The Fundamentals of Advaita Vedanta / A Lead-in to Vedanta Cycle I

Course title: The Fundamentals of Advaita Vedanta / A Lead-in to Vedanta Cycle I
Facilitator: Dr Radha Raghunathan

 

Dates: Sundays 

28 August; September 4, 11, 18.

 

Time: at 7 PM IST (India Time), 1:30 PM GMT
2 hours each

check your local time (scroll down in that link to find your city)

APPLICATION: Course has ended on 18 September 2022

Synopsis
Human beings are in constant pursuit of something or the other with the hope of finding happiness or fulfilment on achieving what is pursued. What every individual is seeking through any pursuit is to end all suffering and enjoy permanent bliss. But on reaching one goalpost, the pursuer feels the need to pursue more of the same goal or something else. This constant pursuit of satiation, fulfilment and happiness leaves the individual disappointed, fatigued and helpless. Vedānta, the philosophical  portions occurring in the final sections within the Vedas, provides a solution to this great human problem. Of the different schools of Vedānta, Śaṁkarācārya’s Advaita Vedānta shows that the solution is within oneself. All the facets of life which can be categorized into three: God, universe and the self. Advaita Vedānta establishes that all these three are but manifestations of One Absolute Reality, that the One alone is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss from which everything that we experience derives existence, consciousness and bliss; therefore, that One Absolute Reality alone is the Ultimate Truth and the rest are all unreal. And the greatest truth is that the essential nature of an individual is that Absolute Reality. On realising this truth, the external  quest for peace, security and happiness ends instantaneously and the seeker readily re-aligns to live blissfully in this world of unreality. ‘A Lead-in to Vedānta’ offers a first acquaintance to understanding the fundamental problem, the truth about oneself, the means of realising that truth and re-aligning oneself to a life of freedom amidst chaos and uncertainty. 

Suggested Reading

The Vedanta Commentaries of H.P. Blavatsky: Compiled and Annotated by H.J. Spierenburg, Point Loma Publications, San Diego, California, USA, 1992, pages 1 – 38

Introduction to Vedanta (The Vedic View and Way of Life) by H.H. Sw. Paramarthananda, founder-acarya of Vedanta Vidyarthi Sangha. – Book can be downloaded from the website of Arsha Avinash Foundation

Introduction to Vedanta – Understanding the Fundamental Problem by H.H. Sw. Dayananda, Published Vision Books (Incorporating Orient Paperbacks), New Delhi / Mumbai / Hyderabad. – pdf book can be downloaded free from a few sites in the internet. e.g., vedpuran.files.wordpress.com, archive.org and other such sites

Dr Radha Raghunathan is an author, editor, critic and independent researcher in manuscripts and Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta.

Hon. Director and Gen. Editor, ALRC since Nov. 2019.

She published articles on philosophy in prestigious journals and presented papers at various seminars including Indian Council for Philosophical Research (ICPR), Indian Philosophical Congress (IPC) and Sree Shankaracharya Univ. for Sanskrit, Kalady, who have an MOU with ALRC.

Published works include Translation with Notes on Ādi Śaṃkarācārya’s Nirvāṇa-ṣaṭkam (Shankara Jyanti Vol. – 2013, Adi Shankara Vedanta Pratishthanam, Bhubaneswar), A Critical Edition and Translation of Jñānāṅkuśam with Two Commentaries (ALRC, 2017), Bellaṁkoṇḍa Rāmarāya Kavi’s Vedānta Muktāvalī with Introduction and Notes (Chinmaya International Foundation Shodhasansthan, Veliyanad, 2018), Special Volume of Brahmavidyā Commemorating Ramanuja’s Sahasrābdi (Adyar Library and Research Centre (ALRC) Annual Bulletin 2017-2018), Translation with Notes on Parāśara Bhaṭṭar’s Aṣṭaślokī in Sanskrit with Prativādi Bhayaṅkaram Annaṅgarācāryār’s Sārārtta Dīpikai commentary in Maṇipravāḷa (ALRC, 2019), Paramata Bhaṅga: An Exposition – Śrī Vedānta Deśika’s Critique of Non-Viśiṣṭādvaita Philosophies (ALRC, 2020).

She writes articles and reviews regularly for ALRC’s Brahmavidyā, and edits Brahmavidyā, the research journal of ALRC, since 2017.

She was also a guest faculty for Post-graduate courses in Advaita at Satya Nilayam, Chennai.

Her interests include building harmony through interfaith and intercultural dialogues. 

• M.A (Indian Philosophy), M.A (Sanskrit), M.A (English)

• Ph.D in Indian Philosophy (Univ. of Madras).
Vedānta study:

Studied Advaita Vedānta for nearly two decades under H.H. Sw. Paramarthananda Saraswati, founder-ācārya of Vedanta Vidyarthi Sangha, Chennai.
This ācārya trained under H.H. Sw. Chinmayananda Saraswati and H.H. Dayananda Saraswati, and has been teaching Advaita Vedānta in a structured format in English regularly from the simplest to the most complex texts for almost 45 years now. He has written the Foreword to my Critical Edition and Translation of Jñānāṅkuśam with Two Commentaries, a Advaita work.