Practical Philosophy and Rational Religion | The true Vedantic spirit does not start out with a syst
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keywords: description: Practical Philosophy and Rational Religion The true Vedantic spirit does not start out with a system of preconceived ideas. each man has been entirely free to search wherever he pleased for the spiritual explanation of the spectacle of the universe. Romain Rolland (French Nobel Laureate) Skip to content HomeAll postsBhagavad Gita Posts related to Gita on this blog Message of Gita கீதையின் செய்தி Message of Gita (Tamil) గీతా సందేశము Message of Gita (Telugu) ಗೀತಾದರ್ಶನ Message of Gita (Kannada) Bhagavad Gita Essence and Summary Bhagavad Gita Lecture Notes Introduction to Bhagavad Gita based on Sankaras Introduction Bhagavad Gita Summary (Swami Tapasyananda)Writings An Outline Of Hinduism Death What to do about it? Indian Social Structure Life of Holy Mother Science, Religion and Philosophy What is Religion? The Indian Answer A Brief Outline of Hinduism FAQ on Hinduism Chaar Dhaam Pilgrimage Drupal as a Web Application Development framework From Facebook Idea for Social Service Outline for a workshop or booke-LibraryContribute Areas of ResearchAbout us Gokulmuthu Narayanaswamy What is Practical Philosophy?Practical Philosophy, here, is the translation of the Sanskrit word Darshana. It is not for mere academic discussion. It is for living. Every moment of our life depends on the kind of model we have about the world and about ourselves. By getting clarity in the model, we can lead a better life. Everything that is told here is Hinduism presented in words that are easily understandable by todays people. Some articles give references. Some do not. However, there is nothing totally new here. It is the age-old wisdom in a modern package.
HappinessEvery creature seeks happiness. We have a concept that it is objects, people and situations that create happiness and sorrow. If it is true, then the same object, person or situation should give the same amount of happiness to everyone at every time. But this is far from the truth. Moreover, at anytime, if we decide to be happy irrespective of anything, no object, person or situation can make us unhappy. This shows that happiness is an attitude. It is by choice that we are happy or unhappy. No one can remove this freedom from us. We are inherently free emotionally. We just need to break the delusion and habit of depending on objects, people and situations for our happiness. We just need to make a resolution to be happy. This delusion can be broken by knowing our true nature. The habit can be broken by living up to this conviction.
Who am I?When I say I, I mean the subject. Anything that is objectifiable is not I. I can objectify everything in the world. I can objectify the body and mind too. That which remains ever the subject is the real I.
When the eyes see a flower, the eye is the subject, the flower is the object; form and color of the flower are properties. When the mind sees the eye, the mind is the subject; the eye is the object; myopia of the eye, etc are properties. When the intellect sees the mind, the intellect is the subject; the mind is the object; understanding and confusion are properties. Properties always belong to the object and never to the subject.
So, I have no properties. All change is in properties only. So I am changeless. As I am changeless, I am free from action and results. Changeless implies changeless in time and space. So I am eternal and omnipresent. So I am infinite and sole existence. There is no second entity. So everything that exists is just I only.
There is no limited individuality. There is just one infinite conscious existence, which is I. It is a delusion to identify with a particular body and mind.
However, it is not possible for me to suddenly jump into this conviction. I need to go step by step from where I am. From my current practical point of view, I am the wielder of free-will. I decide what to do and I am responsible for my decision. I use my body and mind as instruments to experience this world and express myself in this world.
Who is God?When I identify myself as a limited individual, the infinite is objectified as God.
From the point of view of the finite body and mind, God is seen as the sentient being, to whom belongs the sum total of all physical and mental existence. Everything comes from God, everything exists in God and everything dissolves back into God. There is no existence of anything apart from God.
God is seen as the Law of Causation by which all actions fructify into results in a just manner. God is the essence of all physical, mental and spiritual laws by which everything works.
God is seen as the sentient being, who is the solace for tired minds and the source of inspiration of all virtue. As God is everything, God can be accessed as formless or in any form and by any name. God is the ultimate target of love, knowledge and veneration by every individual.
