Matt:Is this a true statement?: The I that I am and that isIsvarais independent ofIsvaraandIsvara’screation. Sundari:Correct.Isvaraandjivaboth depend on awareness to exist, but awareness depends...
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
Sara:Now the “wake-up call” for me is that I used the wrong and misleading word. Sundari:It is interesting to see how unconsciously we use...
Matt:I am whole and well, and that knowledge is clarifying beautifully, like the sun burning off a dense fog from a landscape that was...
Sarah:My problems seem to be entirely physical, which then leads to mental involvement! I have had two occasions so far where my heart developed...
Matheen:Hi, Sundari. Thank you very much for your reply to my earlier email. Have read and thought a lot. My problems seem to be...
Laura:I have been thinking whether to write to you or not. Since I have tremendous difficulties to sort this issue out by myself, I...
Steve:Hello, Ramji and Sundari. I have readThe Essence of Enlightenmenttwice (and taken many notes!). I just finished readingInquiry into ExistenceandThe Yoga of Love. I...
Sundari:Hello, Rick. This is Sundari, James Swartz’s wife. We have kept silent since we heard that you removed the interview you had with James...
Student:Dearest James and Sundari, I hope you are both enjoying some relaxation and good health in South Africa and feeling better physically after India’s...
Marika:I read asatsangin which you mentioned the topic of shame. This was really interesting for me because there is a lot of shame in...
Steve:Dear Sundari, thank you so very much for the readings that you sent me. They helped tremendously! Sundari:You are welcome, Steve. Steve:I have this...
Inquirer:In theVivekachudamanifrom Spain 2014, James, talking about ignorance, says that thetamasicaspect of ignorance is the non-apprehension of myself as awareness. Therajasicaspect is the misapprehension...
Kevin:I have a question about renunciation. I still don’t understand fully how to exactly renounce fears and desires practically. Can you please explain to...
Riyad:Dear Sundari, I have a question after Vedanta came to me and confirmed so much and taught me even more… In short – life,...
Greg:Hi, Sundari. My deepest condolences, I hope you have been recovering well from your surgery. From what I have read you are writing a...