Some teachings from Shri Atmananda (Krishna Menon)

Some teachings from Shri Atmananda
Dennis Waite

Some teachings from Shri Atmananda. This document has been extracted from a discussion on the Advaitin E-group during Nov 2003 to Jan 2004. The discussion was led by Ananda Wood; and the extraction is largely the work of Dennis Waite. The document is very compact and straightforward. If you need a quick reminder on non-duality, this is a good choice. It also contains a glossary related to Advaita and non-duality.

From the book:

In the ‘cosmological’ approach, an ‘individual person’ or ‘jiva’ is considered as an incomplete part of an encompassing universe. Hence that approach is described as one ‘of bringing the individual under the universal’. It requires an expansion of consideration to a universal functioning – which is ruled by an all-powerful ‘God’ called ‘Ishvara’, or which expresses an all-comprehensive reality called ‘brahman’. Literally, ‘brahman’ means ‘expanded’ or ‘great’. When what is considered gets expanded, beyond all limitations of our physical and mental seeing, then brahman is realized. Such expansion may be approached through various exercises that have been prescribed, to purify a sadhaka’s character from ego’s partialities. In particular, there are ethical practices that weaken egocentricism; there are devotional practices that cultivate surrender to a worshipped deity; and there are meditative practices that throw the mind into special samadhi states where usual limitations are dissolved into an intensely comprehensive absorption. Through such prescribed practices, a sadhaka may get to be far more impartial, and thus get a far broader and more comprehensive understanding of the world. A teacher may accordingly prepare a sadhaka, through a greatly broadened understanding of the world, before directing an enquiry that reflects back into non-dual truth. That cosmological path involves a characteristic attitude of faith and obedience, towards the tradition which has prescribed its mind-expanding and characterpurifying practices. Accordingly, that path has been given public prominence, in traditional societies which have been organized on the basis of obedient faith.

Download it here (64 pages):

Teachings Atmananda Krishna Menon

 

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