Book ExtractSanskrit for SeekersDennis Waite

Educated in Chemistry, he worked until 2000 in computing, after which he began writing.

His books to date are: The Book of One (2003), extensively revised in 2010; The Spiritual Seeker's Essential Guide to Sanskrit (India, 2005); How to Meet Yourself (2007); Back to the Truth (2007); Enlightenment: the Path through the Jungle (2008). His previous book was Advaita Made Easy, published in 2012.

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Publisher: Mantra Books, 2014ISBN: 978-1-78279-227-7Format: PaperbackPages: 194List Price: 11.99, US$19.95EBook: 6.99, US$9.99

This book is scheduled for publication 30th May and is available for pre-order at a lower cost from Amazon.There will be a special offer on the Ebook in the first two weeks of publication.

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For travelers in the foreign land of spiritual literature...

Since you are visiting this website, you are presumably a spiritual seeker interested in Advaita. It is also very probable that your knowledge of Sanskrit is minimal or non-existent. I receive occasional complaints about the use of ITRANS - the transliterated 'English' form of Sanskrit words - so even that causes problems for many, let alone the original script (called Devanagari) which Sanskrit uses. So why would you want to learn anything at all about the language? Well, if you really are interested in Advaita (or Buddhism, if it comes to that), it is a fact of life that most of the original material from which these teachings derive was written in Sanskrit. Without any knowledge of the language, without even the ability to look up a word in a dictionary, you are forced to rely upon the abilities, and the integrity, of whichever author happened to 'translate' the original text on which he or she is commenting. I am currently writing a book on the Mandukya Upanishad and Gaudapada kArikA-s, and this has involved me in referencing many different translations of the original text. [Note that this is a good example why you need to know some Sanskrit. The word kArikA means 'a verse, commentary or treatise' but if you ignore the capitals and write this as 'karika', it means 'an elephant'!] And it would amaze you how it is possible to render quite different meanings. Whether this is because of language ability or because the author has a vested interest in propagating a particular point of view is not always possible to say. What I can say, is that is essential to be able to check specific words from time to time to ensure one gleans original intent rather than a modern, possibly biased interpretation. And, before I continue, here is a confession from the introduction to the book:

Before continuing, I may as well confirm the implied and appalling admission above: I know very little Sanskrit! I cannot construct sentences or even decline nouns or conjugate verbs. I can just about read the script. I can sometimes split words into their parts or put them together but would almost always have to refer to other sources for assistance in this. I could write the script, very clumsily, if I had to, providing I could refer to a list of the characters or to this book. But, lets face it, why would I want to? You need not just any italic pen, but one with a sloping nib, for goodness sake! With free software on the Internet to convert transliterated Roman characters into the Sanskrit script, there is not really any need. What then, you may justifiably ask, gives me the credentials (or temerity) to write a book about Sanskrit? Well, I hope that by the time you finish reading this short introduction, you will know and accept the answer. Basically, I was and to a degree still am in the same position that you are.

Accordingly, this book will not teach you how to read, write or speak Sanskrit. Its aim is simple: to teach you just enough to enable you to read Devanagari script, separate it out into words and look them up in a dictionary. There are no declensions or conjugations to learn and no need to learn lots of vocabulary. Most of the effort involved is simply to learn the alphabet. Of course, this is rather more difficult for most adults than was learning the Roman alphabet when you were a child. For a start, there are a few more than 26 letters...

The book is in three sections. First you learn the alphabet in its transliterated form. You are given both the ITRANS format that is commonly used on the Internet and the form with diacritical marks that is used in books. Next you go through the entire process again, learning the script form of the letters. Just to make things a bit more interesting, some of these letters change their form slightly when combined with other letters - these are called 'conjunct' characters. In the third section, there are some practical examples to prove to you that you can now actually translate some simple scriptural texts for yourself. Finally, there are a number of appendices containing such things as resources on the Internet for further learning, on-line dictionaries, Sanskrit documents etc, information about other transliteration schemes and letter forms, how to learn to write the script. Below are samples from each of the sections.

