Jai Swaminarayan!

[Kirran]

No, but if you want Moksha, it's the only way possible.

Jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, raja yoga. Mutually complementary, for sure.

Devotion towards a personal deity is certainly not necessary, although perhaps devotion in some sense is. It emerges naturally as one follows one's path.

I am of the belief that the Buddha, and many of his followers, attained moksha, and that when Buddhists today talk of enlightenment it is the same as in Hinduism.

 

[Chakra]

Jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, raja yoga. Mutually complementary, for sure.

Devotion towards a personal deity is certainly not necessary, although perhaps devotion in some sense is. It emerges naturally as one follows one's path.

I am of the belief that the Buddha, and many of his followers, attained moksha, and that when Buddhists today talk of enlightenment it is the same as in Hinduism.

I posted that a while ago, when I was still learning and did not read a lot. Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, or Raja, choose your favorite. Or, you could pick prapatti, which gives liberation without a lot of effort.

Regarding your comment on the Buddha, since Advaita and Buddhism are very similar, it is possible that the end goal of both is the same. I'm not sure how, since Buddhists are generally shunyavadi-s whereas Advaitins believe in one single entity, rather than voidness.

 

[Kirran]

I posted that a while ago, when I was still learning and did not read a lot. Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, or Raja, choose your favorite. Or, you could pick prapatti, which gives liberation without a lot of effort.

Sorry ax, didn't see the date on this one!

Regarding your comment on the Buddha, since Advaita and Buddhism are very similar, it is possible that the end goal of both is the same. I'm not sure how, since Buddhists are generally shunyavadi-s whereas Advaitins believe in one single entity, rather than voidness.

I think the distinction between the two comes down to semantics and, to an extent, viewpoint, but this is a discussion for another time/place.

As for moksha - do you believe an Advaitin can achieve moksha without devotion to Lord Visnu?

 

[Chakra]

There exist a place for people who want to seek some sort of impersonal light. Of course, Vaishnavas do not consider this to be very great compared to getting entrance to Vaikuntha.

However, these yogis who are focused on attaining this impersonal light only focus on the self, not Shiva or Durga. In Vishistadvaita, if you do not consider Vishnu as the soul of everything, you are not considered a jnani.

 

[Aupmanyav]

In Vishistadvaita, if you do not consider Vishnu as the soul of everything, you are not considered a jnani.

I suppose that should settle all problems.

 

[Chakra]

I suppose that should settle all problems.

That has been the position of Vedantins for centuries. "Other darshanas may be correct and elegant, but it is our firm conviction that our sampradaya alone contains the philosophy of the Upanishads."

The same goes for Vaishnavas. As per Ramanuja, Vaishnavas who do not accept Sharira-atma bhava are not true jnanis, but are still worthy of respect.