Advaita in Asia vs Advaita in the West (translation, America, worship)
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This thread comes from a comment made by CB2008 in another thread . I’m interested in this but didn’t want to muck up the other thread, hence this thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by cb2008
I grew up with both Dualism and Advaita as most Hindus do. Both make sense to me if viewed with proper perspective. The Dualism with all the the worship, drama, dance and music and festivals and temples was so much more charming and rich and fun. The monism of Advaita is rejected by some sects of Hindus. The more I thought about the essence of Advaita teachings I felt cheated that it was not taught properly to be properly understood. When understood properly it cleanses the religion of all the divisions of gender, class, and structure that have caused great harm to people.
Luckily for me there is now access to all the glorious texts that form the foundation of Advaita. I got tired of reading a lot of it in English as this was translated and tailored for and addressed a Western and mainly Christian audience, losing a lot of power that is in the original language, Sanskrit. So I taught myself Sanskrit to get closer to the source. Thanks to technology there are many ways now to listen to lectures and classes on the texts. There are great many books by a variety of authors, Websites and discussion groups. And there is great interest on the whole in Advaita, learning Sanskrit, and practicing meditation not only among a new generation of Indians but by a larger world. I am in good company.
Sorry if this was more than what you asked for.
The bolded is the relevant part . How has Advaita been westernized for English readers ? Just the problem of translation, or deliberate changes to make it more acceptable and understandable to westerners?
This thread comes from a comment made by CB2008 in another thread . I’m interested in this but didn’t want to muck up the other thread, hence this thread
The bolded is the relevant part . How has Advaita been westernized for English readers ? Just the problem of translation, or deliberate changes to make it more acceptable and understandable to westerners?
I answered this on the other thread so I wont repeat. I did not say westernized, I would'nt know what that would be. If you have ever read the lectures that Swami Vivekananda gave, when he came to the US in the 19th century and his audience was all White Americans mostly Christians, you will know what I mean. Narratives are always addressed to an imaginary reader, and it is clearly not me that he had in mind. :-) Most texts written in English by other scholars followed the same pattern.
But things have changed a lot now because those who want to understand Advaita make an effort to understand the Sanskrit, Indian or not. The lectures are also more academic, I would even say cerebral, because the audience is young, and these lectures are often given in many college campuses.
OK then . I took “ tailored for a western and mostly Christian audience ,losing a lot of its power” to suggest something was different about the form presented to the west .
Nate, think about it.
You can't take a tropic plant and plant it in say Canada and expect it to grow. Does not work that way.
You can't take a teaching, that is thousands of years old, rooted in specific people, their phenotype, their culture, their beliefs, their social system and so on, and plant it "as is" into a different all of the above. Either such transplant has to be modified to take or, it will die.
Remember Beetles trying to bring Maharishi with them into the US? Much good did it do.
Inevitably, such a teaching needs to be made "palatable" to the Western mind.
Maybe so, although non duality has a number of western teachers , but it does require a reordering of how one thinks . I just read the words to suggest that Advaita was being altered or watered down for presentation to westerners and wondered what this change entailed .
Maybe so, although non duality has a number of western teachers , but it does require a reordering of how one thinks . I just read the words to suggest that Advaita was being altered or watered down for presentation to westerners and wondered what this change entailed .
Just to be clear, I am not suggesting that at all. There are many European and American writers who have a very good grasp of Advaita and can even quote chapter and verse from the Upanishads. I have a lot of respect for such writers because reading these from their perspective is interesting and clarifying As I said things have changed. Another sign that religion and spirituality, rather than diminishing as Science and Mental Health therapies advance, is growing, expanding.
As Wei Wu Wei said, you can't make a fish out of a non fish.
Eastern teaching can't be made into Western one.
You end up with ersatz. Not lal ersatz is bad, some was very good. But, it always was just that - substitute.
As Wei Wu Wei said, you can't make a fish out of a non fish.
Eastern teaching can't be made into Western one.
You end up with ersatz. Not lal ersatz is bad, some was very good. But, it always was just that - substitute.
You are correct that a religion is grounded in its cultural moorings, and the attempt to cleanse it of its culture and language leads to some loss. However the thoughts contained within Advaita philosophy translates well across cultural borders. They may get adapted by the person who is a product of his own environment and language, but it only adds to his mental health and happiness, not distract from it.
But certainly the teachings, which are already absorbed in a cultural milieu, sit more effortlessly in a mind that is already in sync. But it is not that hard to absorb them when there is an attraction and need for the teachings.
Although I have virtually no specific knowledge on the topic
I do find the reference to different viewpoints and perspective over cultures and countries to be of interest.
I believe it can be a challenge for many faiths, within different " cultures " in the same country.
So often, it would appear, many of our differences can be simply a failure to communicate.
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