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Re: Non-duality
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To: alt-hindu@cis.ohio-state.edu
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Subject: Re: Non-duality
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From: vivek@cs.rice.edu (Vivek Sadananda Pai)
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Date: 22 Mar 1995 01:02:52 GMT
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Distribution: world
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From news@larry.rice.edu Tue Mar 21 19: 49:20 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: Rice University, Houston, Texas
Parag Gupta <PXG111@PSUVM.PSU.EDU> writes:
> What's good for you might not be good for me. The same sun that is giving
>me peace may give someone else sunstroke! If you find standing on one leg
>praying to God for eternity as your vehicle use it, but do not dare tell anyone
>else to do the same!!
On one hand, you make the statements over and over about how
we should not tell others what to do, what to worship, etc., etc.
Yet, at the same time, you say things like
> But, one thing I don't like is criticism of other paths,
But in a much earlier post, you said:
> If you want a perfect feel for Hinduism, without any cultish kind of
>interpretation!! Read lectures given by Swami Vivekananda, and his spiritual
So, you feel that other paths are just "cultic interpretations",
yet you say that you don't like criticism of other paths. It seems
to me that calling other paths "cultic interpretations" rather than
"equally valid ways to the truth" is basically criticism.
>And 100 years later it disgusts me for Hindus to
>criticize these souls, Utterly Shameful!!!!!!
Here is a quote which I found interesting:
"So, it is not right to say that the Impersonal idea will lead
to a tremendous amount of evil in the world, as if the other
doctrine never lent itself to works of evil, as if it did not
lead to sectarianism deluging the world with blood and causing
men to tear each other to pieces. 'My God is the greatest God,
let us decide it by a free fight.' That is the outcome of dualism
all over the world" vol 2, p 320.
Someone who sees dualism as causing all of this bloodshed and saying
that it is "the outcome of dualism" doesn't seem to have a whole
lot of respect for dualism. That's fine, and that's his choice,
but at the same time, I think this gives me the right to make
my own judgement about this person, without it being "utterly shameful".
Especially, if, as you said
>We are freethinkers and decide our own fate by what we do today.
You also say
> most tolerant religion in the world, The Mother of Religions, and definitely
> Vivekananda's speech in Chicago in 1893 showed the world that advaita is the
> popular belief of most Hindus.
I don't know how one could come to that conclusion. Yes, he did make
a speech. Yes, he was an advaitin. However, lacking any other evidence,
the only logical conclusion is that "some Indians are advaitins", not
that "advaita is the popular belief among Hindus".
I say this because I believe your statement is untrue. Most Indians
live in the villages, and I find it hard to believe that most
farmers believe themselves to be God. From what I've seen, they tend
to be either monotheistic, polytheistic, or somewhere in between.
However, I'm rather convinced that most of them are likely to be
dualists. If they know about Vivekananda, they might say that he's
a great Hindu, but I'd be surprised if they (or any significant
percentage of Indians) knew what he said.
-Vivek