Thus the concept of God helps me to face ups and downs of life with poise. It also helps me to realize the oneness of all existence. Thus it gives an easy and practical approach to the problems of “Happiness” and “Who am I?” from the point of view of relative individual existence.
Does God exist? God is existence. God alone exists.
Wise LivingWith this knowledge of my true nature, I need to stop identifying with the body-mind complex and start identifying myself as the real ‘I’. To enable this, the sensory inputs and thought patterns need to be regulated. I should learn to forbear success and failure, while doing whatever is needed as duty. The truth needs to be ruminated again and again to be fully convinced about and assimilated fully. Freedom and happiness can be enjoyed “here and now” by living up to this knowledge and conviction.
Practical PhilosophyApplying all these concepts to practical everyday life is the theme of this website. The obstacles to realizing this knowledge and freedom, and the various ways to overcome the obstacles are often discussed.
Welcome !!!Recommended reading:
The Spiritual JourneyThe Philosophy of Bhagavad GitaBhakti According to Bhagavad GitaMeditation According to Bhagavad GitaAll is OneBreak FreeShare this:FacebookLinkedInRedditTwitterTumblrPinterestPocketTelegramWhatsAppSkype Download article as PDF 38 Responses to What is Practical Philosophy? K.Nalla Tambi says: October 9, 2012 at 2:48 am
NICE ARTICLE.
Reply K.Nalla Tambi says: October 9, 2012 at 2:48 amNICE ARTICLE.
Reply rohith says: November 18, 2013 at 8:42 pmDear Gomuji,
I have the following question in my mind, does the concept of hell and heaven exist, according to Gita we all rotate through the cycle of birth of death by taking different forms of life. In that case I cannot fit anything like Hell here, then what about YamaDharmaRaja who punishes people for their bad sins etc., is this true.
Thanks and Regards,
Rohith
Dear Rohithji,
One fundamental thing that you should understand is the concept of reality. Science is based on materialism, which says that matter (and energy, radiation, etc) is the fundamental entity in the universe. Mind and Consciousness are considered as products of matter.
We consider Consciousness as the fundamental entity. Mind a product of that. The world is a product of the mind. The world exists in the mind of the isvara, which the minds of all the living beings put together.
Different types of heaven and hell as mentioned in the Vedas and puranas are different states of mind, just like this world. It is the minds of the living beings that creates the worlds. If a person has a strong desire to enjoy various imagined pleasures in an imagined heaven, he will be subjected to that experience, just like a dream. This world is also like that only. It is only because of our desires to enjoy various things in this world, that we are subjected to this experience. However, whether it is this world or heaven or hell, whichever place, it is temporary and your stay is also temporary. Once the part of your karma that is allotted to that experience is over, you will have to move on. It is just like a dream. It has to come to an end.
Yama Dharma Raja is just a face given to the law of causation. He enforces the law of karma appropriate experience for every action. All the deities in Hinduism are concepts, which are given a personality to understand, remember and relate easily by the common man. Concepts will tend to remain at an intellectual level. When they are made into personalities, they will be related to at an emotional level, which actually drives our everyday actions. So it is a more effective psychological technique.
The only way out of this cycle of pleasure and pain is to realize your true identity as not the body or mind that undergoes all these experiences, but as the pure Consciousness, in which all these experiences occur. That is called moksha. You do not attain anything new. You only get the proper understanding of reality. You realize that you have been always free. You realize that you were never in the world (or heaven or hell or wherever). The world is in you.
This does not mean that the world, the heavens and hells are unreal or illusions. As long as you are dreaming, the dream is real to you. Similarly, when you consider these from the relative plane, all these have to be considered as real.
I hope that answers your questions.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
Dear Gomuji,
I have the following question in my mind, does the concept of hell and heaven exist, according to Gita we all rotate through the cycle of birth of death by taking different forms of life. In that case I cannot fit anything like Hell here, then what about YamaDharmaRaja who punishes people for their bad sins etc., is this true.
Thanks and Regards,
Rohith
Dear Rohithji,
One fundamental thing that you should understand is the concept of reality. Science is based on materialism, which says that matter (and energy, radiation, etc) is the fundamental entity in the universe. Mind and Consciousness are considered as products of matter.
