Shaivism/Tantra/Nath
73-530: Shaivism/Tantra/Nath New movements Kashmir Shaivism Gaudapada Adi Shankara Advaita-Yoga Nath Kashmir Shaivism Neo-Vedanta Inchegeri Sampradaya Contemporary Shaivism/Tantra/Nath Neo-Advaita Hinduism Buddhism Modern Advaita Vedanta Neo-Vedanta Dakṣiṇāmnāya Śrī Śāradā Pīṭham ( IPA: [d̪ɐkʂiɳaːmn̪aːjɐ ɕriː ɕaːrɐd̪ɐ piːʈʰɐm] ) or Śri Śṛṅgagiri Maṭha ( IPA: [ɕriː ɕr̩ŋɡɐɡiri mɐʈʰɐ] ); Sanskrit : मठ , maṭha )
146-419: A "historic past", which is "largely facticious." Brown and Leledaki see these newly emerging traditions as part of western Orientalism , the fascination of western cultures with eastern cultures, but also the reduction of "Asian societies, its people, practices and cultures to essentialist images of the 'other'". Brown and Leledaki also note that this Orientalism is not a one-way affair, but that "there has been
219-756: A Hindu army to overthrow the Muslim rule in the Deccan region, and re-establish a powerful Hindu kingdom from Hampi . In his counsel, the Vijayanagara founders lead an expansive conquest of much of the southern Indian peninsula, taking over lands from the Sultanates that had formed after several invasions by the Delhi Sultanate . According to tradition, the monk's efforts were supported by the 10th and 11th pontiff of Sringeri peetham. Vidyaranya later became
292-462: A dynamic interaction between Asian and Western representatives of various religious traditions over the last 150 years," and that this "blending of thought and practice" is a co-creation from modernist religious movements in both East and West. According to Arthur Versluis , neo-Advaita is part of a larger religious current which he calls immediatism , "the assertion of immediate spiritual illumination without much if any preparatory practice within
365-540: A guru, never claimed to have disciples, and never appointed any successors. Despite this, there are numerous contemporary teachers who assert, suggest, or are said by others, to be in his lineage. These assertions have been disputed by other teachers, stating that there is no lineage from Ramana Maharshi. Critics have also noted that Ramana and like-minded teachers like Nisargadatta Maharaj did not charge fees or donations. Dwarka Sharada Peetham Pascimāmnāya Śrī Śāradā Pītham or Dwarka Sharada Math,
438-914: A number of Vedic studies and Sanskrit schools in various parts of India. The monastery owns some agriculture land and this is farmed by the monks and monastery workers. Jagadguru Vidhushekhara Bharati was appointed as Uttaradhikari of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham by Jagadguru Bharathi Teertha Mahaswami on 23 January 2015. The last five Jagadgurus were: (Successor-designate) Neo-Advaita New movements Kashmir Shaivism Gaudapada Adi Shankara Advaita-Yoga Nath Kashmir Shaivism Neo-Vedanta Inchegeri Sampradaya Contemporary Shaivism/Tantra/Nath Neo-Advaita Hinduism Buddhism Modern Advaita Vedanta Neo-Vedanta Antiquity Medieval Early modern Modern Iran India East-Asia Neo-Advaita , also called
511-603: A particular religious tradition." Its origins predate American Transcendentalism . In American Gurus: From Transcendentalism to New Age Religion , Versluis describes the emergence of immediatist gurus: gurus who are not connected to any of the traditional religions, and promise instant enlightenment and liberation. These include Eckhart Tolle , and Andrew Cohen . "Immediatism" refers to "a religious assertion of spontaneous, direct, unmediated spiritual insight into reality (typically with little or no prior training), which some term 'enlightenment'." According to Versluis, immediatism
584-482: A process in which spiritual paradises are bound together", as exemplified in American Transcendentalism, New Age , transpersonal psychology and the works of Ken Wilber are examples: Brown and Leledaki place this "hybridization" in a "structurationist" approach, pointing out that this is an "invented tradition", which is a response to a novel situation, although it claims a continuity with
657-488: A rapid growth. Ramana Maharshi's teachings have been further popularized in the west via H. W. L. Poonja and his students. Poonja, better known as Papaji, "told, inferred, or allowed hundreds of individuals to believe they were fully enlightened simply because they'd had one, or many, powerful experiences of awakening." It was those students who initiated the "neo-Advaita", or "satsang" movement, which has become an important constituent of popular western spirituality . It
730-498: A sanctum with linga and a circumambulation passageway around it. The passageway opens to smaller shrines dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses from various Hindu traditions. According to George Michell, the current Vidyashankara temple reflects the 16th-century additions. Saraswati , the goddess of knowledge and arts in the Hindu tradition, is the presiding deity of the monastery. The monastery tradition states that Adi Shankara installed
