Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra Podcast

1. Pride, Vanity, Conceit, Self-Glorification: Any form of hurt is due to pride, an inflated ego, one that is excessively attached to what it thinks it knows, believes, possesses or how it looks. When you expect other people to make … Continue reading →

How to overcome tamas? When you are rajasic and succesful you have no time to pay attention to yourself. Stuck in sattva. Danger of vanity and stop of growth. Verse 58: “Success is easier to attain by informal devotion than … Continue reading →

Free will. Making no choice and turning it over to ishvara. Issue of free will: what values are determining your use of free will? Those values are chosen by the gunas. If tamas predominates fear will inform your choices. If … Continue reading →

Trust in a guru? Manipulation and guru. Respect teachers with knowledge. Don't hand over your trust to a teacher simply because you are suffering. If your heart is pure ishvara will give you the right guru. You should be able … Continue reading →

Revision of verses 38-43. Vedanta is a method that the teacher applies to your mind. You are always aware. Elimination of nonessential factors. Bliss in deep sleep. Do you stop existing when you go to sleep? Something that you can … Continue reading →

One achieves devotion through Satsang. Satsang builds a devotion habit. Make the worship of god a habit. Verse 38: However, the primary method by which one develops devotion is association with great souls, that means a free person of the … Continue reading →

Vedanta: means of knowledge based on the upanisads or knowledge that ends the quest for knowledge. Modern advaita teachers and qualifications. Arguments from satya viewpoint and from the mithya viewpoint. Example of Ramana Maharshi, his spiritual experience and the knowledge … Continue reading →

Verse 25: Advaita devotion is superior to karma yoga and jnana yoga. Verse 26: Vedanta is a means of knwoledge, non-dual love is the end. Verse 27: If you take credit for something that belongs to the Lord you won‘t … Continue reading →

The supreme person. Experiencing or being the self? Two orders of reality. You are never not experiencing yourself. Duality and Non-duality are not opposites. You can be and experience yourself at the same time. It is not necessary to get … Continue reading →

Verse 10: Elimination of nonessential desires: Worldly or emotional security, wanting to be recognized. Single goal is freedom. Active sense of renunciation is important. The only security is your self. Five stages of devotion: 1. Sakama Bhakti 2. Nishkama Bhakti. … Continue reading →

Swami Chinmayananda. Consciousness and matter. Four types of devotees: Devoted to god because of suffering. Spiritual materialism principle and Vedanta. Seeker of god or truth. Nondual devotee. The lower and the higher self. Krishna, Arjuna and the cosmic vision. Until … Continue reading →

Actions won't remove ignorance. Actions and ignorance are not in conflict. Knowledge will remove ignorance. By sadhana you don't remove the basic ignorance: I am the doer! Moksha is the negation of the doer. Actions don't give lasting happiness. Verse … Continue reading →

Beginning of the verses of Narada's Bhakti Sutras. Traditional versus modern style of teaching. Vers 1: Using intellect for justification is not useful. Devotion is directed to God. Treat the people around you as if they are God. Devotion is … Continue reading →

Recap of the last session. Freedom as the number one priority in life. Nondual bhakti is exclusive love of the self. To progress spiritually you have to commit yourself to the vedic tradition: work through all stages. Skipping of the … Continue reading →

Karma yoga is bhakti yoga. Swami Vivekananda, Freud, consequences of technology. Psychological designation in Vedanta appeared. Multipath confusion. Better to integrate all parts of the psyche. All stages of devotion are necessary, must be practised. For karma yoga you need … Continue reading →

3. Formal devotion. What is karma? Prarabdha, sanchita and agami karma. Karma is similar to a bank account. 3 possibilities: add karma, exhaust karma or stay the same. People with little karma become sannyasi. Karma Yoga means how to relate … Continue reading →

By reading Vedanta texts it is easy to misinterpret them. Ignorance and knowledge are mixed up. Teaching makes difference between ignorance and knowledge clear. Live your life based on knowledge not on emotions. Isvara and action. What is real? You … Continue reading →

Existence is my nature. Love is my nature. Everything you do is motivated by love. Stages of love (see chart in the video): 1. Love of objects. What do you love? Samsaris love objects. Suffering comes because objects are not … Continue reading →

