Stan:Dear Sundari, thank you for your last email. I hope you are well. It has been an interesting time. Sundari:All is perfect and could...
Satsang is a compound Sanskrit word that means “keeping the company of the Self.” The Self, Awareness, is the true nature of everyone and one keeps company with it by continually meditating on it in many ways. One of the most effective methods involves discussing non-dual teachings with someone whose knowledge of his or her identity as Awareness is doubt-free, to get clarity with reference to Self inquiry. The satsangs posted here are answers to the questions of many people around the world who are interested in enlightenment and committed to Vedanta as their preferred means of Self knowledge.
Now that Vedanta is well known in Western spiritual circles, it has become commonplace for unqualified “teachers” to identify with it. A qualified teacher is called a mahatma, someone immersed in the Vedic tradition who has been taught the methodology by someone who has been properly taught in an unbroken chain of teachers, through Shankaracharya, back to the Upanishads, the source texts themselves. My teacher, Swami Chinmaya, seen here with his teacher, Swami Tapovan Maharaj, satisfies this qualification. I have not strayed from the tradition since my introduction to it in 1968 and teach traditional Vedanta, although not in the traditional monastic format.
Chinmaya Teaching in a Traditional Setting
Richard:In answer to your final question, one of my Buddhist teachers said 20 years ago, “Everything has a price tag; the price tag on...
Thoughts on Why Children Are So Easy to Love (and Why People Kill Themselves) The appeal of very young children, their nascent and yet-to-coalescevasanas,is...
Robert:Thanks for the words of wisdom. I’ve been taking some time to ponder them and inquire more deeply into some of the currentvasanas. Yes,...
Seeker:Pranam.I have a quick query regarding whether one can attain Self-realization being a householder. What does one do if one’s family, in my case...
Sundari:I will reply in more detail soon, but I highly recommend you read James’ bookThe Yoga of Love. It will answer all your questions...
Sundari:I’ve thought a lot about innocence lately, what it is and whyjivaslose it, and why they kill themselves. I wrote a piece about it,...
One of the reasons that Vedanta is intended only for sufficiently qualified, pure minds is the danger of the ego co-opting the knowledge. Self-knowledge,...
Priya:I am Priya, a 21-year-old law student from India. Unfortunately or fortunately, I had to plunge into the vast spiritual world at the age...
1.Jivais a principle, atattva,not a specific person. The definition ofJivais a subtle body illumined by consciousness, calledchidabasa. It is actually pure awareness,paramatma. The word...
Ken:Hi, Sundari. I’ve spent the past year working my way through the ShiningWorld beginners’ and advanced courses (though I skipped some videos, I read...
Stan:The identification with thejivajust jumps right in. I can catch it sometimes, but in relationships, it is so damned strong. Sundari:This is covered in...
Andrew:A friend again has asked me to give a two- or four-hour talk on Advaita Vedanta for heryogateacher training that she runs. I was...
Q:What is the ego? Sundari:The technical name for the ego in Sanskrit isahamkara. In one sentence, it is basically the “I” thought wrongly associated...
Questioner:Hello, dear Sundari. I remember emailing you a couple of months ago. You showed respect and insight, which is why I decided to write...










