atma yoga teacher training 4: the history of vedanta

1.Yoga

a living tradition

part four:

the history of vedanta

The philosophy of yoga in Kali yuga has followed a shifting erratic evolution from atheism to devotion.

To understand where we are we might follow the path that yoga has taken over the last 5000 years

It is the evidence of history that at a certain time every society attains its manhood, when a strong conflict ensues between the ruling power and the common people.

The life of society, its expansion and civilization, depend on its victory or defeat in this conflict.

Support often comes like a wave crashing on the scene cleansing everything.

But when the wave recedes what remains?

REVOLUTION

FASHION:

a pattern of cooptation

Krishna

Buddha

Sankacharya

Mohamed

Chaitanya

The Social Wants at the Time of Buddha

Buddhism was the rebellion of the newly formed kshatriyas against Vedic priestcraft.

[After the lull cause by the reconciliation effected by Sri Krishna], the ambition of the two classes - brahmin and kshatriya - to be the masters of the poor and ignorant was [still] there, and the strife once more became fierce.

Buddhism Combated Not Only Priestcraft and Animal Sacrifice: It was the First to Break Down the Barriers of Caste

These different social divisions developed or degenerated into iron-bound castes and an organized and crystallized priestcraft stood upon the necks of the nation. At this time Buddha was born and his teaches were the revolution .

Original Buddhism ... was but an attempt to combat caste and priestcraft; it was the first in the world to stand as champion of dumb animals, the first to break down caste, standing between human beings.

Buddhism... broke the chains of the masses. All castes and creeds alike became equal in a minute.

Brahmanya power was almost effaced from its field of work in Indian during the Jain and Buddhist revolutions;

Buddha Broke the Mental and Spiritual Bonds of Men by Preaching Vedanta to the Whole World

India was full of witchcraft in Buddha's day. There were the masses of the people, and they were debarred from all knowledge. If just a word of the Vedas entered the ears of a man, terrible punishment was visited upon him. The priests had made a secret of the Vedas - the Vedas that contained the spiritual truths discovered by the ancient Hindus!

What Buddha did was to break wide open the gates of that very religion which was confined in the Upanishads and to a particular caste.

Buddha preached the most tremendous truths.He taught the very gist of the philosophy of the Vedas to one and all without distinction; he taught it to the world at Large, because one of his great messages was the equality of humanity.

Human beings are all equal. No concession there to anybody!

Buddha was the great preacher of equality. Every man and woman has the same right to attain spirituality - that was his teaching.

The Reasons Why Buddhism Had to Die a Natural Death in India

To Break the Tyranny of Priestcraft Buddhism Swept Away the Idea of the Personal God

The aim of Buddhism was reform of the Vedic religion, by standing against ceremonials requiring offerings of animals, against hereditary caste and exclusive priesthood, and against belief in permanent souls. It never attempted to destroy that religion, or to overturn the social order.

Buddha is said to have denied the Vedas because there was so much killing.

Buddha wanted no pandering to the priests, the powerful, the kings. No bowing before superstitious traditions, however hoary; no respect for forms and books just because they came down from the distant past. He rejected all scriptures, all forms of religious practice.

Even the very language, Sanskrit, in which religions had traditionally been taught in India, he rejected, so that his followers would not have any chance to imbibe the superstitions that were associated with it.

A lack of practicality (original Buddhism eventually required monasticism) and the lack of virtue in this age within a century Buddhism splintered into a mass of superstition and ceremonialism.

In this state neither the priestly class nor the administrative class emerged as the clear ruling class india was in disaray and modified vedic tantric rituals began to remerge.

Buddha fashion (and brahmanya fashion) sets the stage for the next revolution.

Enter Shiva

My dear sir, always remember this: akara akara skd r akarcrya is Lord iva himself.

r akarcrya is the spiritual preceptor of all the Vaiavas and for this reason r Caitanya has acclaimed him as an crya, great preceptor. r akarcrya is a perfect Vaiava.

Bhakti Vinode Thakura

About 800 AD Lord Adi Sankaracarya (Shiva) delivered the philosophy of Nirvisesa Advaitam (Advaita Vedanta)

Reintroduced the validity and importance of the Vedas

Focused the philosophy on suddha monism

Idea of oneness without variety or identity

1 with God, all beyond that is illusion (false)

Everything including God is false, only theconcept of Godis 1 without variety and is real

It was a veiled Buddhism, meant to mislead the atheists (Mayavadi)

FANATICISM leads to misunderstanding: Fanatism + Fashion = Fascism

Their theory is that as long as Brahman, the non-dual transcendental truth, remains singular, He is transcendental to my. They propose that when He accepts form and becomes the jva, He acquires diverse shapes and is thus afflicted by my

This notion was rejected by akarcrya who said, Healways remains separate.

nryaa paro 'vyaktt,or Nryaa exists separately, apart from the impersonal creative energy.

advaita-siddhi vs. mahbhva:

(impersonalist vs. personalist)

In about 1017 AD Ramanuja Acarya delivered the philosophy Vasista Advaita(qualified monism)

Although everything is indeed united with God, there are real differences between the souls and God

Ramanuja established philosophy by using the 7 impossible tenants to Advaita Vedanta

Nature of Avidya (ignorance, real or unreal)

Incomprehensivenessof Avidya (ignorance is neither real or unreal)

Grounds of knowledge of Avidya (obscuring layer, positive darkness)

Location of Avidya (enter point)

Avidyas obscuration of Brahman (its an impossibility)

Removal of Avidya by Brahma-vidya (god knowledge, whatever exists has attributes)

Removal of Avidya (discloses bondage as real because knowledge indicates it)

Circa 1100 AD Dvaitam (dualism) is established by Madhvacarya

Emphasizes and defines the differences between God, the world and the souls

Direct opposite to monism

Madhvacarya was portion of Vamana, Brahma, Ananta Sesha and Sanaka Kumara

Vishnuswami was the founder-acharya of the Rudra sampradaya and is the oldest of the four recognized sampradayas

Born in 3,000 BC, recorded teachings in 300 BC, 900 AD and 1300 AD

In 1300 AD taught Visuddhadvaita

God is Vishnu

Note:Vallabhacarya was the son of a student of Vishnuswami

He taught Suddha Veda = everything is one with personal god Krishna

Circa 1200 AD, Dvaitadvaita-vada was introduced by Nimbarka

First to identify the Supreme as the divine couple

The 4 kumars (the sage children of Brahma who didnt want to grow up, just wanted to meditate) initiated Nimbarka

Circa 1486 Caitanya Mahaprabhuexpounded Acintya-bhedabheda-tattva

God is inconceivable and simultaneously one and different

Analogies:

drop of water and ocean

grain of sand and beach

Six Goswamis

Systematized the knowledge communicated by Lord Caitanya

Distinction between quality and quantity

Near the beginning of the year 5000 of the current Vedic age (approx. 2011 AD) yoga philosophy approaches the yoga philosophy of Satya yuga the Golden Age: achinta-bedhabedha

Summary: Vedanta (yoga philosophy) demonstrates multiple facets of the absolute truth

God as good behavior (vedanta of Buddha)

God as energy (vedanta of Shankaracharya)

God as form (vedanta of Ramanuja)

God as a separate person (vedanta of Madhava)

God as the source and maintainer of all creation (Visnuswami)

God as a loving couple (vedanta of Nimbarka)

God as all of the above and then some (Chaitanya)

atma yoga teacher training 4: the history of vedanta

Spiritual

philosophies buddhism

philosophies buddha

philosophies original

time of buddha buddhism

india buddha

philosophies revolution

time buddha

aim of buddhism