Meditation on the silence. It is impossible not to love. You are Love: Sat Chid Ananda. Every action is motivated by love of the self. What is existence? Scripture as the appropriate means of knowledge. You are not a person. … Continue reading →

To direct love to the Self you have to practice. Love in relations is dualistic love. Personal gods are symbols to worship you own self. Symbols invoke the love that you are. Is the joy in an object? Inquiry into … Continue reading →

Yoga Vidya is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to spread the knowledge (vidya) of holistic Yoga. Founded by Sukadev Bretz in 1992, Yoga Vidya now runs 4 ashrams, 100 Yoga centres in various cities and has trained more than … Continue reading →

Yoga Vidya is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to spread the knowledge (vidya) of holistic Yoga. Founded by Sukadev Bretz in 1992, Yoga Vidya now runs 4 ashrams, 100 Yoga centres in various cities and has trained more than … Continue reading →

Yoga Vidya is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to spread the knowledge (vidya) of holistic Yoga. Founded by Sukadev Bretz in 1992, Yoga Vidya now runs 4 ashrams, 100 Yoga centres in various cities and has trained more than … Continue reading →

Talk 4 of Swami Nityabodhananda at Yoga Vidya Center in Cologne, Sept 2019. The conscious principle. All is in me. Consciousness and objects. One or several teachers. Path of action and path of renunciation. Visit Yoga Vidya for more inspiring … Continue reading →

Talk 3 of Swami Nityabodhananda at Yoga Vidya Center in Cologne, Sept 2019. Question and answers. Human pursuits. Roles in life and attitudes. Need for a teacher. Self inquiry. Vedanta and you are that. The tenth man. Sadhana. Visit Yoga … Continue reading →

Talk 2 of Swami Nityabodhananda at Yoga Vidya Center in Cologne, Sept 2019. Subject: Karma Yoga and results of actions. Prasadam. Attitude of Devotion to Ishvara. Roles in life. Vers 2:51 Bhagavad Gita. Clarity of purpose. Atma and body. Substance … Continue reading →

The first of a series of 4 talks on Vedanta, self growth and self discovery by Swami Nityabodhananda. He became a disciple of Swami Chinmayananda at the age of 24. In 1995 he attended the 3 years Vedanta course of … Continue reading →

Revision and conclusion. What is the meaning of ignorance? The oneness of the individual and the supreme reality. The method of Vedānta. How to get a sattvic mind. Jñāni. You are the happiness you are looking for. You have to … Continue reading →

How Ira met Swami Dayānanda. Q + A. Books of Shankaracharya. Study Brahma Sutras only with a qualified teacher. Vivekacūḍāmaṇi. Are Advaita Vedānta and Yoga Philosophy harmonious? Vedantic dhyana. Kaṭhopaniṣad and vedantic meditation. Books and articles of Ira. More Vedanta … Continue reading →

Introversion of the mind and the witness. Intellectual knowledge is not helpful. Discriminative wisdom comes only to bhaktas. Bhakti means love of god. Unless you turn your mind to him he won´t reveal himself to you. The highest teaching in … Continue reading →

Discussion of the three states. The beauty of Vedānta is that it is based on common experience, not on mystical experience. Pūrṇa anubhava. 2 experiences: being aware of something or being not aware of anything. The states are not in … Continue reading →

Yoga Vidya is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to spread the knowledge (vidya) of holistic Yoga. Founded by Sukadev Bretz in 1992, Yoga Vidya now runs 4 ashrams, 100 Yoga centres in various cities and has trained more than … Continue reading →

Nirvāṇa–ṣaṭka. Morning remembrance prayer. Vedānta and modern science. No conflict between science and Vedānta. Science makes statements about the waking state. Vedānta is a subjective science: its about your own experience. Analyse of the three states according to Gauḍa-pādas kārikā. … Continue reading →

Vedānta is not a business. The highest teaching of Vedānta. The method of Vedānta: deliberate superimposition for the purpose of teaching and negation of this teaching in the end. Mutual superimposition. 3 identifcations: knower, doer, experiencer. adhyaropa and apavāda. Tat … Continue reading →

2 ways to get vairāgya: 1. seeing the defects of happiness from objects (it has a beginning and an end) 2. understanding that objects are not real. Bhagavad Gītā ch. 13, 7-11. Spiritual sadhana: developping qualities. Humility is knowledge because … Continue reading →