The Transliterated Alphabet

4. The fourth group of consonants (dental)

This group of consonants is sounded with the tongue positioned just behind the teeth, as though to say love, and called, unsurprisingly, dental. The sounds are essentially the same as those in the cerebral group but sound much more natural to Western ears and are very much more common. If you are ever in any doubt as to whether a sound should be cerebral or dental, guess this one!

a) t, t

The first member of the group is t. It is sounded with the tongue actually touching the back of the teeth. This is further forward in the mouth than is normally used in English and is better represented by a word such as the French petite. A simple example, or even two examples, is tat as in the mahAvAkya (great saying from the Upanishads) tat tvam asi thou art that. It means that and both ts are this dental character (in fact, this word begins its life as tad, as you will discover later). The final t is the halanta form, meaning that there is no vowel sound following it and the Devanagari character will have a halant sign beneath it, whereas the first one will not.

b) th, th

Then comes the equivalent aspirated letter, with more breath (mahAprANa), th, pronounced as in butthead. (Another way in which this letter is pronounced and those who do so would maintain it to be the correct way! is as the English th in path, for example. It has to be said that it seems easier, and more consistent, to pronounce the word sthita, for example, as is indicated in the main text.) The adjective sthita means standing and is used in the sense of steady and firm in the word sthitapraj~na in the Bhagavad Gita, where it means a person of steady wisdom or someone who knows the Self.

c) d, d

Next is d. This is essentially the same as in dog but with the tongue starting out immediately behind the teeth. Perhaps the French donner might be a better representation. The word dama means self-restraint, understood as control over the senses. It is one of the six qualities specified by Shankara as prerequisites for the spiritual seeker.

d) dh, dh

This is the breathy equivalent of the previous character and is pronounced as the dh in adhere. A similar word to dama, as just described, is dharma. This word is possibly more familiar to many readers. It is commonly used to speak of such things as recommended practice, duty or conduct, and to refer to absolutes of justice etc. More appropriately, in a spiritual context, it means essence or essential quality or nature. Our own dharma refers to what we ought to be doing with our lives in order to move forward on some path towards realization of our Self.

e) n, n

Finally, in this group, is the one sounded through the nose (anunAsika). This is pronounced just as in English, as for example in er nose. The word nAma is a simple word, meaning name, as in the phrase nAma-rUpa, the name and form of the creation that is, in reality, non-dual, not separate from ourselves and not actually created, according to Advaita.Quite often the n at the end of a word will be replaced by the nasal in the same group as the consonant that follows. This is because the rules that govern how letters combine are designed so that sound flows smoothly without gaps or stutters. It would be extremely difficult to make the correct sound of one of these anunAsika consonants, immediately followed by the correct sound of another consonant, unless the two are in the same group try it later!Thus, an example of a word with which you are likely to be familiar, and which uses this letter, is satsa~Nga. This would typically be written as satsang in books for the Western market. It refers to the good company of associating with like-minded people, and especially with ones who are Self-realized. It is used for the question-and-answer sessions provided by the teachers who currently tour the Western world. The anunAsika used has to be ~N because it is combined with the immediately following g and, since this is in the first, guttural, group of consonants, so must the nasal letter be.

The Devanagari Script

4. The dental ordantyaconsonantsa) t, t

This is written:tand was seen earlier injagatandtagara. The wordtadmeans that and, because adfrequently changes to atat the end of a word (as will be discussed later), this word often appears astat:tt!tatb) th, th

ThemahAprANa thais written:wThe wordthUthUmeans the imitative sound of spitting, whilethaithaimeans the imitative sound of a musical instrument (one wonders which!). We will meet the Devanagari representation for the complex vowelaiin a minute but here it is shown in combination with a consonant:wUwUthUthU;wEwEthaithaic) d, d

This is written:dnot to be confused with the cerebralFDhWe have had the word Devanagari so many times now that it is about time you saw the actual Devanagari for it!devnagrIAlthough we have not yet dealt withvandrin this section, we hadvinjIvaandringuruandkAra.

d) dh, dh

This is written:xand must not be confused withgh:"If you inadvertently close the loop, joining it up to the bar at the top, thereby producing aghwhen you really wanted adh,then you can make a little knot or circle at the junction with the horizontal line and this is then understood to be adh. Some texts may use this variant, too, since it can avoid confusion if the ink becomes smudged, for example.The worddhanameans a prize or any valued object:

xndhanaThus,dhanakAma, for example, means desirous of wealth or covetous (kAmameaning desire, if you recall).

e) n, n

Finally, in this group, theanunAsika(sounded through the nose and throat)nais written, as you know:nand I think we have already had sufficient examples of this already. However, you might like to see what the wordanunAsikalooks like:AnunaiskSome Practical Examples

