Sankara – A Hindu who was no big fan of the Buddha

Sankara, Shankara or Adi Shankara (c. 700 – 750 CE) was a Hindu philosopher, mystic and theologian born in Kerala, India. A towering figure in Indian philosophical history, Sankara advocated Advaita Vedanta. His commentaries on scripture like the Bhagavad-Gita and Brahma-sutras outline … Continue reading →

Ramanuja – Hindu sage likened to St. Thomas Aquinas

Ramanuja (1017-1137 CE) was a leading Hindu philosopher born in the Brahmin caste. Legend has it that he learned the Vedas when he was a baby, only eight days old.¹ Ramanuja was influential to the Bhakti movement, which favors devotion over … Continue reading →

Sutra

A sutra (Sanskrit = thread, twine, string; related to woven) is a highly condensed verse, loaded with spiritual significance for believers, respectively, in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sacred scripture. The Hindu Upanisads (end of the Veda) are written in sutra … Continue reading →

Sannyasa

Sannyasa is the fourth Hindu asrama (Vedic stage of life) in which the male attains spiritual liberation (moksha). At this stage the Indian sannyasin practices celibacy, renounces all worldly trappings, and pretty much acquires the legal status of a dead … Continue reading →

The changing face of scholarship

Embed from Getty Images Pierre Bourdieu at an unemployed demonstration in front of ‘Sciences Politiques’ and ‘Normale Superieure’ schools in Paris, France on January 16, 1998. Like most things in life, the idea of scholarship has many meanings. Many people … Continue reading →

The idea of the Self

The human self, being the basis of personal identity, has been variously understood. Some theorists say the self is the agency that says “I.” According to this view, the self is the conceptual, reflective part of ourselves that apparently remains … Continue reading →

Upanisads

The Upanisads (Skt. “sit near the teacher”) are Hindu religious texts (circa 1000-600 BCE) known as part of the Vedanta (Skt. “the end of the Veda“). As hindu-blog points out, the Upanisads are based on a longstanding oral tradition of … Continue reading →

Vedanta

Vedanta is a school of Hindu religion and philosophy and a Sanskrit term meaning “the end of the Veda.” Its three main texts are: The Upanishads, known as Upadesha prasthana (injunctive texts), and the Śruti prasthāna (the starting point of … Continue reading →

Visistadvaita

Monotheists, especially fundamentalist Christians, sometimes criticize Hinduism by saying it’s polytheistic. This kind of critique, however, doesn’t necessarily hold up. The actual picture in Indian philosophy is far more complicated than the one painted by some Christian fundamentalists.¹ So a … Continue reading →

Yogi

Traditionally, a Yogi is a male practitioner of yoga. The term also relates to a male saint and teacher of spiritual knowledge. Until fairly recently, the term yogini was generally reserved for women. Today, however, the word “yogi” can relate … Continue reading →