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Thread: Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

  1. #1

    Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

    Namaste,

    Has anyone taken the online or postal Vedanta course offered through Chinmaya Mission? If you have, would you mind sharing your feedback? Was it instructive? Help you develop your Sadhana?

    Thanks,

    VB

  2. #2
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    Re: Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

    Vannakkam VB: I haven't taken it but would trust it, as Chinmaya Mission is a well established traditional controversy-free sampradaya, and well known and well respected for its educational programs.

    Aum Namasivaya

  3. #3

    Re: Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

    Quote Originally Posted by Vaikuntha Bound. View Post
    Namaste,

    Has anyone taken the online or postal Vedanta course offered through Chinmaya Mission? If you have, would you mind sharing your feedback? Was it instructive? Help you develop your Sadhana?

    Thanks,

    VB
    Jai Shri KRshNa, VaikunTha Bound,

    If you are still planning to be VaikunTha Bound, then i am surprised you have resorted to this noble mission of Swami ChinmayAnanda - everything else is true about them - very balanced sanskAr and teachings for all ages - however ....

    This swamiji comes from Shringeri MaTh established by Adi ShankarAcharya, biggest preacher of Kevala Advaita - absolute monism.

    They are not VaikuNTha Bound. They are proponents and preachers of Kevala Advaita - the way Shankaracharya interpreted Vedanta.

    They are very nice folks, and Swami Chinmayanda himself was a very insightful Guru for his followers, but again - they are not VaikuNTha Bound.

    Many of their lecturers are honest enough to say they do not think there is any VaikuNtha, Golok, Heaven, or KRshNa and take ViswarUpa darshan, and all of BhAgavatam as metaphorical.
    http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses..._sadananda.htm
    Some religions and even Vedic philosophers claim that there are hierarchies in heaven too and there are some who are eternal servants of God. If the lot of some is better than that of others, all we are doing is transporting all the problems of this world to heaven too, but of course with the promise that we are going to be happy there since we are nearer to God. Everybody is happy in heaven, but some are happier than others since their lot is better or they are closer to God. Do not ask me why, but that is so. My apologies if you are offended for the way I have expressed my self. These are some of the thoughts that I went through before I was exposed to Vedanta.
    They have metaphorical explanations when questioned, and generally do not bother with anything other than upanishads and teachings of Adi ShankarAcharya - naturally because they are his descendants, from Shringeri MaTh.


    Listening to their discourses or reading their literature may destroy your Bhakti LatA (creeper of devotion) or prevent the Bhakti LatA Beej from sprouting if indeed you are VaikuNTha-bound. This is what Gauranga (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) meant by " ... sunile sarvanAsh" as it will be hard for a nascent bhakta to come out of the quick sand.

    It was my duty to inform you before you dive in.

    om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya~
    Last edited by smaranam; 24 July 2012 at 10:34 AM.
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

  4. #4

    Re: Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

    Namaste:

    Thanks for the concern. Really.

    I think it would be interesting for my wife and would provide a source of discussion for us. She's been largely agnostic up to now, and most religiosity just feels awkward for her. This is a good middle ground to have a conversation around. If it introduces her to ideas and she finds value in bhakti later, then great. If it becomes the basis for a spiritual practice for her, that's fine, too. And if I completely fall in love with Advaita - well, I'll be shocked.

    Take care,

    VB
    Last edited by Vaikuntha Bound.; 27 July 2012 at 09:03 AM.

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    Re: Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

    Hari Om!

    Greetings from Delhi, India!

    Sorry for the delay in response. Replied to you personally via email today but as you can see, am away and WiFi has been limited. Again, my apologies. But, for the public record:

    The vedanta course which I took via postal correspondence was both enriching and rewarding. Not only are the lessons especially challenging, but the tests are equally taxing and really make you think, not only academically, but from a spiritual level as well. Personal attention is an added plus and notes were always written on my exams. I came to appreciate that. Yes, I highly recommend them. My only regret is that I dropped from the course halfway due to the passing of my mother - too much of a challenge to handle while attending to family matters at the time. And, Sw. Chinmayananda is of a smarta lineage, unlike another might have you believe so your beliefs should so unscathed.

    Hope this helps in some small way.

    Jai Jai Hanuman!

  6. #6

    Re: Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

    I would strongly advise that one should go for this.
    Because Vedanta has to be learnt systematically.
    And Thats what this starts out with. One gets to learn it step by step.
    And over and above that, they are good and scholarly saints.

    Practise follows automatically once the understanding is clear. When understanding is not clear ... practise cannot be stabilized. So if you are a novice for it, its good.

    I have not myself taken but again this is purely based on trust on the system they follow. I am aware of the knowledge and how they teach.

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    Re: Chinmaya Mission vedanta course

    Namaste,

    i do not know about this course, but chinmaya mission is doing a very good job. they follow traditional Advaita Vedanta. Their courses like Bal Vihar (for kids are of very good quality. Their tag line is "Give your child values instead of valuables"

    In general, whatever activities they like e-courses, or spiritual trips can be trusted. The only thing is that since Swami Chinmaya was from south India, so many active members are South Indians and Ashram / Foundation function in south Indian Way. That should not be a concern though.

    Aum
    Only God Is Truth, Everything Else Is Illusion - Ramakrishna
    Total Surrender of Ego to SELF is Real Bhakti - Ramana Maharshi

    Silence is the study of the scruptures. Meditation is the continuous thinking of Brahman which is to be meditated upon. The complete negation of both by knowledge is the vision of truth – sadAcAra-14 of Adi SankarAcArya

    namah SivAya vishnurUpAya viShNave SivarUpiNe, MBh, vanaparva, 3.39.76

    Sanskrit Dict | MW Dict | Gita Super Site | Hindu Dharma

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