3. Joining words and part-words

When speaking or writing Sanskrit, words are joined wherever possible within a sentence or line of poetry. Pauses in speech or breaks in written words within a sentence normally only occur when a word ends in a vowel, avisargaor ananusvAraand the next word begins with a consonant. Go back to the invocation mantra above and note where the breaks are. A good example is the famous saying (mahAvAkya) from the Chandogya Upanishad tat tvam asi, meaning that thou art. The first word ends in a consonant, the second begins with a consonant; so no break. The second ends in a consonant, the third begins with a vowel; so no break: it is therefore written:tvmis i.e. as one continuous expression,tattvamasi.Note that the word for that is actuallytadbut for the sake of euphonic flow,saMdhi, it is changed totatbecause it is followed byt.

Sandhi (actuallysaMdhi) refers to the way in which letters (i.e. sounds) change when they are joined together in a continuous flow of speech. It is also sometimes called euphony because the purpose of the whole exercise is to end up with a harmonious-sounding sentence. Panini also uses the wordsaMhitAfor this, defined as the closest drawing together of sounds.

If the letters in question are at the end of one word and the beginning of the next, the joining is referred to as external sandhi. If they refer to the joining of parts of a word, it is called internal sandhi. Unless you are studying the language seriously, it is the external variety that is most important, since written words can be difficult to decipher without an understanding of how the component words may have changed. There can also be sandhi of vowels or of consonants. The former is calledach saMdhi(achbeing thepratyAhArafor all the vowels, as explained above); the latter is calledhal saMdhi, sincehalidentifies all consonants. A third set of rules come into play when avisargais followed or preceded by various letters.

It is worth remembering that the sole purpose of sandhi is to make the language sound as harmonious as possible. This is not a phenomenon restricted to the Sanskrit language. In English, for example, it is so much easier to say an apple than a apple. Internally, too, English has sandhi. The letter s is pronounced sss. When appended to the word cat cats it retains its sss sound. But when appended to dog dogs the s is pronounced z: dogz. When appended to horse horses not only is the s pronounced z but the e of horse is sounded as though it is i: horsiz. In English we make these changes in pronunciation only and not in writing. In Sanskrit, we change both the spelling and the pronunciation. If the English grammarians were formulating spelling rules, they might have one that says: when s follows d, it is replaced by z, but retains its true nature when following t.

Where the conjunction of two letters makes the words difficult to pronounce or if the result sounds awkward, there will be a rule for combining the letters to get around the problem. Knowing this can sometimes enable you to make a good guess at what is needed, if you are forming the word, or at what has happened, if you are trying to read it. Not all of the Sanskrit rules of euphonic harmony are being given here there are quite a lot of them, including exceptions and special cases. But, unless you are seriously studying the language, it is not necessary to learn them anyway. Once the principles have been understood, much of it becomes common sense. Very often, you can hear what the result should be simply by speaking the two separate words quickly in succession.

Sandhi can be analyzed into three categories: vowel,visargaand consonant. In each category, a number of rules can be specified to enable one to determine what will happen when a word or part-word ending in a specific letter joins with another word or part-word beginning with a specific letter. Many of the rules have sub-rules to cover special cases and exceptions. After a particular rule has been applied and the end character of the first word, say, has been changed accordingly, it may then happen that another rule comes into play for this new character and a further change must take place. Thus, several stages may be involved in the progressive modification of endings until a result is reached which sounds harmonious. For you to learn all of these rules and become familiar with their operation is not the intention of this book. The following paragraphs merely offer a flavor of the topic and a later section will refer you to other resources that you can follow up if you wish to.

The WebPages on Rules of Sandhi, from the Argentinian site (see Resources on the Internet, Section B) list 7 primary and 7 secondary rules for the joining of vowels, 10 rules involvingvisargaendings and 24 rules for joining consonants, some of which have anything up to 6 sub-rules. (Incidentally, I cannot recommend these WebPages too highly. Although Panini is not mentioned, all of the rules are presented in a very methodical and detailed manner with many examples. It is very readable and easy to understand.)

