The Vedanta Philosophy: An Explanation
The principle of Vedanta is hard to follow. Though many people preach it, I doubt they follow it.
According to Vedanta philosophy, God is one. Everything is made up of God. God is everything. So far it's nice.
The issue arises when you try to see God in other human beings. People are different. They treat you differently. You want to see God in them, but you fail to relate them to God because they all act differently. Let's not go to acts. Action is still a distant thing when you notice their looks. They look good, they look bad, they look angry, they look sad, and so on. How can they be God?
Forget humans too. Vedanta says the phone you are holding in your hands right now, is God. Does it make any sense? That phone, the screen, the person holding it, and the person who composed the text you are reading is God. How is that possible? That chair you are sitting on is also God. God is everywhere. Makes sense? Not to me. I tried to see God in everything and everyone and failed miserably.
Further, if I am God, how come I am so weak and vulnerable to all types of emotions? Doesn't make any sense, does it?
I am not trying to reach any conclusion here, nor am I trying to sell Vedanta philosophy. It's up to you to understand. The question is, how do you understand! The answer is, by practicing.
But how to practice? Even the most learned of people is seldom able to hold his/her/their emotions. If they can't, how are you and I going to understand Vedanta?
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once told a tale. There was a sage whose disciples went into the forest to collect fruits. A person riding a charging elephant was shouting that the elephant was uncontrollable. He was shouting at everyone and asking them to get away from the elephant. All of the sage's disciples ran away except for one. Since he didn't move off the elephant's way, the elephant picked him up and threw him away, inflicting injuries on him. He somehow reached his guru's ashram and asked the sage why the elephant hurt him despite being God. The sage replied saying if the disciple believed that the elephant was God, why he didn't believe the man on the elephant, because he too was God and was asking everyone to move away from the elephant.
The above tale speaks much about Vedanta philosophy. It doesn't say Vedanta philosophy is false. It also doesn't ask you to believe it foolishly.
Swami Vivekananda compared living beings with the waves of ocean. The ocean waves look different in size and shape but are actually the ocean itself. According to Swami Vivekananda, people are waves of the same ocean that's God. That explains Vedanta a bit.
He also said people are like a vast lake with ripples (small waves). He compared these ripples with the vritti (disturbances) of the lake. He said the lake is not clear as long as these vritties are present. But once the lake gets rid of those disturbances, it can see its bottom (the God within). I have yet to see a person who is that calm.
As I said above, I am not trying to reach any conclusion about the Vedanta philosophy. I'll leave it up to you to understand it. If you have any views of your own, please share them with me too.
~
Arun Kumar Acharya
Signed: 02/08/2023 At 02:02
According to Vedanta philosophy, God is one. Everything is made up of God. God is everything. So far it's nice.
The issue arises when you try to see God in other human beings. People are different. They treat you differently. You want to see God in them, but you fail to relate them to God because they all act differently. Let's not go to acts. Action is still a distant thing when you notice their looks. They look good, they look bad, they look angry, they look sad, and so on. How can they be God?
Forget humans too. Vedanta says the phone you are holding in your hands right now, is God. Does it make any sense? That phone, the screen, the person holding it, and the person who composed the text you are reading is God. How is that possible? That chair you are sitting on is also God. God is everywhere. Makes sense? Not to me. I tried to see God in everything and everyone and failed miserably.
Further, if I am God, how come I am so weak and vulnerable to all types of emotions? Doesn't make any sense, does it?
I am not trying to reach any conclusion here, nor am I trying to sell Vedanta philosophy. It's up to you to understand. The question is, how do you understand! The answer is, by practicing.
But how to practice? Even the most learned of people is seldom able to hold his/her/their emotions. If they can't, how are you and I going to understand Vedanta?
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once told a tale. There was a sage whose disciples went into the forest to collect fruits. A person riding a charging elephant was shouting that the elephant was uncontrollable. He was shouting at everyone and asking them to get away from the elephant. All of the sage's disciples ran away except for one. Since he didn't move off the elephant's way, the elephant picked him up and threw him away, inflicting injuries on him. He somehow reached his guru's ashram and asked the sage why the elephant hurt him despite being God. The sage replied saying if the disciple believed that the elephant was God, why he didn't believe the man on the elephant, because he too was God and was asking everyone to move away from the elephant.
The above tale speaks much about Vedanta philosophy. It doesn't say Vedanta philosophy is false. It also doesn't ask you to believe it foolishly.
Swami Vivekananda compared living beings with the waves of ocean. The ocean waves look different in size and shape but are actually the ocean itself. According to Swami Vivekananda, people are waves of the same ocean that's God. That explains Vedanta a bit.
He also said people are like a vast lake with ripples (small waves). He compared these ripples with the vritti (disturbances) of the lake. He said the lake is not clear as long as these vritties are present. But once the lake gets rid of those disturbances, it can see its bottom (the God within). I have yet to see a person who is that calm.
As I said above, I am not trying to reach any conclusion about the Vedanta philosophy. I'll leave it up to you to understand it. If you have any views of your own, please share them with me too.
~
Arun Kumar Acharya
Signed: 02/08/2023 At 02:02
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