803-405: A sandalwood image of Saraswati as Sharadamba in a simple shrine, one that was replaced with its current copy in gold during the Vijayanagara era. The shrine was rebuilt in the 15th century and expanded in the early 20th century. The temple has a maha-mandapa (main hall) with images of saptamatrikas (seven mothers) sculpted. The goddess sits in a golden chariot. Along with Saraswati in the sanctum,
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#1732773180964876-491: A snake unveiling its hood like an umbrella to shield a pregnant frog from the hot sun on the banks of the river Tunga in Sringeri. Deducing that non-violence amongst natural predators was innate to a holy spot, Sri Adi Shankara decided to establish His first Peetham in Sringeri. Sringeri is independently associated with Sage Rishyasringa of Ramayana fame, son of Sage Vibhandaka. According to tradition, Shankara also instituted
949-475: A social outreach programme. Sri Sharada Peetham is located in Sringeri about 85 kilometres (53 mi) east of Udupi and 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast from Mangaluru across the Western Ghats, and about 335 kilometres (208 mi) west-northwest from the state capital, Bengaluru . Sringeri can be accessed from Bangalore and Mangalore via road. According to tradition, Sri Adi Shankaracharya,
1022-608: A strategically important hub for regional politics. Its operations were a target of surveillance, its collection of Hindu texts on Dharma and its counsel given its regional significance were sought by the British authorities. The Sringeri matha includes two major temples. One is dedicated to Shiva and is called the Vidya Shankara temple, the other to Saraswati and is called the Sharada Amba temple. The earliest version of
1095-513: A structure to manage the monastery, its succession and its branches. Some of the key positions and features include: The Sringeri Sharada Peetham has a network of branches in India. Some of the major branches include those in Varanasi, Haridwar, Nasik, Gaya, Mysore, Hyderabad, Madurai, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tirupati, Coimbatore, Ramesvaram, Kalady, Ramnad and Bengaluru. The monastery also supervises
1168-524: A western context. Ramana Maharshi himself did not demand a shift in religious affiliation, and was himself acquainted with western religions, using quotes from the Bible. Neo-Advaita teachers have further deemphasized the traditional language and worldframe of Advaita, using a modern, psychologized worldframe to present their teachings as a form of self-help, which is easily accessible to a larger audience. The western approach to "Asian enlightenment traditions"
1241-488: Is Jagadguru Bharathi Teertha Mahaswami . His guru was Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswami. The successor-designate (the 37th Jagadguru acharya) was appointed in 2015, and was given the Yogapatta (monastic name) Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Mahaswami. While tradition attributes the establishment of Sringeri Sharada Peetham to Adi Shankara, situating him in the 5th century BCE, the history of Sringeri Peetham from
1314-411: Is Tattvamasi ("That('s how) you are"). According to tradition, believed to be initiated by Adi Shankara, it holds authority over Sama Veda. The head of the matha is called Shankarayacharya , the title derives from Adi Shankara . Dvaraka Pitha is one of the four peeths (religious centers) believed by tradition to be established by Adi Shankaracharya (9th cent. CE,) who is portrayed as pioneering
1387-494: Is being spread by websites and publishing enterprises, which give an easy access to its teachings. Lucas has called the popularisation of Ramana Maharshi's teachings in the west "the Ramana effect". According to Lucas, Ramana Maharshi was the greatest modern proponent of Advaita Vedanta, well known for emphasizing the enquiry of the question "Who am I?" as a means to attain awakening. According to Lucas, following Thomas Csordas,
1460-458: Is highly eclectic, drawing on various Asian traditions, as well as "numerous Western discourses such as psychology, science, and politics." Neo-Advaita uses western discourses, such as " New Age millennialism , Zen , self-empowerment and self-therapy" to transmit its teachings. It makes little use of the "traditional language or cultural frames of Advaita Vedanta," and is framed in a western construction of experiential and perennial mysticism, "to
1533-484: Is one amongst the four cardinal peethams believed by its followers to be established by Adi Shankara , preserving and propagating Sanatana Dharma and Advaita Vedanta , the doctrine of non-dualism . Located in the city of Dwaraka , Gujarat , India it is the pascimāmnāya matha , or Western Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four Chaturāmnāya Pīthams. It is also known as the Kālikā Matha. Their Vedantic mantra or Mahavakya