Below is the list of contents from the book:

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LANGUAGE

LEVEL 1 THE TRANSLITERATED ALPHABETA. The Five Basic VowelsB. The Five Main Groups of ConsonantsC. The Long VowelsD. The Complex Vowels and Additional SoundsE. The Semi-VowelsF. The SibilantsG. h, hH. The Complete Alphabet

LEVEL 2 THE DEVANAGARI SCRIPTA. The Five Basic (Simple) Vowels, Short and LongB. The Five Main Groups of ConsonantsC. The Remaining VowelsD. Table Showing the 16 mAtRRikAE. The Remaining Letters (semi-vowels, sibilants and h)F. The Complete AlphabetG. Conjunct ConsonantsH. Some Special CharactersI. The Numerals

LEVEL 3 SOME PRACTICAL EXAMPLESA. shivasUtrANiB. Words and SandhiC. The Four mahAvAkya-sD. Some Vedic Prayers and Quotations

RESOURCES ON THE INTERNETA. General ResourcesB. Learning the LanguageC. Dictionaries and Grammar ToolsD. Documents in Sanskrit

GLOSSARY OF SANSKRIT TERMS

DICTIONARY OF COMMON SANSKRIT SPIRITUAL WORDS

APPENDIX 1 TRANSLITERATION SCHEMESAPPENDIX 2 ALTERNATIVE LETTER FORMSAPPENDIX 3 VOWEL FORMS, WITH AND WITHOUT CONSONANTSAPPENDIX 4 WRITING THE SCRIPTAPPENDIX 5 ANSWER TO FINAL EXAMPLE

BIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzQuestions and Answers

Disclaimer:All my books take the stance that I have been looking into advaita as a teaching that explains the nature of self and reality and this is what I have found so far. I do not teach hold no satsangs or residential courses. I just write books.I have never claimed to be a teacher of any sort nor do I claim to be writing/replying according to purely traditional methods. In fact, Back to the Truth quotes from all manner of teachers, including neo-advaitin ones. It is certainly the case that Enlightenment: the Path through the Jungle advocates traditional teaching as the only reliable system and I stand by that. It is possible, therefore, that some readers may have made the assumption that I have some (traditional) authority but this is their assumption, not my claim.I am still learning, so that what I say should always be treated as my current understanding. According to the teaching tradition of Vedanta, there are several levels of assimilation necessary before one arrives at the pAramArthika, or absolute understanding that all that exists is one non-dual reality. Sometimes, my views do not accurately reflect the position that would be taken from within the tradition. This is especially the case with regard to some of those topics which relate to the relative order of reality(vyavahAra), such as Ishvara, karma, reincarnation and free will. My own views tend to be more reflective of what traditional teachings have to say about the pAramArthika and do not necessarily include all that those same teachings have to say about vyavahAra.The following are questions that I have answered via email or comments I have made in discussions on email groups. I will eventually group questions into related topics.

Question (or topic of question):

1. Why has no realized man written a book?2. Do thoughts create our reality?3. Purpose, satyam and mithyA.

4. Watching and thinking.

5. Feelings.

6. Is watching thoughts/feelings of any value?

7. What is the practice of Advaita Vedanta?8. Does it rely on faith? Is it a religion?

9. What is your view on free will?10. Do you have any comments on the (reported) sex/money behavior of Ramesh?

11. Is enlightenment personal?

12. Why am I not all-powerful?

13. Does the acceptance of Advaita lead to a life of passivity?

14. How did being come into being?

15. Can meditation bring about enlightenment?

16. Is it impossible to do anything that Brahman doesnt want?

17. If so, then there is no way we can do anything wrong?

18. Everything is scripted and known by Brahman?

19. Are jIva-s reincarnated until they realize?

20. Does our sense of self have the egoic power to manipulate reality?

21. If there is no free will, how can our attitude to life change?

22. Doesnt this contradict the idea that there is no thinker or doer?

23. Do those who have awakened live in reality?

24. Is suffering necessary?

25. Is there an ego involved in the spiritual teacher who has a calling to teach?

26. Who (in my opinion) most embodies the principles of Advaita today?

27. Similarities between Christian Science and Advaita. Concern with results.28. Christian Science continued Nature of reality.

29. The monastic lifestyle.

30. Is it true that nothing matters? How do we know the Self is not another mind construct?

31. A satsang teacher laid his hands on a disciple. Could you explain what was going on?

32. Isnt enlightenment a permanent state of peace and happiness?

33. Discussion on terms happiness and suffering.34. (Sanskrit) Why is the m in saMsAra pronounced as an n?35. Is study of the scriptures a waste of time?36. Meditation One without a second?37. Does the World exist independently of the perceiver?38. A question about depression and anti-depressants.39. Would you please tell us about your own Awakening?40. How can the elements and guNa-s be both real and unreal?41. Does the mind exercise self-preservation?42. What is knowledge?43. How can one replace ordinary desires by a desire for the Self?44. How can the mind help us to achieve enlightenment if it is illusory?45. Is it possible to transmit enlightenment?46. Who is it who awakens?47. What would happen to the soul if a person were cloned?48. Should we be happy, no matter what we are doing?49. Is the Law of Attraction a useful tool?50. If lIlA is true, why is there enlightenment?51. Why cant I feel your sensations?52. Is truth relative?53. On the teaching of Ramana Maharshi.

