the wrong conception of accepting this material manifestation as being divorced from the energy of the Lord is illusion, but it is not false. And this illusory conception is called the reflection of the reality in the darkness of ignorance. Anything that appears as apparently not being "produced out of My energy" is called maya. The conception that the living entity is formless or that the Supreme Lord is formless is also illusion.

Originally Posted by DASA

"Whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness." (From the Srimad Bhagavatam)

Misconceiving one thing for another thing is called illusion. For example, accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false. The rope, as it exists in the front of the illusioned person, is not at all false, but the acceptance is illusory. Therefore the wrong conception of accepting this material manifestation as being divorced from the energy of the Lord is illusion, but it is not false. And this illusory conception is called the reflection of the reality in the darkness of ignorance. Anything that appears as apparently not being "produced out of My energy" is called maya.

Especially, those that state that God is so 'unknowable' that He is like a blinding light. What they don't realize is that behind that light is the Lord Himself.


drifter

I think I was a bit presumptious before, i can see what you mean better now. Thanks.