HUMA 1865 Lecture Notes - Sri Vaishnavism, Brahma Sutras, Ramanuja
13 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
6 schools of philosophy in hinduism: samkhya, nyaya, vaisheshika, Yoga has attracted popularity in contemporary times. * important early interpreter of vedanta was shankara (c 800): he believed reality is non-dual; the only reality is brahman, and this reality is indescribable, without attributes. Brahman and atman (the human soul are identical); shankara upholds the unity of what most people perceive as 2 distinct entities. Therefore, liberation/moksha, is the removal of ignorance by the power of transforming knowledge. * liberation can be achieved in this life, but will only come after the death. Shankara"s 3 levels of reality: dreams, life, and brahman. Skeptics of shankara: if maya is real, then there are only 2 realities, brahman and maya. If maya was unreal, it could not be the cause of the cosmic delusion attributed to it. The most signiciant interpreter of theistic vedanta for the sri vaishnava community (vishnu devotees) in southern india.