Story about Swami Satchidanandendra and Kirtan. The concept of avidyā / ignorance. Best source is adhyāsa bhāṣya: Introduction to the commentary of Shankaracharya on the Brahma Sutras. 2 notions of ignorance: Shankaracharyas notion of mithyā jñāna and Padmapādas notion of … Continue reading →

Explanantion of the shloka Brahmanandam paramasukhadam. Shankaracharyas critique of other schools of thought. Knowledge as the solution to remove ignorance. 3 types of ignorance: 1. not knowing as the root. 2. Misconception. Adhyāsa. Superimposition. 3. Doubt. Ancient vedantic position. Five … Continue reading →

Review of the first two Shlokas of chapter 13 Bhagavad Gita Bhasya. Witnessing consciousness: unique teaching of Vedanta. Paramahamsa. Witnessing consciousness is identical with the supreme reality. Avidya: mixing up of subject and object. Forms: Not knowing, misconception, doubt. Verses … Continue reading →

Qualities of a real Bhakta according to Shankaracharya based on the Bhasya of Shankaracharya 11th and 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.     More Vedanta Seminars you will find here. More on Vedanta you will find here. English Community, … Continue reading →

Prakriti and Gunas. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7. Types of Devotees. Karma Yoga. Stages of Karma Yoga. Chapter 12, 8-20 Bhagavad Gita.     More Vedanta Seminars you will find here. More on Vedanta you will find here. English Community, Blog, … Continue reading →

Traditional study of the Bhagavad Gita. Different schools of Advaita Vedanta. Main Teachings and Defects according to Shankaracharya. Maya and other definitions.   More Vedanta Seminars you will find here. More on Vedanta you will find here. English Community, Blog, … Continue reading →

Qualifications according to the Bhagavad Gita chapter 13, 7-11. Story King Janaka, Katyayani, Matreyi. The Witness. The Self and deep sleep.     More Vedanta Seminars you will find here. More on Vedanta you will find here. English Community, Blog, … Continue reading →

Explanation of the Mantra Guru Brahma Guru Vishnur. Qualifications of a student according to the Brahma Sutras: Viveka, Vairagya, Shat Sampat, Mumukshuttva.     More Vedanta Seminars you will find here. More on Vedanta you will find here. English Community, … Continue reading →

History of the Vedanta Scriptures. Lack of qualification as a main problem to realise. Sadhana as the solution to be qualified. Meaning of Avidya according to Shankaracharya: mutual superimposition.   More Vedanta Seminars you will find here. More on Vedanta … Continue reading →

The first of a series of 17 talks on Vedanta by Vedanta Scholar Ira Schepetin, one of the  great Experts on Vedanta. He was the first western disciple of Swami Dayananda and the only western disciple of Swami Satchidanandendra. He … Continue reading →

Yoga Vidya is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to spread the knowledge (vidya) of holistic Yoga. Founded by Sukadev Bretz in 1992, Yoga Vidya now runs 4 ashrams, 100 Yoga centres in various cities and has trained more than … Continue reading →

Swami Vishnu Devananda celebrates a Puja to Master, Masters Birthday – London Centre 1983. Enjoy his original voice and his energy! For more English yoga videos, music, blog posts, etc., please visit our English pages here.

Swami Vishnu Devananda chants some Kirtans and speaks about Guru and Master! Chant with him and enjoy his original voice and his energy! For more English yoga videos, music, blog posts, etc., please visit our English pages here.

Listen to this ATTC-lecture by Swami Vishnu Devananda! Chant mantras with him at the beginning of the lecture and enjoy his original voice and his  energy! For more English yoga videos, music, blog posts, etc., please visit our English pages … Continue reading →

Swami Vishnu Devananda chants the Mahamantra! Chant with him and enjoy his original voice and his energy! For more English yoga videos, music, blog posts, etc., please visit our English pages here.

How to develop devotion? How to experience God? Bhakti Yoga gives answers to these questions. Leela Mata gives the essence of Bhakti Yoga in a nutshell. Leela Mata gives seminars on Bhakti Yoga at Peaceful Valley Ashram Pennsylvania and at … Continue reading →