Advaita after Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Bhakti causes total disregard for liberation.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.33)

On the simplest level, Western and Eastern cosmologies differ on a basic question: is the world one or two?

In Western thought, the question can be traced back to the very first writings of ancient Greek thinkers. They held that there are two completely different realities: the world of spirit and the world of material things. This idea is constant throughout the history of Western thought and has a strong influence on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

By contrast, many branches of Oriental philosophy, including Hinduism, build upon the notion of advaita, non-dualism. Advaita is the notion that reality is one. In particular, it posits that spirit or soul and material reality are non-different.

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What is guru?

A devotee who is thus attached to the worship of his guru doesn’t need to practice any worship of the Supreme Lord.

Jīva Gosvāmī, Bhakti Sandarbha, 237

What do we see when we see the guru? What do we hear when we hear the guru? What do we feel when we touch the guru?

The Sanskrit syllables gu-ru literally mean ‘remover of darkness’. In other words, the guru is not someone who gives something, some gift of knowledge, of mercy, or enlightenment. The guru is someone who takes something away. The guru is not a source of enlightenment or wisdom but rather one who clears away the blockages to the knowledge or wisdom we already have.

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