Philosophy
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Jiva Institute’s Online School

Jiva Institute has committed itself to teach various areas of knowledge that will help to establish a peaceful, harmonious society and make the understanding of life complete. One such body of knowledge is Vedic philosophy and literature, which traditionally one studies with strict discipline under a qualified teacher. Since such facilities are rare these days

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

Questions about Jñāna and its Relation to the Self

Question: I read the article on jñāna on your website and have some questions: What is the difference between self-luminous and self-conscious? Answer: Self-luminous means an object which does not need the help of another luminous object to see it or perceive it. For example, a burning candle is self-luminous because you do not need

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

God’s Personal and Impersonal Features – Part 3

Continuation of a discussion following a seminar in Terre de Ciel: Another one of God’s most important characteristics is that He has inconceivable power. Inconceivable refers to something that can’t be embraced by the mind’s intelligence. It is beyond our imagination or common logic. There are logical and illogical things, and there are trans-logical things.

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

God’s Personal and Impersonal Features – Part 2

Continuation of a discussion following a seminar in Terre de Ciel: Every morning, Krishna’s mother Yashoda used to make butter from milk. She heated the milk and added some yogurt to it. She let the mixture sit overnight and by the next morning, it had become yogurt. Yashoda then churned the yogurt with a wooden

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

God’s Personal and Impersonal Features – Part 1

The following is an excerpt from a discussion following a seminar in Terre de Ciel: Part I Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji: We accept some kind of God who is the Creator and Manager, but is He a personal being or an impersonal manifestation? What do you say? Reply: He is certainly impersonal because he is everywhere.

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Philosophy Questions & Answers

Questions on Sankhya and Buddhism

Question:  I have studied Sankhya very briefly as part of another course I took at the Hindu University and I have been interested in it ever since. Your notes on the topic are very clear, but I have some questions. Lesson 12 says: “The appearance of an effect is only its passage from potentiality to

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Philosophy Shastra

The Transcendental Nature of the Holy Name – Part 2

By Satyanarayana Dasa: It is common experience that to achieve something in the material world one has to work very hard. Based on this knowledge, it is very hard to believe that one can attain anything, spiritual or material, merely by chanting some sounds, even if they are identified as Holy Names.

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