Listen to All 8 Parts in a podcast
Part 3 of an 8 Part Series
A condensation of Vedic Dharma
While the historical accuracy about the birth of Adi Shankara may be questioned, there is little doubt that such a person did exist who brought to life vedic advaita and caused a resurgence in the following of the Vedic Dharma. Leaving aside the rituals and practices prescribed in the Vedas, Shankara focused on the understanding of the Upanishads – the philosophical commentaries that focus on spiritual enlightenment. But, unlike Vedic scholars who had preceded him, he realised the importance of reaching the ordinary people who had neither the ability nor the inclination to appreciate philosophy and theology. He therefore embraced the fledgling bhakthi (explained below) movement into his consolidation of Vedic Dharma and defined the four paths of Yogic Self Realisation – union with the Divinity Within.
Bhakthi Yoga - Realisation of Self through devotion to an external focus, usually a Divine deity, which brings the devotee into a surrender of ego and an all-embracing love of the world.
Karma Yoga - Realisation of Self through selfless action aimed at benefiting others and with no taint of self-serving interests.
Njana Yoga - Realisation of Self through seeking to understand the nature of the self and thereby attaining understanding of the nature of the Divine Self.
Kriya Yoga - Realisation of Self through the practice of kriya (meditation) which enables direct perception of the divine consciousness that lies beyond reason and sensory perception. This path is also known as Raja Yoga, the principal path of Self Realization.
A seeker can follow any or all of these paths in search of Self Realisation. The cornerstone of Advaita Vedanta is the belief that, while Divinity can manifest as singular or multiple external entities, the thread of Divinity lies at the core of every manifest object and empowers it. Therefore, by whatever path one pursues Union with Divinity, the destination remains the same. Belief in the Duality of Creator and Creation is not rejected outright but instead embraced as just another viewpoint. This is why Bhakthi, which is devotion to an external Divinity, can still bring the devotee to Union with the Divine Self embedded within.
All mainstream religious practices are made up of Bhakthi and Karma. The rituals and deities may be different but the focus remains devotion and good work. Those who can see this truth are able to embrace the diversity that has flowered among humankind. Additionally, in every religion, there are scholars delving into the scriptures in search of deeper meaning – theirs is the path of Njana which overlays their bhakthi and karma. A seeker can follow any of these paths to whatever degree that feels right. The ultimate goal is the realisation that our body and mind are not the purpose of our lives. They are merely the means by which to fulfil our true purpose, our dharma – reuniting with the Divinity from which we originated. Those who understand this can escape the cycles of rebirth while those do not understand and remain entangled with fulfilling the desires of body and mind, keep coming back lifetime after lifetime to continue trying to fulfil those elusive desires.
Notes:
- Dvaita is the duality of Creator and Creation as separate entities. Advaita is the nonduality of the two, with Creator being an integral part of the Creation.
No comments:
Post a Comment