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#17327731809641606-647: Is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams following the Daśanāmi Sampradaya - the peetham or matha is said to have been established by acharya Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Sanātana Dharma and Advaita Vedānta , the doctrine of non-dualism . Located in Śringerī in Chikmagalur district in Karnataka , India , it is the Southern Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four Chaturāmnāya Pīthams, with
1679-405: Is quite different from the neo-Advaita claims. Classical Advaita Vedanta uses the "fourfold discipline" ( sādhana-catustaya ) to train students and attain moksha . Years of committed practice is needed to sever or destroy the "occlusion" the so-called " vasanas , samskaras , bodily sheaths and vrittis ", and the "granthi or knot forming identification between Self and mind," and prepare
1752-531: Is set on a high plinth like the Hoysala temples, with the basement adorned with sculpted animals and balustrades with yalis flanking the steps. The outer walls of the Shiva temple have large sculptured panels at right angles to each other and these show the major gods and goddess of Vedic tradition and post-Vedic Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Saurism (Surya) and Ganapatya (Ganesha) traditions of Hinduism. The base of
1825-809: Is the 36th Jagadguru in the since-unbroken spiritual succession of pontiffs. The Pītham is one of the major Hindu institutions that has historically coordinated Smārta tradition and monastic activities through satellite institutions in South India , preserved Sanskrit literature and pursued Advaita studies. The Pītham runs several vedic schools (pathashalas), maintains libraries and repositories of historic Sanskrit manuscripts. The Śringerī Mutt has been active in preserving Vedas, sponsoring students and recitals, Sanskrit scholarship, and celebrating traditional annual festivals such as Śaṅkara Jayanti and Guru Purnima (Vyāsa Pūrnima). The Pītham has branches across India and maintains temples at several locations. It also has
1898-555: Is typical for Americans, who want "the fruit of religion, but not its obligations." Although immediatism has its roots in European culture and history as far back as Platonism , and also includes Perennialism , Versluis points to Ralph Waldo Emerson as its key ancestor, who "emphasized the possibility of immediate, direct spiritual knowledge and power." Neo-Advaita has been called a "controversial movement," and has been criticized, for its emphasis on insight alone, omitting
1971-400: The mathas can be found before the 14th century CE. Until the 15th century, the timespan of the directors of Sringeri Math are unrealistically long, spanning 60+ and even 105 years. After 1386, the timespans become much shorter. According to Hacker, these mathas were probably established in the 14th century, to propagate Shankara's view of Advaita. The history of Sringeri Peetha is recorded in
2044-421: The "traditional language or cultural frames of Advaita Vedanta ", and some have criticised it for its lack of preparatory training, and regard enlightenment-experiences induced by Neo-Advaita as superficial. The basic practice of neo-Advaita is self-inquiry , via the question "Who am I?", or simply the direct recognition of the non-existence of the "I" or "ego." This recognition is taken to be equal to
2117-498: The 12th acharya of the Sringeri peetham in 1375 CE. Shortly after the start of the Vijayanagara empire in 1336 CE, the rulers began building the Vidyashankara temple at the Sringeri peetham site. This temple was completed in 1338. The Vijayanagara rulers repaired and built numerous more Hindu and Jain temples in and around the Sringeri matha and elsewhere in their empire. This is a period where numerous inscriptions help establish
2190-665: The 17th-century records show that the matha received special gifts from the Lingayat rulers on festive occasions such as acharavicharas and Diwali . Some of the Nayaka princes studied at a school run by the monastery. The Sringeri matha was supported by the Maratha rulers when they came to power in the post-Aurangzeb Mughal era. The monastery provided the Marathas with counsel in return as evidenced by over two dozen letters, mostly in
2263-585: The Advaita Vedanta recognition of the identity of Atman and Brahman , or the recognition of the "Formless Self." According to neo-Advaitins, no preparatory practice is necessary, nor prolonged study of religious scriptures or tradition: insight alone suffices. Poonja, who is credited as one of the main instigators of the neo-Advaita movement, saw this realization as in itself liberating from karmic consequences and further rebirth. According to Poonja "karmic tendencies remained after enlightenment, [but]