We consider Consciousness as the fundamental entity. Mind a product of that. The world is a product of the mind. The world exists in the mind of the isvara, which the minds of all the living beings put together.
Different types of heaven and hell as mentioned in the Vedas and puranas are different states of mind, just like this world. It is the minds of the living beings that creates the worlds. If a person has a strong desire to enjoy various imagined pleasures in an imagined heaven, he will be subjected to that experience, just like a dream. This world is also like that only. It is only because of our desires to enjoy various things in this world, that we are subjected to this experience. However, whether it is this world or heaven or hell, whichever place, it is temporary and your stay is also temporary. Once the part of your karma that is allotted to that experience is over, you will have to move on. It is just like a dream. It has to come to an end.
Yama Dharma Raja is just a face given to the law of causation. He enforces the law of karma appropriate experience for every action. All the deities in Hinduism are concepts, which are given a personality to understand, remember and relate easily by the common man. Concepts will tend to remain at an intellectual level. When they are made into personalities, they will be related to at an emotional level, which actually drives our everyday actions. So it is a more effective psychological technique.
The only way out of this cycle of pleasure and pain is to realize your true identity as not the body or mind that undergoes all these experiences, but as the pure Consciousness, in which all these experiences occur. That is called moksha. You do not attain anything new. You only get the proper understanding of reality. You realize that you have been always free. You realize that you were never in the world (or heaven or hell or wherever). The world is in you.
This does not mean that the world, the heavens and hells are unreal or illusions. As long as you are dreaming, the dream is real to you. Similarly, when you consider these from the relative plane, all these have to be considered as real.
I hope that answers your questions.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
From looking at the top page this does not look like practical philosophy. My idea of practical does not deal with spirituality or God directly. There is too much variability and room for argument. Besides what is the practical use? Why not leave that to religion so that they will have something to keep them busy arguing about it? A practical philosophy would, I think, show how to communicate, how to study, how to work better, how to organize, how to keep the body healthy and more useful, how to stay in the analytical band of thought and not go effect of the non-analytical band. Above all, it should show how to get onto and stay with a Commitment to Continuous Improvement lifetime after lifetime. If such a practical philosophy is carried out, spirituality will improve. The reverse improving spirituality without improving these practical skills does not seem to work well from what I have seen. In fact, it can be dangerous to the health of a country, or even a civilization.
Reply gokulmuthu says: January 27, 2014 at 6:45 pmDear Laird,
The best course of activity for a person depends on his level of development. What you say is right that for most people all round health and an externally productive life is the best thing to start with. However, that cannot be generalized for everyone.
If you read the various articles in this website, you can find that religion is the means to absolute happiness inside and absolute morality outside. For example, you can read the article Why religion. It is a gradual process to reach the end. The general topics in this page is typically for a person who is already leading a moral and socially productive life and is looking for something more to go further.
Reply R Laird says: January 1, 2014 at 1:19 pmFrom looking at the top page this does not look like practical philosophy. My idea of practical does not deal with spirituality or God directly. There is too much variability and room for argument. Besides what is the practical use? Why not leave that to religion so that they will have something to keep them busy arguing about it? A practical philosophy would, I think, show how to communicate, how to study, how to work better, how to organize, how to keep the body healthy and more useful, how to stay in the analytical band of thought and not go effect of the non-analytical band. Above all, it should show how to get onto and stay with a Commitment to Continuous Improvement lifetime after lifetime. If such a practical philosophy is carried out, spirituality will improve. The reverse improving spirituality without improving these practical skills does not seem to work well from what I have seen. In fact, it can be dangerous to the health of a country, or even a civilization.
Reply gokulmuthu says: January 27, 2014 at 6:45 pmDear Laird,
The best course of activity for a person depends on his level of development. What you say is right that for most people all round health and an externally productive life is the best thing to start with. However, that cannot be generalized for everyone.
If you read the various articles in this website, you can find that religion is the means to absolute happiness inside and absolute morality outside. For example, you can read the article Why religion. It is a gradual process to reach the end. The general topics in this page is typically for a person who is already leading a moral and socially productive life and is looking for something more to go further.
