Author: Śaṅkara

Publisher:

Published: 2020-07-09

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13:

Aparokṣānubhūti belongs to the series of works by Ṡaṅkara known as prakaraṇagrantha, i.e., "specific treatises" in verse and prose concerning basic points of Vedānta teaching that examine the "great sentences" (mahāvākyas) contained in the Upaniṣads. In this series of treatises by Ṡaṅkara, other works fundamental for the understanding of the Advaitavāda or "path of Non-duality" include Vivekacūḍāmani, Ātmabodha, Upadeśasahāsrī and Laghuvākyavṛtti.Aparokṣānubhūti means "direct perception or knowledge of the Self" and by extension the action or practice actualized to realize oneself as ātman-Self, and therefore "Self-realization."Realize means to "translate into reality." This implies a bringing into actuality that which is virtual, a manifesting something that already exists.One who wants to find the "fullness" and the "beatitude" of Being must simply rediscover himself, must capture his own true and profound nature and ardently realize it. This does not mean "rejecting" life, "opposing" the sphere of perishable things or "abandoning" the world; rather, it means comprehending what one is and resolving what one is not. "Tat tvam asi: That thou art," to which Śaṅkara refers in his sūtras, is the mahāvākya that corresponds to the highest possible attainment and that Advaita Vedānta propounds for those individuals who are in conflict because their true nature has been "forgotten."To achieve this Comprehension-realization, Aparokṣānubhūti presents fifteen steps or means (some of which are also found in the Yogadarśana or Rajayoga of Patañjali) focusing especially on vicāra-discrimination or discernment. Vicāra is a method of philosophical inquiry, a process of pure searching for the universals. Unlike what one may think, it is an "experimental" method and not a mental process for constructing a theory of knowledge or of reality. In fact, it leads to the direct experience of Reality.Aparokṣānubhūti is based on jñāna Realization (Knowledge). Because it promotes the right consciential position for those who want to walk the "Path of Knowledge," the text of Śaṅkara's Preface to the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad has been included in the Appendix.The translation and commentary by Raphael adhere to the Advaita Tradition and offer a conceptual methodology appropriate to the Western mind; moreover, they adequately and properly stimulate the reader's consciousness toward living a real metaphysical life.As for Ṡaṅkara (788-820), it can be said that his philosophical and spiritual greatness is recognized by all scholars of Eastern and Western philosophy. According to some, he is "the architect of one of the highest realizations of the human Spirit."The book includes a transliterated Sanskrit text and a Glossary.