Ram:Dear Cynthia, in regard to your question about whether or not Vedanta might be helpful for someone with serious psychological problems, the answer is...
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
Ram:And if you are in life to purify your mind for the purpose of discovering that you are free, any choice will be beneficial....
Joseph: Dear Ram, since we talked three days ago things have been really quite strong for me. I just don’t have a clue about...
Ursula:Dear Ram, thank you so much for those twosatsangs. I like thesatsang Why You Are Not Different from Godvery much. I like to hear...
Alicia:Dear Ram, the only thing that bothers me is that I feel like I should be meeting someone right now, but have an inner...
Ram:Dear Miranda, I read your email with interest. I am glad that you are enjoying my autobiography and that you are started meditating more...
Maris:Dear Ramji, thanks for this email. I especially enjoyed the section on living adharmiclife, since it is what I need the most reminders about...
Edward:Dear Ram, I’ve a question for you. I hope you will keep your answer simple. As you know, I am perennially short of time....
Maureen: Dear Ramji!, thank you for Sandy’s letter and your comments – isn’t she lovely?! Ram: She certainly is. Maureen:I have some questions concerning the relationship...
Ram:Dear Peter, I was thinking about your statement on the phone that my comments about how to deal with your emotional situation were merely...
Candice:Dear Ram, so when you say mentally agitated, you mean not fully present? So you don’t get the fullness of the experience? The clarity...
Ram:Dear Martina, here are my replies to your excellent questions. I tidied up your English a bit so that your statements would be easier...
Ram:Dear Deena, to answer your next question, yes, the “I” thought arises in the mind. But the “I” does not arise in the mind....
Shanti:What kind ofvasanasdo you think I have? Ram: The same ones we all have. The vasanas outpicture as your likes and dislikes. One’s likes and dislikes generally...
Mark:Dear Ram, there is a beautiful Sanskrit verse I lost along with the exact meaning. It goes something like “…out of fullness comes something,...