Owing torajasthe ego feels a need to plan. Plans are fantasies because what is to come has already been decreed byIsvara,the causal body. The...
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
Paul:Dear James,Hari Om! Congratulations! You made the list of Advaita Vedanta teachers atStillnessSpeaks.com. Unfortunately, the list also includes the likes of Adyashanti, Mooji, Gangaji,...
If reality is non-dual existence as theUpanishadsclaim, then ultimately there is no difference between experience and knowledge. For instance, if you see a tree...
Kevin:Dear James, in one of your videos you mentioned that thejivacannot know the cause ofMaya,because thejivais the effect ofMayaand the cause cannot know its...
Student:James, this is just a simple note of gratitude. I just wanted to express how truly grateful I am for all your efforts bringing...
James:Hi, Mary. I’m as fed up with this issue as you are. I thought we laid it to rest six months ago, but these...
James:Hi, James. Today is my birthday, and I want to give my best friend a gift. He walks twice a day, and I want...
Questioner:Dear Ramji, thissatsangis very poignant. I’ve been contemplating it since you sent it, and the power and simplicity of it has been quietly at...
Kumari:Namasteagain! I had communicated once earlier during the start of the year to which you gave a very detailed response. To give you brief...
Paola:I practisekarma yoga,but it is evolving slowly for myjiva. From the five-points list the easiest part was about studying the scripture, which I do...
Riana:Just a bit of background – I have been “studying” Vedanta via YouTube and the ShiningWorld website for about two years now. I have...
Nick:I have just read theSelf-Esteem and Parentingdocument you sent me. Here is how it kind of went: Oh, that’s interesting, I like this… read...
Lena:Hi, Sundari. Happy, shiny New Year to you and James! Many blessings your way! Sundari:Thank you for the wishes, Lena, and may life and...
Andy:Okay, now the work begins, doesn’t it? One of the phrases recurrent in thesatsangsis “eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” Sundari:It’s a good...
Anna:I have one difficulty in managing my one particularvasana.I don’t even know how to describe it. I am conducting lectures for students this year;...