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2336-487: The Hindu Dharmasutras and Dharmasastras texts preserved and interpreted by the matha , one composed by a range of authors and generally dated to be from the second half of the 1st-millennium BCE through about 400 CE. In the late 15th century, the patronage of the Vijayanagara kings shifted to Vaisnavism. Following this loss of patronage, Sringeri matha had to find other means to propagate its former status, and
2409-630: The Keladi Nayakas, as evidenced by ledger records and literature preserved by the monastery. Unlike the copious epigraphical evidence from the Vijayanagara era, few inscriptions from the Keladi era history are available and the history of this period is mostly discernible from the literary records. The lands held by the monastery and the goods meant for its operation were treated by the Nayakas as tax-exempt and not subject to any tariffs. Additionally,
2482-526: The Maratha Peshwa ruler learned about the Pindari sacking, he took corrective action and sent his contingents to locate the loot, the statues, gold and copper, to return it along with compensation. In the years and decades that followed the Pindari sacking of 1791, the cordial relations and mutual support between the Sringeri monastery and the Maratha rulers returned. However, according to Leela Prasad,
2555-416: The Marathas as well as records of the visit by the jagadguru (pontiff) to Maratha ruled regions and towns such as Pune and Nasik. The religio-political significance of the Sringeri monastery was such that both the Marathas and the Muslim ruler Hyder Ali sought "cordial relations" with it. According to Leela Prasad, after the Maratha ruler Raghunatha Rao invited the Sringeri matha's Jagadguru to visit him and
2628-552: The Marathas, that is, the irregular Pindaris returned through Sringeri and looted the monastery temples of its gold and copper, statues, killed some Brahmin priests, and destroyed property. The news reached Tipu Sultan , who sent funds to restore the damage. Tipu Sultan, a Muslim, also sent a letter requesting the Jagadguru to perform penance and Hindu worship for "good showers and crops". Scholars have interpreted this event both as an evidence of Tipu Sultan's religious tolerance and
2701-559: The Marathi language and some in Sanskrit using Kannada script. These have been preserved by the monastery. According to the letters and ledger entries, the Maratha rulers delivered gifts and bestowed grants to the monastery between 1738 and 1894. The letters of the Maratha rulers are typically in Marathi, while the replies from the Sringeri pontiff are in Sanskrit. In addition to these records, the monastery literature mention land grants from
2774-543: The Sadvidyā Sañjīvini Samskrita Mahāpāthashālā. The Pītham is traditionally headed by an ascetic pontiff belonging to the order of the Jagadguru Śankarāchārya. According to tradition, the first pontiff of the Pītham was Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara 's eldest disciple, Śrī Sureshvarāchārya , renowned for his treatises on Vedānta - Mānasollāsa and Naishkarmya-Siddhi. The current pontiff, Śrī Bhārathī Tīrtha Svāmin
2847-773: The Satsang-movement is a new religious movement , emphasizing the direct recognition of the non-existence of the "I" or "ego," without the need of preparatory practice. Its teachings are derived from, but not authorised by, the teachings of the 20th century sage Ramana Maharshi , as interpreted and popularized by H. W. L. Poonja and several of his western students. It is part of a larger religious current called immediatism by Arthur Versluis , which has its roots in both western and eastern spirituality. Western influences are western esoteric traditions like Transcendentalism, and " New Age millennialism , self-empowerment and self-therapy". Neo-Advaita makes little use of
2920-430: The Shiva temple was built in the 14th century, of goddess Saraswati in the 15th century. The Vidyashankara temple is a fusion of pre-Vijayanagara Hindu temple architecture traditions with Hoysalas and Vijayanagara styles, giving it an unusual appearance. The temple has an apsidal shape with its interior chambers and sanctum set on the square principle while the spire and outer walls use an almost circular plan. The temple
2993-446: The Sringeri matha. The matha managed the land and therefore operated as a sociopolitical network and land-grant institution for over 600 years beyond its religious role and spiritual scholarship. This relationship between the monastery and the regional population has been guided by a mutual upcara (hospitality, appropriate conduct) guideline between the matha and the populace. According to Leela Prasad, this upcara has been guided by