It is indeed very refreshing to see the various a rticles in your site here, though I have not yet gone through all of them. I wish you all the best, in your continuing activity in this regard. Thank you!
Ananth
Reply gokulmuthu says: March 28, 2015 at 11:56 amThank you.
Reply S.S.Ananthakrishnan says: February 22, 2014 at 4:43 pmIt is indeed very refreshing to see the various a rticles in your site here, though I have not yet gone through all of them. I wish you all the best, in your continuing activity in this regard. Thank you!
Ananth
Thank you.
Reply Rajasekhar says: May 20, 2014 at 7:24 pmGomu, nice to reconnect with your thoughts here. My best wishes to you and your volunteers.
Reply Rajasekhar says: May 20, 2014 at 7:24 pmGomu, nice to reconnect with your thoughts here. My best wishes to you and your volunteers.
Reply Vinay says: March 27, 2015 at 3:48 amDear Gomu,
I was very glad to come across this website. I liked the intention of sharing practical Vedanta knowledge. I am a very engineer by profession but more inclined towards understanding spirituality in logical way. I was learning about it from a research scholar who gave me this understanding of God as just energy. It appealed to me greatly. I introspected the concept and wrote a blog on that. Thought of sharing it here.
http://yogavijnanablogs.blogspot.in/2012/11/what-is-god-let-us-understand.html
Please let me know if there is any way to contribute.
Vinay,
Reply gokulmuthu says: March 28, 2015 at 12:07 pmDear Vinay-ji,
Thanks for the offer. We will get back to you if needed. We will go through your blog.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
Dear Gomu,
I was very glad to come across this website. I liked the intention of sharing practical Vedanta knowledge. I am a very engineer by profession but more inclined towards understanding spirituality in logical way. I was learning about it from a research scholar who gave me this understanding of God as just energy. It appealed to me greatly. I introspected the concept and wrote a blog on that. Thought of sharing it here.
http://yogavijnanablogs.blogspot.in/2012/11/what-is-god-let-us-understand.html
Please let me know if there is any way to contribute.
Vinay,
Dear Vinay-ji,
Thanks for the offer. We will get back to you if needed. We will go through your blog.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
Religion and Dharma are fundamentally different. It appears that the authors writing about Dharmic knowledge system without mentioning it. I hope that it is due to ignorance. Has the author read the book Being Different by Rajiv Malhotra? This book will be a good starting point for the author to understand the dharmic knowledge system.
Reply gokulmuthu says: March 28, 2015 at 12:04 pmDear Santi-ji,
We have read and are familiar with Rajiv Malhotras excellent work. We were part of the team that arranged Rajivjis talks in Bangalore. We are starting a study circle to read and discuss Rajivjis works.
What you have mentioned is right. Any discussion of Hinduism is about Dharma and not religion in the classical narrow meaning of the word. In fact, in this website, what we mean is not even general Dharma. It is Advaita Vedanta Darshana.
We are followers of Advaita Vedanta in the light of Sri Sankara, Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
You are welcome to join us in exploring, developing and disseminating this knowledge.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
Religion and Dharma are fundamentally different. It appears that the authors writing about Dharmic knowledge system without mentioning it. I hope that it is due to ignorance. Has the author read the book Being Different by Rajiv Malhotra? This book will be a good starting point for the author to understand the dharmic knowledge system.
Reply gokulmuthu says: March 28, 2015 at 12:04 pmDear Santi-ji,
We have read and are familiar with Rajiv Malhotras excellent work. We were part of the team that arranged Rajivjis talks in Bangalore. We are starting a study circle to read and discuss Rajivjis works.
What you have mentioned is right. Any discussion of Hinduism is about Dharma and not religion in the classical narrow meaning of the word. In fact, in this website, what we mean is not even general Dharma. It is Advaita Vedanta Darshana.
We are followers of Advaita Vedanta in the light of Sri Sankara, Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
You are welcome to join us in exploring, developing and disseminating this knowledge.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
Your reply to Rohiths question
(I have the following question in my mind, does the concept of hell and heaven exist, according to Gita we all rotate through the cycle of birth of death by taking different forms of life. In that case I cannot fit anything like Hell here, then what about YamaDharmaRaja who punishes people for their bad sins etc., is this true.)
was exceptionally excellent. I have this dillema, if it can be solved. Is there a Destiny? or is there aFree Will. Please, if i could be sent an answer for the same i shall be very thankful.