54. Floating with the stream of life.55. Stopping the mind.56. Is a still mind important?57. What is the difference between non-dualism and monism?58. The simplicity of not two.59. Communicating with others (about advaita).

60. How do we reconcile the actionless Self with action in the universe?61. What is the mind?62. Could you explain the words of the Buddha, regarding suffering?63. Could you say something about practice with reference to bhakti and j~nAna in bringing about enlightenment?64. Reality of the world.

65. Another question regarding free will.

66. How does the message of Advaita deal with the possibility of spirits?

67. Dont traditional and neo-Advaita point to the same thing?68. Destruction of the ego.

69. Why is there so much misinformation about enlightenment?70. Further questions on the dialog with Jeff Foster(see Q67).

71. A question on Ramana Maharshis method of Self-inquiry.

72. What should be the life-style of an enlightened person in todays world?73. Language and reality.

74. More onLife after enlightenment.

75. More concerns about theteaching of neo-Advaita.

76. A question aboutMichael Langfords interpretationof Ramana Mahrshis teaching.

77. A little investigation is all it takes (Charlie Hayes) .

78. Experience versus faith.

79. Do we have a choice about whether to become enlightened?80. Is I am the content?81. Meditation Technique of Michael Langford.

82. What does it mean to say that we are one with God?83. You really seem to have got it in for the modern nondualism teachers.84. No-path teaching and neo-advaita.85. svadharma and Hitler.86. How can I be brahman yet not know brahman?87. Pairs of opposites.

88. Traditional Vs Neo-Advaita Debate.

89. Why should I be afraid of a thought?90. What is the difference between samAdhi and the deep sleep state?91. (A long question and answer about)knowledge, science and enlightenment.

92. (A very long question and answer about)Ignorance and Enlightenment(continuing from the previous Q & A).

93. Concerns for the environment.

94. Are some people unable to be sufficiently detached from the suffering of the world?95. Insight and spiritual paths.

96. The qualities of Krishna in Advaita.

97. Meditation on objects and asking who am I?.

98. Giving up on the relative.

99. On the existence of Consciousness.

100. Is there evil in brahman?101. Some questions about karma yoga.

102. How did we become ignorant?

103. On the relationship between brahman and mAyA.

104. On reading a single text as a practice.

105. On experiences, enlightenment and contentment.

106. On the confusion between liberation and enlightenment.

107. How do you pronounce advaita?108. On being in the present and j~nAna yoga.

109. Studying the Upanishads and goal of man.

110. Experience of dying.

111. )Questions on112. )neo-advaita teaching113. )and the new book.

114. )Is Ramesh115. )enlightened?116. Does mAyA have a context?

117. Some comments on Enlightenment E-Book.

118. Reading (Back to the Truth) and practice.

119. Lots of questions on the Enlightenment E-Book.

120. Problem of good and evil.

121. Can one get it overnight?

122. Why do you have links to neo-advaitins?

123. Does nothing matter?

124. More questions on Enlightenment E-Book (Continuation of Q. 119).

125. On Happiness and Choice.

126. Is there only knowledge?

127. On the desire for making money.

128. Where is the bliss of pure being?

129. How does one move towards enlightenment in advaita?

130. Does advaita endorse mans dominion?

131. Is there room for individuality in Brahman?

132. Anti-depressants and spiritual progress.

133. An alcoholic looking for happiness.

134. Is my understanding of Advaita correct?

135. Are there other people having subjective experiences?

136. Are teachers x and y neo-advaitins?

137. How do you rationalize your lack of belief in free-will with traditional advaita?

138. Body, memory and reincarnation.

139. j~nAna yoga and the Brahma Sutras.

