Swami
Vivekananda and Others on Religious Philosophy
by Gopal Stavig

DEDICATION
Dedicated
to my guru Swami Prabhavananda (1893-1976). Without his
sublime spiritual influence these books would never have
been written.

TABLE
OF CONTENTS
I.
Advaita
Vedanta and Nirguna Brahman
1.
Advaita Vedanta in General
2. The
Unknowability of Nirguna Brahman, the Essence of God,
and the
Thing-in-Itself, by the Human Intellect and Senses
3. The
Way of Negation (Neti Neti, Via Negativa) and the Way
of Affirmation
(Anvaya, Via Positiva)
4. The
Doctrine of Maya
5.
Realizing Our Oneness With Nirguna Brahman (Atman) and
the Godhead
II. The
Atman
1. The
Nature of the Atman, Subject-in-Itself, Noumenal Self,
Thing-in-Itself, and the Transcendental Ego
2. The
Atman Explained from a Personal Standpoint
3. The
Impact of Nirguna Brahman-Atman on the Phenomenal
World
4. Atma-Dharma
the Highest of All Ethical Virtues
5.
Western Insights on Swami Vivekananda’s Presentation
of the Atman
6. The
Atman and Western Personalism
III. The
Nondualistic Intrinsic Nature of Brahman-God
1.
Introduction
2.
Simplicity (Undifferentiated, Partless, Undivided/Akhanda,
Niravayava,
Nirvishesa, Niskala)
3.
Self-Existence (Aseity, Causa Sui/Sat, Svasiddha)
4.
Infinity (Ananta)
5.
Eternity (Anadi, Avyaya, Nitya, Shasvata)
6.
Immutability (Aksara, Avikari, Kutastha, Nirvikara)
7.
Perfection (Siddha)
8. One
in Number (Monotheism, Advayata)
9.
Transcendence (Alaukika, Vishvatiga)
10.
Immanence (Antaryamin)
IV. The
Dualistic Extrinsic Nature of Brahman-God
1.
Introduction
2.
Omnipresence (Ubiquity/Sarvagata, Vibhu)
3.
Omnipotence (Ananta-virya, Sarvakartriva, Sarvasakti)
4.
Omniscience (Ananta-jnana, Kevala-jnana, Sarvajna,
Sarvajnatva)
5.
Omnibenevolence (Sarvashreyas)
6.
Personal (Omnipersonal)
7.
Luminosity (Paramjyoti, Prakasha)
8. Name
(Nama)
V. Relation
of Nirguna Brahman-Atman and the Essence (Divine
Substance)
of God with the Divine
World and the Universe
1. It is
the Immutable Background-Substratum-Ground
(Foundational
Cause)
of All Existence
2. Its
Relationship with Saguna Brahman the Personal God, the
Trinity,
and
Divine World
3. The
Divine World is a Representation of Nirguna Brahman
and the
Thing-in-Itself
4. The
Divine World and Heavenly Existence
5. Three
Higher Worlds
6.
Relationship of Brahman-Atman and the Absolute to the
Universe
7.
Categories of Existence and Understanding
8. The
Most Universal Categories of Existence and
Understanding
VI. Creation
of the Phenomenal World
1.
Creation from Divine Ideas
2.
Creation from Divine Spoken Words
3. The
Divinity of the World
4. A
Cosmological Interpretation of the Biblical Genesis
Creation and Flood
Narratives
5.
Eternity of the Universe and Cosmic Cycles
6. Devas
and Angels
VII. Panentheism
and Transformational Pantheism
1. The
Universe as a Modification of Brahman-God
2.
Panentheism: The World Within Brahman-God and
Brahman-God Within
the World
3.
Cosmic Mind (Mahat) and the Creation of the Universe (Akasha-Prana)
4. The
Interaction Between Mahat and the Phenomenal Universe
in Relation to
the Ideas of F. H. Bradley and A. E. Taylor
VIII. Swami
Vivekananda’s Scientific Cosmology
1. Swami
Vivekananda’s Scientific Cosmology and Albert
Einstein’s Special
Theory of Relativity (1905)
2.
Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity (1915-16)
and Its Implications
3.
Vivekananda’s System of Physics
4. What
Happened Before the Beginning of the Universe?
5.
Vivekananda’s Mahat and David Bohm’s
Super-Implicate and Implicate
Order
6.
Vivekananda’s Scientific Cosmology and Quantum
Physics
7. Mind
and Subtle Matter (Tanmatras)
8.
Vivekananda’s Akasha-Prana and Samuel Alexander’s
Space-Time
9.
Vivekananda and Alexander on Evolution
10.
Heredity
IX. The
Divinity of the Soul (Self)
1.
Qualified Nondualism (Monism)
A. The
Soul (Self) as a Part (Fragment) of Divinity
B. The
Soul (Self) as a Projection and Emanation of
Divinity
C. The
Soul (Self) as a Reflection of Divinity
2.
Theistic Dualism
A. The
Divine Presence in the Soul (Self)
B.
Divinity is Involved in the Soul (Self)
C. All
People Exist Eternally in the Mind of God
D.
Immortality of the Soul (Self)
X. Avatara-Divine
Incarnation
1. Their
Divine Nature
A.
Polytarian and Trinitarian
B.
Sat-chit-ananda and the Christian Trinity
2. Their
Human Nature
A.
Brahman-God Assumes a Human Form
B.
Heavenly Assistants
C.
Avataras
3. Their
Mission
A. The
Avatara and History
B.
Giver of Knowledge
C.
Establishes Righteousness and a New Religion
4. Their
Legacy
A.
Apostolic Succession
B.
Future Revelations
C.
Avatara and Human Evolution
XI. Religious
Scripture and Revelation
1. The
Origin of Religious Scripture: Transcendental and
Revealed Vedas
2.
Religious Scriptures are Eternal and Infallible
Divinely Revealed Truths
3.
Interpreting the Scriptures
4.
Prophets and Revelation
XII. Liberation-Salvation
and Samadhi
1.
Liberation and Salvation
2.
Jivanmukta: Reaching Partial or Full Perfection in
this Life
3.
Samadhi and Liberation-Salvation
4.
Universal Liberation, Universal Salvation, and
Restoration
5. Body
and Soul Dichotomy
6. Body,
Soul, and Spirit Trichotomy
XIII. Reincarnation,
the Pre-existence of the Soul, and the Law of Karma
1.
Theoretical Implications of the Doctrine of
Reincarnation
2. Other
Aspects of Reincarnation (Aka Rebirth, Transmigration
of the Soul,
Metempsychosis, Palingenesis)
3. The
Pre-existence of the Soul (Self)
4.
Brahman-God (Ishvara) and the Law of Karma and
Samskaras
5. How
Karma Operates
6. How
to Produce Good Karma and Samskaras
XIV. Religious
Pluralism in Indian and Western Thought
1.
Brahman-God’s Plan of Divine Plenitude
2. The
Common Core of Religious Beliefs
3.
Religious Experience
4. The
Value of Having Many Religions
5. The
Need for Religious Pluralism
6.
Additional Ideas Concerning Pluralism
Appendix:
Additional Parallel Scriptural Quotations
Bibliography
©
2020
Gopal Stavig
Contact:
jon@mondaymedia.org
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