A Contemporary Interpretation of Mayavada: Advaita Vedanta and the Affirmation of the Material Universe

<p>Mayavada (the doctrine of maya) is the Advaitin explanation of how the infinite Brahman is manifested as the finite material world. Brahman is unchanging and perfect; the locus of the changing and imperfect world. This paper has two aims. The first is to show that mayavada affirms the reality of the material world, despite the claims of Paul Deussen and Prabhu Dutt Sharstri to the contrary. To achieve this end a world-affirming mayavada is formulated based on the metaphysics of Swami Vivekananda, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Sri Aurobindo. The second aim is to show that world-affirming mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which should be taken seriously in contemporary metaphysical debate. To achieve this some pluralist arguments against nondualism are rejected, and it is explained how world-affirming mayavada is preferable to pluralism when accounting for the ontological problems that arise from limitless decomposition and emergence due to quantum entanglement. Hence the conclusion of this paper will be that mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which affirms the reality of the material world.</p>

A Contemporary Interpretation of Mayavada: Advaita Vedanta and the Affirmation of the Material Universe

<p>Mayavada (the doctrine of maya) is the Advaitin explanation of how the infinite Brahman is manifested as the finite material world. Brahman is unchanging and perfect; the locus of the changing and imperfect world. This paper has two aims. The first is to show that mayavada affirms the reality of the material world, despite the claims of Paul Deussen and Prabhu Dutt Sharstri to the contrary. To achieve this end a world-affirming mayavada is formulated based on the metaphysics of Swami Vivekananda, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Sri Aurobindo. The second aim is to show that world-affirming mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which should be taken seriously in contemporary metaphysical debate. To achieve this some pluralist arguments against nondualism are rejected, and it is explained how world-affirming mayavada is preferable to pluralism when accounting for the ontological problems that arise from limitless decomposition and emergence due to quantum entanglement. Hence the conclusion of this paper will be that mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which affirms the reality of the material world.</p>

The Concept of Shraddha - Unflinching Faith for Character Building

India is a multifaceted country having diverse cultural background. National integration is of paramount importance where different ethnically groups are co-existing. Character Building is a solution to the problem. Seventeenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita, exclusively deals with concept ofS hraddha (the trust or faith). The attribute oft his trust has been elaborated by the great personality, namely Adi Shankaracharya, and Swami Vivekananda, who have defined and used the word Shraddha to project their understanding as an attribute of Character Building. The student community and those imparting or moulding the Character of the youth are required to understand this concept of trust for development of Nation.

Christ as Yogi: The Jesus of Vivekananda and Modern Hinduism

Swami Vivekananda was the most influential pioneer of a Yogi Christ, illustrating well over a century ago how the life and teachings of Jesus might be incorporated within a larger Hindu worldview—and then presented back to Western audiences. Appropriation of Jesus, one of the central symbols of the West, might be viewed as the ultimate act of counter-Orientalism. This article begins by providing a brief biography of Vivekananda and the modern Hinduism that nurtured him and that he propagated. He articulated an inclusivist vision of Advaita Vedanta as the most compelling vision of universal religion. Next, the article turns to Vivekananda's views of Christianity, for which he had little affection, and the Bible, which he knew extraordinarily well. The article then systematically explores Vivekananda's engagement with the New Testament, revealing a clear hermeneutical preference for the Gospels, particularly John. Following the lead of biblical scholars, Vivekananda made a distinction between the Christ of the Gospels and the Jesus of history, offering sometimes contradictory conclusions about the historicity of elements associated with Jesus's life. Finally, the article provides a detailed articulation of Vivekananda's Jesus—a figure at once familiar to Christians but, in significant ways, uniquely accommodated to Hindu metaphysics. Vivekananda demonstrated a robust understanding and discriminating use of the Christian Bible that has not been properly recognized. He deployed this knowledge to launch an important and long-lived pattern: an attractive, fleshed out depiction of Jesus of Nazareth, transformed from the Christian savior into a Yogi model of self-realization. Through his efforts, Jesus became an indisputably Indian religious figure, no longer just a Christian one. The Yogi Christ remains a prominent global religious figure familiar to Hindus, Christians, and those of other faiths alike.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA: AS A SOCIAL REFORMER

Swami Vivekananda was the pioneer of the 19th century renaissance by religious revolution in India. He was one of the foremost leaders who were very much concerned about the poor and subjugated persons of the society. Vivekananda realized that there is need of reformation in society. Vivekananda wanted to revive the lost confidence of the common people in society. He visited extensively within the country to understand their problem. He wanted to eliminate all the social evils of the society which are major obstacles for the mankind. These social evils are poverty in general, untouchability, illiteracy, intolerance, religious superstitions etc. He always pleaded for the fraternity, humanity and harmony. He realized that the ultimate goal can be achieved through self-development of human values, not only by laws. In this short discourse, I would like to highlight Vivekanada’s philosophical realization towards the mankind and his ideo of Rerormation. KEYWORDS- Reformation, Untouchability, Self-realization, Harmony, Humanism, Brahman, Narayana, Brotherhood.