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vishista-ADVAITA VEDANTA

SHUNYATA OR NOTHINGNESS

SHUNYATA NOTHINGNESS IN HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM

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Rita Gupta

That nothingness is goal of Buddhism. In Hinduism one strive to become Brahm that is everything.

Shantanu Panigrahi

Rita Gupta, It is counterproductive to set goals. Let truth come to you if you are searching. If you have already made up your mind as to who you are and what you want to be you will never get moksha, that is the release from bondages.

Rita Gupta

Shantanu Panigrahi I am just telling you the main difference between Hinduism and Buddhism. You are free to follow your path.

Ahmad Ali

Rita Gupta, Sri Gaudapada, who was a scholar of Advaita Vedanta, said that "शून्यता" or "अजातिवाद" (both terms could be translated as "nothingness") is the ultimate becoming because once one merges with Brahman there would be nothing left: "When the mind does not lie low, and is not again tossed about, then that being without movement, and not presenting any appearance, culminates into Brahman." So Buddhist understanding of this is only from Hinduism. Obviously Brahman is something or we wouldn't even be aware to write here what its name might or might not be. So nothingness is just beyond language way to describe something none of us can rally explain 🙂

Rita Gupta

Ahmad Ali Could be, because Siddhartha (before he became Buddha) was a born Hindu and started his search under traditional Gurus but come to realization that all that old ways are unnecessary. Hence sought out those Gurus and started teaching his own version.

Shantanu Panigrahi

Rita Gupta, Hinduism in its essence is the same as Buddhism: they just approach the same goal from different angles. Both prescribe dharma, but through a vow in Buddhism, whereas in HInduism there is no vow to be taken. One is free to seek out one's path towards wherever one is destined to go on the basis that Creation must be preserved and protected and individually this is essential for one's spiritual progress. Both Hindusim and Buddhism state that attachment is one's greatest impediment to gain knowledge and that ignorance is the cause of all the stress that one tries to alleviate for peace of mind. When the mind is free one has arrived at Shunyata or Nothingness. There is no attachment to anything, God or material elements in Nature. Yes I have changed my mind about Gautama Buddha, in that he was a man who had taken sanyassi from his family and kingdom in search for the truth and found the same truth that I have realised in terms of doing no harm to any element of Nature wherever possible. I am a nonvegetarian by force of circumstances as ideally I would like to be a vegetarian but for family commitments of living in the United Kingdom. Further, it has been known since time immemorial that one must get to moksha and this I did by adopting the procedure of truth-accommodation or satya-advaita yoga. No one in Hinduism or Buddhism has ever talked about truth-seeking through truth-accommodation and it has worked for me in that I ended up in Shunyata or Nothingness after having been a devoted bhakta of Sri Krishna for 20 years. The outcome of truth-seeking is most definitely moksha in Shunyata. I have lived to see that day.

Shantanu Panigrahi

Ahmad Ali, Nothingness/Shunyata is a philosophy based on the strive for the truth that one arrives at when one is truth-accommodating in satya-advaita yoga. One cannot say for certain that the vyvaharika, the visible world is an illusion. We in philosophical terms of Hindusim call it Relative reality and Shunyata the Absolute Reality. It is philosophy, not religion. Vishista-advaita Vedanta is a religion for it sets out clear dos and donts on personal conduct (Dharma) much as Budhhism has the 4 Noble Truths and the Eight-fold path as Dhamma. I cannot at this moment in time see that there is a great difference between the two approaches to escape out of the Samsara. In Samadi (the state of being when all ones truth-seeking is complete and one is a Spiritual Master and adept) I am in Nothingness now, where, because I am still living with my wife and daughter I set out different dharma for myself at this level of Reality and so have had to modify my Vishista-advaita sanatan dharma into a personal dharma. In Vishista-advaita Vedanta, one never abandons one's sanatan dharma which includes the fact that marriage is a sacred union of a man and wife in holy matrimony in front of God, so over 24 years of great trials, my wife and I stood toegether with our daughter; whereas the Buddha being an atheist abandoned his family and kingdom to seek knowledge as a sanyassi. That is not permitted in Vishista-advaita Vedanta. So there are differences to the Buddhist aproach and my philosophy within the Hindu fold. I do not believe in escaping out of this Samasara (Creation) but enjoy living in it as a God-sent facility for us humans. My Shunyata having been experienced within the family household, it is clear that we do not need monkhood to delve into spirituality.

