The Advaita Worldview

In this book, Anantanand Rambachan offers a fresh and detailedperspective on Advaita Vedania, 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

Anantanand Rambachan is Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College

ABBREVIATIONS

xi

INTRODUCTION

1

(8)

CHAPTER ONE THE HUMAN PROBLEM

9

(10)

The Limits of Knowledge

10

(1)

The Limits of Wealth

11

(2)

The Limits of Pleasure

13

(2)

The Reflective Life

15

(4)

CHAPTER TWO THE REQUIREMENTS OF DISCIPLESHIP

19

(12)

The Necessity of Virtue

19

(2)

Viveka

21

(1)

Vairagya

22

(1)

Samadisatkasampatti

23

(2)

Mumuksutva

25

(1)

Sadhana Catustaya and the Immediacy of Knowledge

26

(1)

Eligibility for Discipleship and the Caste System

27

(4)

CHAPTER THREE THE NATURE OF THE Atman

31

(16)

Overcoming the Human Problem

31

(2)

Who Am I?

33

(1)

The Atman and the Body

34

(1)

The Atman and the Mind

35

(1)

The Atman as Awareness

36

(2)

The Atman as Timeless

38

(2)

The Atman as Ananda

40

(3)

The Atman as Non-dual

43

(4)

CHAPTER FOUR THE SOURCE OF VALID KNOWLEDGE

47

(20)

The Significance of a Valid Means of Knowledge

47

(1)

The Limits of Perception and Inference

48

(1)

The Vedas as the Means of Knowledge for Brahman

49

(1)

Knowledge and the Attainment of Brahman

50

(1)

The Self-Revealing Nature of Brahman

51

(2)

Ignorance as Incomplete Knowledge of Brahman

53

(1)

Knowledge and Experience

54

(1)

The Dilemma of Knowing the Knower

55

(6)

Non-dual Experience and Non-dual Knowledge

61

(1)

The Teacher and the Text

62

(2)

Brahman as Ultimate Mystery

64

(3)

CHAPTER FIVE Brahman AS THE WORLD

67

(16)

Denying the Reality and Value of the World

67

(2)

The Origin of the World from Brahman

69

(1)

Brahman as Intelligent and Material Cause

70

(1)

The Universe as Non-different from Brahman

71

(1)

The Doctrine of Maya

72

(2)

Asymmetrical Relationship between Brahman and World

74

(2)

Is the World an Illusion?

76

(2)

World as Celebrative Expression of Brahman

78

(2)

Seeing the One and the Many

80

(3)

CHAPTER SIX Brahman AS GOD

83

(16)

Brahman as Nirguna and Saguna

84

(1)

Are Hierarchies in Brahman Necessary?

85

(1)

The Problem of Change and Activity in Brahman

86

(2)

The Problem of Substance and Attributes

88

(3)

The Problem of Purpose

91

(5)

The Value of the Creation for Brahman

96

(3)

CHAPTER SEVEN LIBERATION

99

(18)

The Nature of Ignorance

99

(1)

Liberation as Identical with the Nature of Brahman

100

(1)

Embodied or Living Liberation

101

(1)

Liberation as Freedom from Desire

102

(1)

Liberation as the Attainment of Fullness of Self

103

(1)

Liberation as Freedom from Mortality

104

(1)

Liberation as Freedom from the Cycles of Rebirth

104

(2)

Liberation as Freedom from Karma

106

(1)

Liberation as Freedom in Action

107

(2)

Liberation as Identification with All Beings

109

(2)

Liberation as Knowing Brahman to be Self and God

111

(6)

NOTES

117

(16)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

133

(6)

INDEX

139

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The Advaita Worldview

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials