Sorry I can't reply to an original post in this thread, but I've deleted it, so I'll start a new one:
>From Dana Sawyer Hey Rick! Let me get at this a bit at a time. > Some guy >is questioning your authority on the issue, siding with some guy named >Anoop >Chandola who favors MMY's side, and saying he's more authoritative that >you >because he's published a lot. Can you respond to his question below and >breifly state why you're qualified to comment on the issue? His question below is simply "what has Dana Sawyer published?" Before I answer that question, let me first point out that lists of publications (especially publications dealing with "linguistics and music") do not constitute rational arguments in support of a position. This fellow says that Anoop Chandola is the ultimate authority on the Jyoitirmath issue but stating it does not make it so. What is the grounds of his authority and what are the specifics of his argument? What research did he perform? What peer reviews has his work undergone? In academia today, the two leading authorities on Shankaracarya issues are William Chenkner and Vidyasankar Sundareshan (a scholar who has published widely and also maintains the "Advaita Vedanta Homepage"). Their work has been scrutinized by their peers and they argue for viable positions. I have never heard of Anoop Chandola, and that says a lot because I have been researching Dandis and Shankaracaryas for more than seventeen years. So, if my detractor will be so kind as to present the substance of his position, I will be glad to scrutinize his arguments, share them with my colleagues, and give my appraisal. OK, now to answer the question: a full list of my publications is not pertinent to the Jyotirmath dispute. What is pertinent is that I am the current leading academic authority on the Dandi samnyasins and have published several academic papers on them. In my chapter, "The Monastic Structure of Banarsi Dandi Sadhus," in Hertel and Humes, eds., Living Banaras: Hindu Religion in Cultural Context (SUNY Press, 1994) I made mention of the Jyotirmath dispute, and in my forthcoming book from Pilgrim Book Trust, The Dandi Sadhus: History, Philosophy, and Practice, I make greater mention of it. However, my work in general focuses more on the Dandis than the specific dispute. Having said that, my field research has often brought me in direct contact with the principle protagonists of the dispute and I have carefully researched the history of the court cases related to it. I am, to my knowledge, the only person who has copies of the court transcripts of the various cases and I have shared my analysis of these with scholars whose research is centered more on the dispute. For instance, if you view the long discription of the Jyotirmath dispute on the "Advaita Vedanta Homepage," you will see that he is taking my research into account. And, BTW, I believe this is the clearest description of what is going on - it actually helps provide insight into why the Shankaracaryas of the other Amnaya vidyapiths do not side with MMY and Vasudevananda. So, anyway, please forward the arguments to me and I'll check them out. much love, Dana > > >--- In [email protected], Rick Archer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> on 6/18/05 12:47 AM, sparaig at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >> >> If I am >> >> missing relevant info on Chandol, plese provide it. >> >> >> > >> > Done. >> > >> "Discovering Brides by Anoop Chandola" >> >> That settles it. He's the ultimate authority on the Shankaracharya >> controversy. > >Plus 8 scholarly books on linguistics and music. What has Dana Sawyer >published? To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
