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  1. S

    Advaita questions

    Bheda-Abheda (Bhartrprapancha) is older than Advaita. Most people today who consider themselves Advaitins are actually following Bheda-Abheda.
  2. S

    Advaita questions

    Following your logic, how do you know this "fully awake" state is not yet another illusion to be eventually transcended? If the goal is to become Brahman, what are you now?
  3. S

    Advaita questions

    That is correct. Where does the Gita say the universe/world is an illusion or that Krishna's form is ultimately unreal? The answer is nowhere. There are no illusions in the text of the Gita. The world is real, people are real, Krishna is real and eternal. The word Maya in the Gita (7.14) is...
  4. S

    Advaita questions

    Multiple instances of inaccurate, carelessly stated information on this thread. FYI, for anyone who may be attempting to find useful information here. It is not. A dictionary check can clear it up. Someone earlier stated that Maya is ignorance. That is incorrect too. Why do we continue to see...
  5. S

    Advaita questions

    You would be surprised :)
  6. S

    Please, prove me wrong.

    Atheist for a long time and yet you had a good life. There is your proof.
  7. S

    What is the correct interpretation of Gita chapter 7 verse 24 ?

    As always, this verse is interpreted differently by different people. Shankara - The ignorant think Krishna is an ordinary person who did not exist before. They do not see the imperishable supreme that Krishna (the person) represents. Ramanuja - The ignorant think Krishna is an ordinary...
  8. S

    Krishna, virginal birth and desperate attempts at syncretism

    Tagging Krishna with 'virgin birth' may be an ISKCON creation. During the 60s/70s, they had to convert Westerners and it made their job a lot more easier when they drew parallels between Krishna and Jesus or in labeling Jesus as a Vaishnava! It helped Christians to become Hare Krishnas without...
  9. S

    No need for someone to try to derail others belief or religion

    Haven't you started multiple threads on the same exact topic? What is the purpose of duplicating the same topic over and over?
  10. S

    Freedom versus Death: The essence of Upanishadic teaching

    Ignorance is real.
  11. S

    Can the universe create itself when it does‘t exist?

    Is the Universe - 1. Space or 2. Space + time? If it is the former, then you are admitting that time always existed and was never created. This is an inconsistency in your logic as you are unwilling to accept the same principle for space. If it the latter, then there is no such thing as...
  12. S

    Concept of Brahman in Hinduism

    Two things - 1. I should point out that this difficulty is only with the abstract Nirguna Brahman as defined by Advaita. Other schools such as Vishi****advaita and Dvaita see Brahman as Sriman Narayana himself and so, there is no confusion about ultimately unreal universes and ultimately...
  13. S

    Is Advaita Vedanta Theistic or Non-Theistic?

    The Western concept of theism/atheism does not have an exact equivalent in Indian religion. The close Sanskrit terms astika/nastika are generally applied to mean 'believer in the Veda' vs. non-believer. This is the basis of the classification of Buddhism, Jainism and other so-called heterodox...
  14. S

    Why Hinduism

    Back during the time of Cyrus the Great (and his descendants), Hindu was purely geographic. After Islam invaders settled in India, they used the term to mean non-Muslims, for administrative purposes. After the British took over, the term Hindu was applied to non-Muslim and non-Christian...
  15. S

    Why Hinduism

    1. Though Hindu denotes religion today, it is not truly one. It is an umbrella term that captures many different beliefs - different enough for the term to mean little. However, it is good enough for practical living. 2. In Indian religion and language, the concepts of monotheism and polytheism...
  16. S

    (Poll) Alternate Death Systems

    What criteria would God use to determine our fates? For instance, how does God determine that infant A is fated to be born healthy while infant B is to be born with serious ailments? I agree. The older I got, the more this became clear. Life could not have been anything other than what it is...
  17. S

    (Poll) Alternate Death Systems

    What is your take on the reality of Santa Claus? Because, the reasoning behind your choice here will be the exact same as your choice for the reality of after-life. I can logically assume that Tokyo exists based on second hand data and the absence of red flags. I cannot assume the existence of...
  18. S

    (Poll) Alternate Death Systems

    Long ago, in India, there was a model of life where everything was seen as the activity of the mind, including time and space. Things exist only when you think of them. All thoughts are predicated on the thinker's existence. Therefore, the thinker was not a point in time, but time was a mental...
  19. S

    What is it with Radical Muslims and beheadings?

    The US engages in religious killings? if not, it is apples and oranges.
  20. S

    Hinduism - What Are the Core Tenets?

    A Hindu is simply one who was - 1. Born into a Hindu family and has not explicitly given up the legacy 2. Not a Hindu by birth, but had adopted the identity. That is it. No belief in Brahman, Veda, Atman, reincarnation, fasting on Ekadashi, temple visits, etc., are mandated. Indeed most...
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