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Critique of Modern Vedanta Study

Swami Tattvavidananda | Advaita Vedanta ‪@swamitv-eng‬ source: Lectures on the text "Dhammapadam" https://www.youtube.com/live/dYPF3WJZ... In this lecture, Swami Tattvavidananda discusses the challenges and deficiencies in contemporary Vedanta study and practice. He emphasizes that his aim is not to complain but to caution and guide students to avoid common pitfalls The main topics covered are: Critique of Modern Vedanta Study The speaker begins by addressing the apparent criticism of modern Vedanta studies, clarifying that it's an exhortation to students rather than a complaint He highlights the deficiencies that have "crept into" the study, causing well-meaning students to "lose" their way despite their sacrifices He calls it a "labor of love" and a "critique" that should be invited Sensate Values and Consumerism The core problem, according to the speaker, is that we live "steeped in sensate values" He distinguishes between science and technology, viewing science as knowledge and truth (like Vedanta) but technology as the problem because it's used to derive "sensual pleasures" He uses the example of atomic energy being used for destructive weapons The industrial revolution, he argues, has converted people into "consumers", leading to a "consumer culture" where even sanyasis (monastics) are not immune This constant desire to "consume more and more" leads to an overemphasis on sensual pleasures, even while studying Vedanta and worshipping God This is deemed a "crisis of character in modern civilizations", where "extraordinary significance" is given to sense values He illustrates this with the constant bombardment of advertisements designed to "stimulate our sensual pleasures" and the excessive focus on fashion, using the example of shoes Impact on Spiritual Institutions and Practice The speaker extends his critique to ashrams (spiritual retreats), noting how even places devoted to Vedantic learning prioritize "rich and sumptuous food" and comfortable amenities like air-conditioned lecture halls and gourmet dining This leads to people becoming "sick" He claims that money collected for spiritual purposes is often used for "comforts and more luxuries", creating a "enormous contradiction" with the study of Vedanta Mundane things become "extraordinarily important" He laments that religion has degenerated into "mumbling of some words or prayers" that are "repetitive," "mechanical," and "habit forming" Instead of being an inspiration, religion becomes a mere habit, leaving practitioners still "victims of sense pleasures" Call for Restraint and Dharma Great teachers (acharyas) like Buddha, Shankara, Swami Vivekananda, and Swami Rama Tirtha recognized this degeneration and cautioned against it They emphasized the importance of "restraint" (shama) over the sense organs, so they don't become "slaves to sense pleasures" Krishna in the Gita and Patanjali Maharshi also condemned the pursuit of sense pleasures Bhagavan Buddha advocated living a life "entirely commanded by the vision of dharma", emphasizing that life must be "restrained and then dharma"