Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

[Bhadraiah Mallampalli]

Sri Nisargadatta was an innovator in advaita teaching. He brought in Zen
style teaching into Advaita.

Zen uses words to negate thoughts till mind becomms blank or till ends up in
nothingness. Zen is very popular among New agers because it doesn't have
complications of "Hindu advaita" or Advaita as taught by Sankara.

Maharaj brilliantly used Zen type arguments to speak Advaita, to establish
existence, creation (by prajna) etc without mentioning any Sanskrit words. A
similar feat like Sankara, (er, I don't want to make a statement here that
Sankara used or borrowed any Buddhist concepts), but just as Sankara had to
speak the Buddhist's language to argue advaita with them and make them
understand Advaita.

But then as Sankara said in the preface to Ch.U. commentary there is no
escape from rites lest we should enter the path of smoke. For an unliberated
thinker Maharaj's teachings may offer too much hope than could be actualized
if they choose to ignore Hindu advaita.

Bhadraiah

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