Thanks and Regards
Aman
Dear Aman,
The concept of free-will is applicable only when reality of individuality is assumed. So, what we can say is this: As long as a person accepts his own individuality, free-will has to be accepted. When a person realizes that his own individuality is only a notion and is unreal, there will be no concept of free-will.
What you call destiny is just the fructification of the past action, which was done using free-will. So free-will and destiny have cause and effect relationship.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
Your reply to Rohiths question
(I have the following question in my mind, does the concept of hell and heaven exist, according to Gita we all rotate through the cycle of birth of death by taking different forms of life. In that case I cannot fit anything like Hell here, then what about YamaDharmaRaja who punishes people for their bad sins etc., is this true.)
was exceptionally excellent. I have this dillema, if it can be solved. Is there a Destiny? or is there aFree Will. Please, if i could be sent an answer for the same i shall be very thankful.
Thanks and Regards
Aman
Dear Aman,
The concept of free-will is applicable only when reality of individuality is assumed. So, what we can say is this: As long as a person accepts his own individuality, free-will has to be accepted. When a person realizes that his own individuality is only a notion and is unreal, there will be no concept of free-will.
What you call destiny is just the fructification of the past action, which was done using free-will. So free-will and destiny have cause and effect relationship.
With regards,
Gokulmuthu.
Hi Gokulmuthu,
I have read your book the Tenets of Hinduism, and enjoyed its simplicity and how practical it was. I have it as a book electronically and cant send or have it printed as it is not in a printable setting.
How can I go about getting a copy that I can have printed as I would love to share it with my family and friends.
Thanks for your interest. You can download the PDF version from the link e-Library http://practicalphilosophy.in/elibrary/
Reply Leona says: July 11, 2016 at 10:19 amHi Gokulmuthu,
I have read your book the Tenets of Hinduism, and enjoyed its simplicity and how practical it was. I have it as a book electronically and cant send or have it printed as it is not in a printable setting.
How can I go about getting a copy that I can have printed as I would love to share it with my family and friends.
Thanks for your interest. You can download the PDF version from the link e-Library http://practicalphilosophy.in/elibrary/
Reply Chandra Rangnath says: December 30, 2017 at 4:13 amHi Gokul.
On your home page, you say There is no individuality. There is just one infinite conscious existence, which is
Reply gokulmuthu says: July 29, 2018 at 5:21 amDear Sir, the truth cannot be compromised. But, everyone has to be given a path based on where they are. There is no individuality is the highest truth. However, that is not practical for everyone. So a preparatory philosophy is also given, which gives a beautiful view and way of life. You can read http://practicalphilosophy.in/2017/04/01/philosophy-of-the-gita/
Reply Chandra Rangnath says: December 30, 2017 at 4:13 amHi Gokul.
On your home page, you say There is no individuality. There is just one infinite conscious existence, which is ‘I’. It is a delusion to identify with a particular body and mind. This sounds nihilisticsomewhat depressing. How do I continue to live happily in my given body and mind and asserting at the same time it is delusion to identify with this body and mind ? How does this kind of a notion help, anyway ? Can we convince young skeptical Hindus to stay and persist with the practise of the religion with this kind of advise ..you are not your body, you have no real individualityThere is just one infinite conscious existence ??
Dear Sir, the truth cannot be compromised. But, everyone has to be given a path based on where they are. There is no individuality is the highest truth. However, that is not practical for everyone. So a preparatory philosophy is also given, which gives a beautiful view and way of life. You can read http://practicalphilosophy.in/2017/04/01/philosophy-of-the-gita/
Reply Shekar says: December 27, 2018 at 12:45 amThank You for the document you have compiled on Death What to do about it. Very helpful in my journey toward attaining spiritual evolution.
Reply Shekar says: December 27, 2018 at 12:45 amThank You for the document you have compiled on Death What to do about it. Very helpful in my journey toward attaining spiritual evolution.
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