Publications on Practical Wisdom in Light of Vedic Scriptures
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Brahman is Beyond All Means-of-Knowledge, Or Is It?
Brahman (Consciousness) is beyond all means of knowledge. No scientific instrument can detect it. Because every instrument IS made out of Brahman — being the content of everything, including…
What is Real and Not-Real? – Part 2
Part 1 needs to be understood for this part to make sense. Student posed a question “What is real and what is not real? How do you decide their…
Limitless Existence Consciousness (Satcitananda) – Part 1
By seeming coincidence, three sincere truth seekers found themselves before the presence of a well known wise person (jnani or jivanmukta) of the land. Soon enough there was an…
Karma Yoga Prayer (The Essence of Karma Yoga Spirit In Action)
Still unsure what is Karma Yoga and how is it applied? This prayer will help… “ With gratitude for all I have been given, I offer my every action…
If You Enjoy What You Do, Life Is Very Simple
Living does not simply mean dragging oneself around from day to day, from bed to work, back home and to bed again. The whole process repeats itself until the…
12 Spiritual Practices (Sadhanas or Yagyas) from Bhagavad Gita
Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, mentions 12 types of powerful spiritual sadhana's (spiritual practices or yajnas) one can choose to purify one's mind and strengthen one's relationship…
Is there ‘Creation’?
Nothing can ever be created. Matter cannot be created. To say “something is created” is to imply it’s not already within Creation. Which sets up an unsolvable equation; duality…
That I attempt to be different, Is samsara.
“That I attempt to be different, is saṃsāra”. To see how this is true, let's first ask… What is saṃsāra?… It is mistakenly seeing one's own thoughts and emotions…
What is samsara?
Samsara is limitation one experiences and caused by not knowing difference between REAL (Self; atman) and UNREAL (Not-Self; anatman). A samsari seeks freedom in the world through acquisition (beauty,…
Objectivity vs Subjectivity
What is the difference between objectivity and subjectivity? A statement is said to be objective when it is based on facts and it can be proven via either direct perception…
Inquiry Into Various Vedanta Definitions
THE MATERIAL UNIVERSE Something cannot come from nothing. This material universe evolved out of consciousness. Consciousness is both the substance of which the creation is made and the intelligence…
Brief Introduction to 3 Gunas
The creation comes into existence with the emergence of the 3 gunas or qualities — Sattva, Tamas and Rajas. Sattva is intelligence or knowledge. Tamas is matter, the substance of…
What is the Meaning of Namaste?
In India, many greet each other with the word “Namaste” – this is joined usually by a slight bow and palms touching in front, sort of like a prayer…
Original Purpose of Vegetarianism According to Vedic Culture
Vegetarianism is an example of the application of the value for ahimsa (non-injury). Many arguments in favour of a vegetarian diet can be made, but the basic argument supporting…
What's It Like to Live the Vision of Non-Dual ONENESS?
When one realizes oneself to be unborn-ordinary-actionless-non-dual Awareness… and that Awareness (Ātman/Brahman) is everything that is… it does not mean that the world (jagat) suddenly goes “poof” into a…
Beauty and Logic of Living Life as Karma Yogi
“Now listen to the wisdom of yoga which will free you from bondage to action. In this yoga, no effort is wasted, nor are any unsuitable results produced. Even very little karma yoga protects one…
What is Advaita Vedanta About?
“The fire of certainty which is the result of knowing Onself as immaculate Awareness, burns down the entire forest of ignorance. The eradication of ignorance and the dawning of happiness are…
Enlightenment is Not an Event Because It's Not Subject to Time
According to Upanishads (the original source of non-dual texts), Brahman/Atman/Self is an ever true fact. Thus that which was true before, true now and true in the future —…
What are the Vedas?
Vedas are divided into 4 sections: (1) Rig Veda, (2) Yajur Veda, (3) Sāma Veda, (4) Atharva Veda. Each each section is further divided into 2 parts. Part 1 called…
Why a Wise Person Won't Argue Against an Ignorant Person
What a wise person (jnani) knows directly – can be summarized in below Adi Shankaracharya's words. Which is why there is NO GAIN for a jnani to argue or…
‘I' – The Subtlest of the Subtlest
Bhagavad-Gītā says that we have five sense organs of knowledge (seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, tasting); these are very subtle. Example: Organ of seeing is a lot more subtle then…
Moving from Jiva-Srishti to Isvara-Srishti
Persons false notion about reality is called jiva srishti (Jīva-Sṛṣṭi). It is seeing what is NOT. It is subjective notions born of Ignorance. It is misapprehension/projection onto Ishvara (God)….
When Fruit of ‘I am Brahman' is Denied (viparīta-bhāvanā)
A common question by a person with Self-Knowledge: “Having done shravanam and manana, it's clear I am Brahman. But in my behavior I do not find myself, ‘I am…
Shankaracharya's Song to Fool Caught in Samsara (Bhaja Govindaṃ)
Bhaja Govindaṃ was written by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya. Bhaja govindaṃ is one of the minor compositions of the spiritual giant, Ādi Shankarācharya. It is classified as a prakaraṇa grantha,…
Advaita Vedanta in a Nutshell (Aparokshanubhuti by Adi Sankara)
Our ancient teachers have left behind a treasury of useful and convenient means of understanding Vedānta, the science of life, contained in the prasthana traya. Mainly in the Bhagavad Gīṭa,…
7 Stages of Enlightenment (Panchadasi by Swami Vidyaranya)
Following seven stages present an order every human being, including you, goes through or is going through — until one recognizes the Absolute Truth — otherwise called enlightenment. Ignorance…
Purpose of Studying the Scriptures (Śruti)
Śruti (Scriptures), the Vedas is the only means of knowledge to understand nondual Brahman – I am the limitless reality I seek. Above statement doesn't exclude Scriptures from other…
How is Advaita Vedanta Different?
Firstly, what we mean by “system” is what's called Pramāṇa – or “means of Knowledge”. In Advaita Vedanta case, it's a means of Self-Knowledge. Means of knowledge means an instrument,…
Does a Liberated Person Also Experience Happiness from Objects?
Object-happiness (viṣaya-ānanda) is a name given to a phenomenon that naturally occurs in the subtle body. Brahman is of the nature of sat-cid-ānanda (Existence-Awareness-Bliss). Although Brahman pervades the entire…
Who gains Self-Knowledge? Self, Subtle Body or Reflected Consciousness?
First of all “Self-Knowledge” is NOT mokṣa (Freedom, Enlightenment, Liberation). It is the means to mokṣa. It is a “knowledge-thought” that is created/assimilated in the Subtle Body… by the…
Real vs. Unreal: How to ‘Get Out' of Maya's Crocodile Jaws
Here's an example how Māyā works and how innocently one gives absolute reality to mere appearance… What is this?… Got it? If said “Table”, that's correct. Suppose you…
How To Apply Knowledge of Vedanta in Daily Life (nididyasanam)
QUESTION: How should nididhyasanam (contemplation) be practiced? ANSWER: The biggest obstacle to ‘aham Brahmāsmi’ (I am Brahman) knowledge is the basic ignorance of the jiva (individual soul) identifying himself…
10 Basic Qualifications for Liberation
This is not a popular topic because most of us are wanting shortcuts. Unfortunately like all valuable things in life, freedom is earned by diligent work. To make the changes necessary for…