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Garland
of Advaitic Wisdom
is comprised of an introduction to Advaita Vedanta,
followed by a large collection of crest non-dual
teachings extracted from ancient scriptures of Advaita
Vedanta, Zen Buddhism, Taoism, and also from the
recorded teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi.
The first part of the book accounts for the origin
of Advaita, beginning with the Veda-s, the Indian
philosophical systems, and concluding with Vedanta.
A brief description of the Vedanta philosophical
system follows, and then a detailed accounting of
the fundamental doctrines of the Advaita School
and its sub-schools, Vivarana, Bhamati, and Varttika.
The first part of the book provides the reader with
the minimal theoretical knowledge he needs for a
correct understanding of the wisdom contained in
the four parts of quotes.
In the second part of the book, the principal and
largest section, the reader will find the essence
of Advaita wisdom. Further, in part three, the reader
will discover the wisdom of Sri Ramana Maharshi.
In the last and shorter parts, four and five, the
reader will find the wisdom of Zen and Tao.
The quotes selected and presented in these four
parts are in the form of verses, sayings, and
short stories. They were selected during the past
five years and were chosen as best exemplifying
the essential themes of the non-dualistic Eastern
philosophies. To best enjoy and realize the wisdom
of the quotes, the reader should keep in mind
the principal themes covered in this book:
-
Ajati-vada ~ the doctrine
of no-creation,
-
Paramartika-satya ~ the Absolute
Truth,
- Brahman-jiva-jagat
~ the identity of Brahman, the Absolute; jiva,
the individual soul; and jagat, the phenomenal
world,
-
No-Time, No-Path ~ the
realization of Brahman is ultimately beyond any
factor of time, path or practice.
It
is hoped that the reader will also enjoy the humorous
quotes in Parts Two, Three, Four, and Five.
Following the five parts of the main body of the
book are the Appendixes, which contain interesting
and useful tables comparing the doctrines of Advaita
and Vishishtadvaita Vedanta and also the tenets
of the two principal schools of Advaita, Vivarana,
and Bhamati. The Appendixes also contain variety
of descriptive charts. Following the Appendixes
there is a Glossary of important Sanskrit terms.
Though
the quotes contained in this work represent the
essence of the most important non-dual teachings,
the serious spiritual seeker should make an effort
to read and study the complete texts from which
the quotes were taken.
May your study be well illumined and your understanding
right and final! May you never discard Brahman
and may Brahman never discard you!
OM Shanti!
Ajati
May 25, 2002
Tiruvannamalai - India
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