140. On shabda pramANa and knowing the Self.

141. Question about mAyA and its origin.

142. On the notion of a witness.

143. On the silly arguments between traditional and neo.

144. On Near Death Experiences and communication with the dead.

145. Do the enlightened suffer pain?

146. Surely individuals cannot have multiple lives?

147. On the merits of neo-advaita, with particular reference to Jeff Foster.

148. Why do people have near-death experiences?

149. Was Nisargadatta a neo-advaitin?

150. Im not sure that my goal is enlightenment.

151. [I've had a powerful religious experience and wonder if it is enlightenment.]

152. Who is it who awakens?

153. How can brahman be indescribable and yet be said to be sat-chit-Ananda?

154. After realization, can one simply enjoy reading books by neo-advaitins?

155. Why do you recommend books by neo-advaitins? (See also question 122)

156. Is there a distinction between consciousness and awareness?

157. Is our sense of being only a reflection of the absolute?

158. Is there an easy translation of the Mandukya Upanishad?

159. What are your top 10 (5) books? Which would you most want to keep (not including Back to the Truth?

160. How does one convert partial enlightenment into complete enlightenment?

161. If a teacher has not completely eradicated his saMskAra-s, can he call himself enlightened?

162. Do you feel the need to write about advaita? Is this the ego?

163. Are dreamed people real?

164. How can traditional be better than neo?

165. Some more short questions on my criticism of neo-advaita.

166. Regarding mAyA.

167. Am I the sense of I?

168. If one person becomes enlightened, why does not everyone else?

169. Are only unenlightened jIva-s reincarnated?

170. More criticism of the traditional versus neo-advaitin debates.

171. I have problems with the notion of choice and doing.

172. Could you give me your opinion of Gangaji?

173. How does one cope with anger?

174. Do I need to learn Sanskrit?

175. Can one still attain enlightenment if one blasphemes against brahman?

176. After all jIva-s have attained enlightenment, might lIlA start all over again?

177. Does Self-realization arise as the result of dissolution of all beliefs?

178. Is there choice at the moment of awakening?

179. On Ramana Maharshis Who am I?180. Why is OM namo sometimes written OM namaH?

181. What does chidAbhAsa mean?

182. A question about adhyAsa.

183. A discussion on kuNDalinI yoga.

184. On functioning in the world post-enlightenment.

185. Why do we suffer, while God does not?

186. Further objections to the criticism of neo-advaita.

187. Everyone is as enlightened as everyone else.

188. How do we know that the seat of awareness is not in the brain?

189. Arent truth, justice, faith etc real?

190. What is the relation between waking consciousness and brahman?

191. The experience of a j~nAnI.

192. Do you make a distinction between Awareness and Consciousness?

193. Is advaita fatalistic?

194. A question about the enlightened person.

195. On the need for a teacher.

196. On shravaNa, manana and nididhyAsana.

197. How can different philosophies derive from the same sciptures?

198. On traditional teaching and methods.

199. The sound current.200. On the freedom to dedicate bhAvana (mental attitude).

201. On the Ramakrishna Order.

202. Various paths to enlightenment.

203. Getting rid of the false sense of I.

204. My understanding is only intellectual.

205. Can one lose enlightenment?

206. The role of the mind in enlightenment.

207. On the changelessness of brahman.

208. On selfishness versus selflessness and svadharma.

209. What is meant by Consciousness is not the final reality?

210. On the mind, brain and Buddhism.

211. How should one reconcile spiritual seeking and career?

212. What does Nisargadatta mean by Consciousness coming out of Awareness?

213. On the mind, brain and reality.

214. On the concept of Beingness.

215. On requesting payment for teaching.

216. How does one reconcile right action with helping others?

217. Is it necessary to practise karma yoga etc in order to understand the higher teaching?

218. How can I be the creator of the world and yet the world is an illusion?

219. Why dont I come to know everything on enlightenment?

220. Are the vAsanA-s stored in the causal or subtle body?

221. If given the choice between liberation from rebirth, and rebirth with self-knowledge, which should one choose?

222. What about people who are clearly enlightened but claim they are not?

223. Is there a difference between the observer and the observed or not?

224. I have difficulty trying to see my thoughts.

225. The nature of jIvanmukti.

226. The concept of shabdha pramANa.

227. The perils and pitfalls of Neo-Advaita.

228. Is Advaita a cure for life?

229. The Release Technique?

230. Nondualism a question of definition.

231. Neo versus traditional Advaita again.

232. Consciousness, brahman and samAdhi.

233. Awareness vs Consciousness Part I of II.

234. Awareness vs Consciousness Part II of II.

235. brahman and the mind.