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3066-534: The Sringiri matha ultimately came under the control of the Nayakas of Keladi from the Lingayatism tradition, who has previously served as governors for the Vijayanagara emperors. The Keladi dynasty supported the Sringiri peetham for nearly 250 years, from 1499 to 1763, when the Keladi Nayakas rule was ended by Hyder Ali seeking to create a sultanate from Mysore. The Sringeri matha received gifts and grants from
3139-528: The Vijayanagara empire regularly visited the monastery and made a series of endowments to the Sringeri matha as evidenced by various inscriptions. They also established the agrahara of Vidyaranyapuram with a land grant for the Brahmins, and in the 15th century established the earliest version of the Saradamba temple found at the Sringeri peetham site. The tradition of establishing satellite institutions under
3212-469: The absolute with another disciple of his teacher, wherein they both worked out the concepts he put forward in the book “I Am That.” He did not accept students for another 13 years, in 1951. You see, he was still maturing, learning, changing, even though he already had a firm grasp on the absolute. Western critics object to the perceived relation between Ramana Maharshi and Neo-Advaita, noting that Ramana never promoted any lineage, did not publicize himself as
3285-472: The culprits were never brought to book and neither was any compensation given to the temple. The Sringeri monastery has been a historic politico-religious center at least from the 14th century. Along with the Vijayanagara emperors and the Mysore Muslim rulers such as Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, the colonial British authorities and their Nayak and Wodeyar dynasty appointees considered the monastery to be
3358-507: The disregard of its social, ethical and political aspects." This "modern experiential and perennialist mystical framework" emphasizes Perennialism , the idea that there is a common, mystical core to all religions, which can be empirically validated by personal experience . It has pervaded the western understanding of Asian religions, and can be found in Swami Vivekananda and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 's Neo-Vedanta , but also in
3431-543: The enlightened person was no longer identified with them and, therefore, did not accrue further karmic consequences." According to Cohen, Poonja "insisted that the realization of the Self had nothing to do with worldly behavior, and he did not believe fully transcending the ego was possible." For Poonja, ethical standards were based on a dualistic understanding of duality and the notion of an individual agent, and therefore were not indicative of "non-dual enlightenment: "For Poonja,
3504-461: The existence of the Sringeri peetham from the 14th century onwards. The Vijayanagara rulers Harihara and Bukka gave a sarvamanya (tax-exempt) gift of land in and around Sringeri in 1346 CE to the Sringeri matha guru Bharati Tirtha, in a manner common in the Indian tradition for centuries, to help defray the costs of operating the monastery and temples. The grant is evidenced by a stone inscription by
3577-407: The goal was the realization of the self; the illusory realm of relative reality was ultimately irrelevant." According to Lucas and Frawley , the spiritual root of neo-Advaita is Ramana Maharshi, whose teachings, and method of self-inquiry could easily be transposed to North America’s liberal spiritual subculture. Popular interest in Indian religions goes as far back as the early 19th century, and
3650-422: The king who reverentially refers to the 10th pontiff of Sringeri matha as a guru (counsellor, teacher). This grant became a six-century tradition that ended in the 1960s and 1970s when the Indian central government introduced and enforced a land-reform law that redistributed the land. The Vijayanagara empire gift also began a regional philanthropic tradition of endowments by the wealthy and the elderly population to
3723-511: The matha's literature as well as in kadatas (ledger records and inscriptions of various forms) and sanads (charters) from the 14th century onwards. A pivotal figure in the history of the matha is Vidyaranya (sometimes referred to as Madhava Vidyaranya or Madhavacharya) who was an ideological support and the intellectual inspiration for the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire . He helped Harihara I and his brother Bukka to build
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#17327731809643796-492: The mind for the insight into non-duality. After awakening, "post awakening sadhana," or post-satori practice is necessary: "all of the great ones had a post awakening sadhana, including Ramana Maharishi, who spent many years sitting alone in Samadhi before he ever accepted his first student." After realization, further practice is necessary 'to ripen the fruit', as stated by Nisargadatya Maharaj: "the fruit falls suddenly, but
