Brief notes on dualism and non-dualism.

As I mentioned in the post on “Classical Yoga”, that school or system promoted a dualistic picture and program of practice.  Practice is designed to free oneself from what I called the disturbing flux of the world and of one’s own mind.  So as to arrive at some “other” place, a better place presumably.  (Of “Spirit”, or what could be said to be “God’s Place”.)

The Upanishads (first penned around 2800 to 2500 years ago) actually sing a different tune than that.  These writings form the foundation of the predominant “school” (of Hinduism) called Advaita Vedanta.  Advaita means “non-dual”, or not two.  Practitioners in non-dualistic traditions (which includes even the Christian tradition) are not attempting to escape this world into some better place.  Instead, they are interested in awakening to That which they truely are (and which is the core Identity of everything and all beings).  Therefore, this world does not ultimately represent some problematic condition from which they must escape (to a better Place).

Some articles introducing “non-dualism”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondualism

http://www.nonduality.com/faq.htm

Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world

Ramana Maharshi

First western translations of the principal Upanishads.

Max Muller, a nineteenth century German scholar of comparative languages and mythology, provided the first translations in the west of the so-called principal Upanishads.

Here is a website that provides these translations:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/upan/index.htm