236. Enlightenment.

237. The relative status of jIva, world, Ishvara and brahman.

238. The mind and the I-thought.

239. The content of enlightenment.

240. Enlightenment, meditation and mithyA.

241. Karma and reincarnation.

242. apauruSheya.

243. The last rug.

244. Teachers.

245. The enlightened dream?246. Knowledge versus experience.

247. Neo-Advaita.

248. Free will.

249. Ignorance and existence.

250. Finding a teacher.

251. Neo-Advaita and meditation.

252. Choice.

253. Behavior of the guru.

254. Near-death experiences.

255. Enlightenment and the brain.

256. Self-realization why bother?257. Enlightenment and the nature of reality.

258. Traditional Advaita versus Neo-Advaita once more.

259. Describing brahman.

260. Different approaches and practices.

261. Ignorance.

262. Consciousness and the Brain.

263. Death.

264. Japa.

265. Rituals.

266. samAdhi.

267. No more questions268. Knowledge series.

269. Why is not everyone interested in Advaita?270. The Void.

271. Inquiry into the nature of I.

272. How does a plant grow without an observer?273. nirvANa.

274. Practical requirements for studying advaita.

275. Who is the individual?276. Who is afraid/angry?277. Need to resonate with a guru.

278. Enlightenment at the end of the universe.

279. Does an object exist before we see it?280. Direct Path and the intellectual mind.

281. saMskAra and memory.

282. Qualified guru.

283. Consciousness.

284. brahman and mAyA.

285. Shankara and advaita.

286. Nothingness.

287. Choice.

288. Enlightenment.

289. vyavahAra.

290. Self-knowledge.

291. Truths.

292. Do we have to read certain scriptures?293. prArabdha karma and reincarnation.

294. Suffering and neo-advaita.

295. Does a j~nAnI still see the world?296. Emotions and enlightenment.

297. Cause of creation.

298. I am not the reflection.

299. Ignorance and the Self.

300. Advaita and Buddhism.

301. Why do we see duality?302. Meditation.

303. Pursuing enlightenment and rebirth.

304. How did I come to deceive itself?305. Spiritual Progress.306. Meaning of Advaita.307. Where the mind cannot reach.308. Nothing Dies.309. When is an experience true?310. Objectification.

311. Clearing the Mind.

312. How can we know Advaita is right?313. Under Anaesthesia.

314. Being a bhakta.

315. Does practice make any difference?316. Repetition of Practices.

317. Self knowing the Self.

318. Gunas and History.319. Apparent contradictions in Advaita.

320. saMskAra-s, svadharma and karma.

321. Experience and Knowledge.

322. Seeking Giving up Pleasures?323. Advaita for Mothers.

324. Enjoying Being Brahman.325. mAyA and Ishvara.326. brahman and AkAsha.327. Vegetarianism.328. Non dual reality.329. Bhagavad-Gita and Advaita.330. Depression.331. Beyond Stillness.332. Creativity.333. Incomplete Enlightenment.334. Different Teachings.335. Reincarnation.336. Reality of the World.337. The Changing World.338. Not the Doer.339. What is the point of enlightenment?340. Witnessing Consciousness.341. Positive Thinking.342. Teaching of Nisargadatta and Ramana.343. Meaning of Ishopanishad mantra.344. Death of the small I.345. What is the purpose of life?

346. brahman, Ishvara and mAyA.347. Stone consciousness.348. Temporary realization.349. Gurus grace.350. Heaven and Hell.351. Attributes of Brahman.352. Sexual desire and happiness.353. Witness to the boredom.354. Consciousness and reality.355. Faith in a Path.356. Signs Along the Way.357. Existence of Objects.358. mAyA and avidyA.359. Some potential practices.If you want to ask a question, and do not object to its being included in this section, pleaseemail me.

3 THOUGHTS ON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. gopalaharionMay 17, 2012 at 12:04said:If the word (Atman or Brahman) belongs to paramArtika state no need to discuss that in vyavArika state.We will understand that when we reach! that state. However big or small the dicussion may be it is futile in vyavArika state. Is there anything futile or productive in Dream state?

Log in to Reply DennisonMay 17, 2012 at 20:25said:Not sure what you mean here. ALL words belong to vyAvahArika; that is the only place any discussion can take place. And paramArtha is not a state; you are never going to reach it. Reality is now (how could it not be?) Enlightenment is for the jIva in this dualistic (albeit mithyA) world.

Dennis

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