Table of Contents
1 What is Advaita? 1
Introduction 1
Meaning 1
Origin 2
What does it say? 4
Terminology 5
2 How ought we to act? 6
Desire, Action and Results 6
Karma and Reincarnation 7
Goals of Life 8
Free will 9
3 What is real and what is illusion? 12
Waking versus Dream 12
Mithya 15
Adhyasa 23
'Levels of Reality' 25
Maya 26
4 Why is Self-knowledge so important? 28
5 Am I only this body and mind? 33
6 Who am I? 36
Jivas 36
Ishvara 37
Brahman 37
Who am I? 38
Reflected Consciousness 39
7 Has the universe been created? 43
Creation 43
Attribution and rescission 44
Differing theories of creation 45
Problem of Language 46
No creation 46
8 How do I become enlightened? 48
'Paths' to realization 48
What to do to gain enlightenment 51
Preparation 52
Three Stages of Learning 57
Jivanmukti 58
9 Why is traditional Advaita so powerful? 59
An arithmetical example 59
The Sheath Model 61
Discrimination between the Seer and the Seen 62
Arundhati logic 63
Method of Co-presence and Co-absence 64
10 What different approaches are there? 66
Categories of Teaching 66
Enlightenment 67
Conclusion 71
What should you read to find out more? 72
Glossary 79
Index 85