3869-470: The northern and southern banks of the river. The three prominent shrines on the northern bank of the Tunga are dedicated to the presiding deity of the Pītham and the divinity of Ātma-vidyā - Śrī Śāradā , Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara , and Jagadguru Śrī Vidyāśankara Tīrtha, the 10th Jagadguru of the Pītham. The southern bank houses the residence of the reigning pontiff, the adhisthānam shrines of the previous pontiffs and
3942-684: The others being the Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham (Gujarat) in the West, Purī Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ (Odisha) in the East, Badri Jyotishpīṭhaṃ (Uttarakhand) in the North. The head of the matha is called Shankarayacharya , the title derives from Adi Shankara . Śri Śringerī Mutt, as the Pītham is referred to in common parlance, is situated on the banks of the Tuṅgā River in Śringerī. The Mutt complex consists of shrines on both
4015-425: The pontiff accepted the invitation, when Hyder Ali – whose hostility to the Marathas had been legendary – heard about the trip, Hyder Ali sent the Jagadguru gifts and an escort consisting of a palanquin, five horses, an elephant and cash for the travel expenses. After the third Anglo-Mysore war in 1791 between the armies of the British and Maratha coalition and those of Tipu Sultan, a part of the defeated contingent of
4088-438: The predatory habits of some contingents in the Maratha army, or alternatively as a strategic political move by Tipu Sultan to request the monastery to perform "superstitious rites" to "conciliate with his Hindu subjects and to discomfort his Maratha enemies", quotes Leela Prasad. The sacking led to a protest by the pontiff of the Sringeri matha who started a fast to death on the banks of the Tunga river. According to Shastri, after
4161-654: The preparatory practices. It has also been criticised for its references to a "lineage" of Ramana Maharshi, whereas Ramana never claimed to have disciples and never appointed any successors. Some critics say that seeing through the 'illusion of ego' is the main point of neo-Advaita, and that this does not suffice. According to Caplan, the enlightenment-experiences induced by these teachers and their satsangs are considered to be superficial. According to Dennis Waite, neo-Advaita claims to remove ignorance, but does not offer help to remove ignorance. According to Caplan, traditional Advaita Vedanta takes years of practice, which
4234-511: The principal exponent of Advaita Vedanta, established four pithams (dioceses) in India to preserve and propagate Sanatana Dharma and Advaita Vedanta. These were Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetham (Karnataka) in the South, Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham (Gujarat) in the West, Purī Govardhan Pīṭhaṃ (Odisha) in the East and Badri Jyotishpīṭhaṃ (Uttarakhand) in the North. A hagiographic legend states that Sri Adi Shankara, during His travels across India, witnessed
4307-457: The regional Kannada language, are donative or commemorative. Though useful in establishing the significance of the matha, they lack details to help establish the early history. According to Hermann Kulke, the early history of Sringeri is unknown and the earliest epigraphical evidence in the region is from the 12th century and belongs to the Jainism tradition. According to Paul Hacker, no mention of
4380-460: The ripening takes time." Ed Muzika refers to Nisargadatta Maharaj, stating He met his teacher in 1933 and had his awakening in 1936. He then traveled as a wandering monk for two years visiting many shrines, temples, and teachers across India, until he recognized there was no difference in his beingness no matter where he was. So he returned home to his wife and business in 1938. Apparently he spend many years discussing all aspects of consciousness and
4453-457: The same as Maṇḍana Miśra , as the first acharya of the Peetham at Sringeri before resuming his tour to establish the three remaining Peethams at Puri, Dwaraka and Badarinath. The math holds one of the four Mahavaakyas, Aham-Bramhasmi. The math claims to have a lineage of Jagadgurus, stretching back straight to Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself. The present and 36th Jagadguru acharya of this peetham
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#17327731809644526-653: The site its name, with "Sarada peetha" meaning "seat of learning". The temple was renovated to its current form in 1916. Sringeri matha has preserved and been a source of ancient Sanskrit manuscripts to scholars. In the contemporary monastery, a library is located on the first floor of the Saradamba temple. It has about 500 palm-leaf manuscripts and a large collection of paper manuscripts, most of which are in Sanskrit. These manuscripts are not only related to Advaita philosophy, but to classical subjects such as Sanskrit grammar, Dharmasutras , ethics, and arts. The Sringeri Sharada Peetham, over its centuries of operations has evolved