On Facebook Time line on Shunyata/Nothingness and the Post Realisation Samadhi state for a Vishista-adviatist.

 

Rita Gupta

Shantanu Panigrahi, Great, now try to share what you have found with others, If you want.

 

Shantanu Panigrahi

Rita Gupta, I am too busy to share anything with anyone. I have work to do, so I have reverted to Brahmanism, which means conducting dharmayudha for material gain. That is what a Vishista-advaitist does in Samadhi.

 

Rita Gupta

OK, do whatever you want.

 

Shantanu Panigrahi

Rita Gupta, Thank you.

 

Ahmad Ali

Shantanu Panigrahi, but it was a different time when the Buddha was leaving, and his family didn’t need him really 🤗 Didn’t Shridhama curse the love of Sri Krishna with Radha to Loka Patal Loka because sometimes devotion is higher than material things, even if material things are pleasure, love, and family 😍 But yes, you are right, monk hood is not needed. Your path is unique.

 

Shantanu Panigrahi

Ahmad Ali, Once one has realised Shunyata there is no turning back. I tried various things including reverting to Brahminism dharmayudha in trying to find out what is to be done in Samadhi, if one is alive. But it did not satisfy me, for my mind is operating at the interface between the atman and the Supermind (OM) still and I do things nonchalantly, spontaneously and unpremeditatedly still. I had Sri Krishna as my Paramatman Sadhguru lying dormant in my psyche but for the periods when He advised me to undertake Brahmanism dharmayudha, and then he left me and I was left to find out what Sanatan dharma in reverence and devotion to Sri Krishna required me to do. This went on unsuccessfully as He was no longer advising me, and I had to find this out the hard way by losing all my ego, desires and attachments to the body and under the hypothesis that whatever happens in the universe is preordained and preorchestrated under Sri Krishna's Sudharshan Chakra. The satya-advaita process that I then undertook entailed not having any aims, ambitions, plans, wishes, hopes, anticipations, expectations, desire to do karma, desire to do dharma and getting rid of all other attachments gradually as I saw that the process still left me with just the right actions to conduct my work of Conservation and Preservation when I formed the Conservative Libertarian Society (https://theconservativelibertariansociety.com). I was operating nonchalantly, spontaneously and unpremeditatedly to try and find my destiny for I could never forget the visions, utterances and direct prophesies that I experienced and the only way to try and prove to my satisfaction that God had been instrumental in guiding me was to relinquish my body which led to me saying to myself and others that the body is not important, what is most important is the mind. The mind must attain the atman state and further into the mahatman state to be perfect in one's actions for karma in sanatan dharma because at this interface with OM one was carrying out Sri Krishna's preordained and preorchestrated wishes, so the correct thing to do was to find one's kismat/bhagya/destiny in this way. Once I had reached Shunyata, the question arose in my mind 'Is that it for me?' I have attained immortality or moksha in this state? It remains to be seen for right now I have taken the decision to remain nonchalant, spontaneous and unpremeditated in all my future actions rather than blow about like tree leaves in the wind awaiting Mahasamadhi or worse undertake direct karmic actions both of which will destroy my satya-advaita yoga sadhana. My yoga still therefore continues in Samadhi to find out what my destiny is in humanity. That is the natural way to be, the ideal liberty while one is still alive.

Ahmad Ali

Shantanu Panigrahi, fascinating. The people who accept Buddha as the ninth transformation of Vishnu come to that same understanding—that this is the age to let go of all—before humanity enters the age of kali yuga and Kalki will ends us all. So, are you sure you have not become a Buddhist, my friend? 🤗

Shantanu Panigrahi

Ahmad Ali, All I know for certain is that I am nothing.

Ahmad Ali

Shantanu Panigrahi, “He has the most who is content with nothing “ said Lord Buddha ❤️

Shantanu Panigrahi

Ahmad Ali, When one is nothing, he posseses nothing, so the question of contentment does not arise.😞

Ahmad Ali

Shantanu Panigrahi, he's so content with nothing he thinks nothing haha 🙂

Shantanu Panigrahi

Ahmad Ali, He is neither content nor does he think anything because nothing has no mind or brains.

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Last Updated: 20.31 pm hours (UK-Time) 3 October 2021

 

 

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