The Advaita Worldview: God, World, And Humanity (S U N Y Series in Religious Studies)

In questo libro, Anantanand Rambachan offre una prospettiva fresca e dettagliata sull'Advaita Vedanta, la tradizione religiosa più influente e venerata dell'Induismo. Rambachan, che è sia uno studioso che un Advaitin, si occupa attentamente delle Upanisad e dei commenti autentici di Sankara per sfidare la tradizione e riconsiderare aspetti centrali dei suoi insegnamenti attuali. La sua ricostruzione e reinterpretazione dell'Advaita si concentra in particolare sulla natura del Brahman, sullo status del mondo in relazione al Brahman e sul significato e l'importanza della liberazione.Rambachan mette in discussione le rappresentazioni contemporanee di un brahman impersonale e la necessità di distinzioni popolari e gerarchiche come quelle tra un brahman superiore (para) e inferiore (apara). Tali distinzioni, sostiene Rambachan, sono incoerenti con la natura non duale del Brahman e non sono necessarie quando la relazione del Brahman con il mondo è correttamente compresa. Mettendo in discussione la tradizionale enfasi di Advaita sulla rinuncia e sulla negazione del mondo, Rambachan espande la comprensione della sofferenza (duhkha) e della liberazione (moksa) e affronta le disuguaglianze socioeconomiche, di genere e di casta. Partendo dal presupposto che il mondo è un'espressione celebrativa della pienezza di Dio, questo libro propone l'Advaita come un percorso universale e disinibito verso una vita liberata impegnata nella compassione, nell'uguaglianza e nella giustizia. THE ADVAITA WORLDVIEW......Page 2 Contents......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 1. The Human Problem......Page 22 THE LIMITS OF KNOWLEDGE......Page 23 THE LIMITS OF WEALTH......Page 24 THE LIMITS OF PLEASURE......Page 26 THE REFLECTIVE LIFE......Page 28 THE NECESSITY OF VIRTUE......Page 32 VIVEKA......Page 34 VAIRAGYA......Page 35 SAMADIS ATKASAMPATTI......Page 36 MUMUKSUTVA......Page 38 SADHANA CATUSTAYA AND THE IMMEDIACY OF KNOWLEDGE......Page 39 ELIGIBILITY FOR DISCIPLESHIP AND THE CASTE SYSTEM......Page 40 OVERCOMING THE HUMAN PROBLEM......Page 44 WHO AM I?......Page 46 THE ATMAN AND THE BODY......Page 47 THE ATMAN AND THE MIND......Page 48 THE ATMAN AS AWARENESS......Page 49 THE ATMAN AS TIMELESS......Page 51 THE ATMAN AS ANANDA......Page 53 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A VALID MEANS OF KNOWLEDGE......Page 60 THE LIMITS OF PERCEPTION AND INFERENCE......Page 61 THE VEDAS AS THE MEANS OFKNOWLEDGE FOR BRAHMAN......Page 62 KNOWLEDGE AND THE ATTAINMENT OF BRAHMAN......Page 63 THE SELF-REVEALING NATURE OF BRAHMAN......Page 64 IGNORANCE AS INCOMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF BRAHMAN......Page 66 KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE......Page 67 THE DILEMMA OF KNOWING THE KNOWER......Page 68 NON-DUAL EXPERIENCE AND NON-DUAL KNOWLEDGE......Page 74 THE TEACHER AND THE TEXT......Page 75 BRAHMAN AS ULTIMATE MYSTERY......Page 77 DENYING THE REALITY AND VALUE OF THE WORLD......Page 80 THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD FROM BRAHMAN......Page 82 BRAHMAN AS INTELLIGENT AND MATERIAL CAUSE......Page 83 THE UNIVERSE AS NON-DIFFERENT FROM BRAHMAN......Page 84 THE ATMAN AS NON-DUAL......Page 56 THE DOCTRINE OF MAYA......Page 85 ASYMMETRICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAHMAN AND WORLD......Page 87 IS THE WORLD AN ILLUSION?......Page 89 WORLD AS CELEBRATIVE EXPRESSION OF BRAHMAN......Page 91 SEEING THE ONE AND THE MANY......Page 93 6. Brahman as God......Page 96 BRAHMAN AS NIRGUNA AND SAGUNA......Page 97 ARE HIERARCHIES IN BRAHMAN NECESSARY?......Page 98 THE PROBLEM OF CHANGE AND ACTIVITY