4599-523: The story of Shankara establishing the four cardinal mathas may have originated in the 16th century. According to Shastri, following the traditional accounts, the Vijayanagara kings visited the Sringeri monastery many times over some 200 years and left inscriptions praising the monks, revering their knowledge of the Vedas and their scholarship. The monastery also provided the Vijayanagara empire administration with guidance on governance. The descendant rulers of
4672-488: The success of this movement is due to a "portable practice" and a "transposable message". Ramana Maharshi's main practice, self-inquiry via the question "Who am I?", is easily practiceable in a non-institutionalized context. His visitors and devotees did not have to adopt the Vedantic culture, nor to commit themselves to an institution or ideology, to be able to practice self-inquiry. Ramana's teachings are transposable into
4745-482: The supervision of the Sringeri peetham started in the Vijayanagara empire period. For example, Vidyaranya organized a matha in Hampi. After the defeat of the Vijayanagara empire and the destruction of Hampi by a coalition of Deccan sultanates, the Vijayanagara empire territories faced a political turmoil. The Deccan region was largely divided among five Islamic sultanates. The coastal regions of Karnataka that included
4818-456: The temple has small shrines for Ganesha and for Bhuvaneshvari. The Sharadamba temple and nearby structures additionally house a library, a Vedic school, a shrine for Adi Shankara, and other facilities of the monastery. It has been the historic epicenter of Sringeri's annual Navaratri festival celebrations, as well as the chariot festival held in February or March every year. The temple also gives
4891-406: The temple have relief friezes depicting a large variety of stories from Hindu epics and Puranas. The sanctum has a linga, the southern side of the sanctum features Brahma-Sarawati, the western side Vishnu-Lakshmi, and the northern side Shiva-Parvati. The temple can be entered from four directions. Inside the temple is a large mandapa with intricately carved pillars, several antechambers with artwork,
4964-478: The time of Adi Shankara (8th century CE) to about the 14th century is unknown. This may be because the sources are contradictory about the dates and events, in part because of the loss of records, and also because the pontiffs of the monastery adopted the same name which has created confusion in understanding the surviving records. Yet, it may also be because the peetham was not founded by Shankara, but only centuries later. The early inscriptions that mention Sringeri, in
5037-533: The tradition of appointing a succession of monastic pontifical heads, called the Jagadgurus, to each of the four monasteries, installing Sri Sureshvaracharya, Sri Hastamalakacharya, Sri Padmapadacharya and Sri Totakacharya as the first Jagadgurus of the Peethams at Sringeri, Dvaraka, Puri and Badri respectively. According to tradition, Sri Adi Shankara installed Sri Sureshwaracharya , believed by tradition to be
5110-495: The unification of Hindu religious beliefs in the country. It is a four storied structure representing four peeths believed by a tradition, developed in the 14th-17th century, to be established by Shankaracharya in different parts of the country. There are paintings on the walls here depicting the life history of Shankaracharya while the dome has carvings of Shiva in different postures. Website: www.shreesharadapithmathdwarka.org In 1945, Shri Abhinava Sachchidananda Tirtha
5183-485: The works of D.T. Suzuki and his "decontextualized and experiential account" of Zen Buddhism . It can also be found in the Theosophical Society , and the contemporary New Age culture, with influences like Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy and The Doors of Perception , and writers like Ken Wilber . Gregg Lahood also mentions Neo-Advaita as an ingredient of "cosmological hybridization,
5256-738: Was nominated to the position. Before assuming his position at Dwarka, Abhinava was the head of the Mulabagal Math in Karnataka, which was the 17th century branch of the Dvaraka Math. As a result, the cumulative lineage of Mulabagal Math was merged with Dwarka when Abhinava took office there. Years later Shri Sachchidananda helped to mediate the Shankarcharya successions at Puri and Jyotir Math. Since Abhinava died in 1982, this peeth has been led by Swami Swarūpānanda Saraswatī who
5329-656: Was stimulated by the American Transcendentalists and the Theosophical Society . In the 1930s Ramana Maharshi's teachings were brought to the west by Paul Brunton , a Theosophist, in his A Search in Secret India . Stimulated by Arthur Osborne , in the 1960s Bhagawat Singh actively started to spread Ramana Maharshi's teachings in the USA. Since the 1970s western interest in Asian religions has seen
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