[Buddha-l] Modern Advaita sages

[curt]

Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:

> You're a very romantic person, Curt. To me Vivekananda is just a human 
> being who has been the subject of much devotional litterature. I like 
> to keep my feet on the ground.
>
>
Leaving me and my romanticism aside for the moment, my point was that 
Vivekananda's own writings - not "devotional literature" - contradict 
your portrayal of him.

Here is a brief excerpt from Vivekananda on Raja Yoga:

"... after the first few months of practice you will begin to find that 
you can read another's thoughts; they will come to you in picture form. 
Perhaps you will hear something happening at a long distance when you 
concentrate your mind with a wish to hear. These glimpses will come, by 
little bits at first, but enough to give you faith and strength and hope."

And I really must call attention to your saying that Vivekananda was "a 
rationalist because of his English education". What little the "English" 
know of reason they learned from the Irish and the French - and India! 
And Sanskrit was a language of discourse on reason and logic for many 
centuries years before the English language even existed.

It is probably true that Vivekananda's "English eduction" did teach him 
how better to deal with the English colonialists, just as Ho Chi Minh's 
education in Paris also proved quite useful. When Asian teachers and 
sages deign to try to communicate their understanding to westerners, we 
usually assume that its all about us. In fact, however, Asian teachers 
make use of their successes in winning approval and validation from 
western audiences in order to help stem the tide of western 
"civilization" as it threatens to obliterate all of the other cultures 
of the world. This was certainly the case with Vivekananda - the 
prestige that he gained from his acclaim at the World Parliament of 
Religions made it much easier for him to do his real work back home - 
defending the ancient culture of the Indian subcontinent against the 
Imperialism (cultural and otherwise) of the British.

There I go being all romantic again. Valentine's Day must be coming up!

- Curt