Ramanuja

Question 1

How did he disagree with Sankara?

Answer 1

He believed in a material god, an actually existent world and did not believe that our souls were equal in essence with god.

Question 2

What three tasks was ramanuja faced with?

Answer 2

1. Reject Sankara’s concepts of higher/lower levels of knowledge. 2. Answer sankara’s argument about maya. 3. Accept some kind of unity between Brahman and atman.

Question 3

Describe his background

Answer 3

He was born in around 1017CE, he traveled around India repairing temples, engaging in debate and converting people.

Question 4

Where does vishishtadvaita sit in the Vedanta tradition?

Answer 4

It is a middle way between the two extremes of advaita monism and dvaitia dualism.

Question 5

How did he view caste?

Answer 5

His temple was organized along caste lines, but he accepted the Bhakti teachings that all castes could reach god.

Question 6

Describe his works

Answer 6

He wrote 9 Sanskrit works, his most important was the Shri bhyasa, a commentary on the Brahma sutras. He made comments on the Bhagavad Gita and the nature of the Upanishads.

Question 7

What was his first philosophical work about?

Answer 7

It was designed to show that the Upanishads do not teach strict monism, he strived to integrate a Vedanta position with devotion to a personal deity.

Question 8

What three things form the basis of his thinking?

Answer 8

1. The relationship between Brahman and atman. 2. Bhakti. 3. Grace.

Question 9

How did he see Brahman?

Answer 9

He is the creator, sustainer and destroyer. He is Ishvara and is saguna, he is infinite in his qualities and can manifest in this world through avatars and murtis.

Question 10

How is Brahman defined?

Answer 10

Siguna Sakara- he has both a form and a personality and has no negative qualities.

Question 11

How did he see the atman?

Answer 11

Each individual has an atman, it possess consciousness and is aware of the world. It is pure and blissful like Brahman, but is entangled in samsara, making it ignorant to its own potential nature and divine origin.

Question 12

How did he see Prakriti?

Answer 12

Prakriti is Brahman’s body, the world is not an illusion as it characterizes Brahman’s existence.

Question 13

What is the relationship between Brahman and atman?

Answer 13

Atmans are completely dependent upon god, they are products of his creative power and are thus part of him.

Question 14

What is Brahman to the atman?

Answer 14

He is its inner controller and directs it to act in line with dharma, however, the soul can choose to ignore Brahman, leading to bad karma and it being trapped in samsara.

Question 15

What is vishishtah-advaita?

Answer 15

Atman and Brahman are not identical, but the atman is dependent on Brahman and he is dependent upon the atmans.

Question 16

How did ramanuja see moksha?

Answer 16

The atman moves to the heavenly realm of Vishnu where it lives in glorious proximity to Vishnu and shares an affinity with god, but does not become him.

Question 17

How is moksha gained?

Answer 17

Only through Ishvara’s grace and Bhakti.

Question 18

How did ramanuja see Bhakti?

Answer 18

Love and devotion should be selfless and duties of caste should be carried out as a form of love and devotion to god.

Question 19

What is grace?

Answer 19

Moksha can only come from god’s grace, he uses it to save souls from samsara so they can share his attributes.

Question 20

How is grace gained?

Answer 20

Through devotion to god through practices such as Bhakti yoga.

Question 21

What is the monkey school VS cat school debate?

Answer 21

Cat school- you do not have to work for grace, it is given by god in the same way that mother cats pick up their babies. Monkey school- you have to work for god’s grace in the same way that baby monkeys have to cling to their mothers when carried.

Question 22

How did he view the Bhagavad Gita?

Answer 22

It was sacred and contained ultimate truth about liberation. Chapter 9- offerings to the gods. Chapter 5- karma yoga is better then Jnana yoga.

Question 23

Give three strengths of his views

Answer 23

1. It is easier to accept that the world is actually real. 2. We have to start with evidence from our senses- a much more realist and common sense view then Sankara. 3. He allows for devotion and a personal god.

Question 24

Give three more strengths of his views.

Answer 24

4. He gave Bhakti a higher status, it is no longer seen an irrational emotivism. 5. It is easier to accept that Brahman and atman are similar rather then identical. 6. He had a big impact on devotional Bhakti movements.

Question 25

Give three weaknesses of his views

Answer 25

1. Opposition to the idea that all castes can reach gods. 2. Many don’t think Vishnu is the supreme Brahman. 3. Does not allow for the acceptance of all religions, his views have had less global impact then sankara’s.