IN BRAHMAN......Page 99 THE PROBLEM OF SUBSTANCE AND ATTRIBUTES......Page 101 THE PROBLEM OF PURPOSE......Page 104 THE VALUE OF THE CREATION FOR BRAHMAN......Page 109 THE NATURE OF IGNORANCE......Page 112 LIBERATION AS I DENTICAL WITH THE NATURE OF BRAHMAN......Page 113 EMBODIED OR LIVING LIBERATION......Page 114 LIBERATION AS FREEDOM FROM DES IRE......Page 115 LIBERATION AS THE ATTAINMENT OF FULLNESS OF SELF......Page 116 LIBERATION AS FREEDOM FROM THE CYCLES OF REBIRTH......Page 117 LIBERATION AS FREEDOM FROM KARMA......Page 119 LIBERATION AS FREEDOM IN ACTION......Page 120 LIBERATION AS IDENTIFICATION WITH ALL BEINGS......Page 122 LIBERATION AS KNOWING BRAHMAN TO BE SELF AND GOD......Page 124 Notes......Page 130 Bibliography......Page 146 A......Page 152 E......Page 153 K......Page 154 P......Page 155 T......Page 156 W......Page 157 Y......Page 158 2007 CHOICE Outstanding Academic TitleIn this book, Anantanand Rambachan offers a fresh and detailed perspective on Advaita Vedanta, Hinduism's most influential and revered religious tradition. Rambachan, who is both a scholar and an Advaitin, attends closely to the Upanisads and authentic commentaries of Sankara to challenge the tradition and to reconsider central aspects of its current teachings. His reconstruction and reinterpretation of Advaita focuses in particular on the nature of brahman, the status of the world in relation to brahman, and the meaning and relevance of liberation.Rambachan queries contemporary representations of an impersonal brahman and the need for popular, hierarchical distinctions such as those between a higher (para) and lower (apara) brahman. Such distinctions, Rambachan argues, are inconsistent with the non-dual nature of brahman and are unnecessary when brahman's relationship with the world is correctly understood. Questioning Advaita's traditional emphasis on renunciation and world-denial, Rambachan expands the understanding of suffering (duhkha) and liberation (moksa) and addresses socioeconomic as well as gender and caste inequalities. Positing that the world is a celebrative expression of God's fullness, this book advances Advaita as a universal and uninhibited path to a liberated life committed to compassion, equality, and justice. "In this book, Anantanand Rambachan offers a fresh and detailed perspective on Advaita Vedanta, Hinduism's most influential and revered religious tradition. Rambachan, who is both a scholar and an Advaitin, attends closely to the Upanisads and authentic commentaries of Sankara to challenge the tradition and to reconsider central aspects of its current teachings. His reconstruction and reinterpretation of Advaita focuses in particular on the nature of brahman, the status of the world in relation to brahman, and the meaning and relevance of liberation." "Rambachan queries contemporary representations of an impersonal brahman and the need for popular, hierarchical distinctions such as those between a higher (para) and lower (apara) brahman. Such distinctions, Rambachan argues, are inconsistent with the non-dual nature of brahman and are unnecessary when brahman's relationship with the world is correctly understood. Questioning Advaita's traditional emphasis on renunciation and world-denial, Rambachan expands the understanding of suffering (duhkha) and liberation (moksa) and addresses socioeconomic as well as gender and caste inequalities. Positing that the world is a celebrative expression of God's fullness, this book advances Advaita as a universal and uninhibited path to a liberated life committed to compassion, equality, and justice."--Jacket Anantanand Rambachan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 133-137) And Index.