Dear Ramji, Thank you, i felt a little ashamed to bother you with that private stuff. I trust Ishvara and will see how it...
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
Dear James, I want to thank you for delivering the teachings for me. I was with my family. They said that I am a...
Dear Ramji As you know I’ve been wading through financial issues with family members for over a year. Unfortunately they haven’t been willing to...
Dear James Each morning as I sit with my meditation practice reflecting on the teachings and how they impact my daily existence, you and...
Donna: I’m not sure I fully believe in the Prarabdha karma I’ve had a fair amount of illness (so much for organic food, no...
Sundari: I took a while to reply to these two very long emails as much of your writing seems to be more ruminations than...
John: It’s been a while. Nididhyasana continues. It was such a great year or two when I had completely refined my life according to the...
Susan: I’ve been out of the loop for a few months. I have had some health issues and I’ve been reading all the relevant...
Spiritual Narcissism R: On the topic of bodies and treatment, just last week I had an old friend who in into the spiritual/”wellness” scene...
Dear James, It’s been about a year since I last emailed you and I thank you with gratitude for your responses. I have been...
Henry: What I presented as an answer to a question on non-duality and shamanism in the form of the existence of (a typical modern...
Hi James, In Chapter 11 of the 2018 Gita videos I heard you say Isvara came way before the intellect. If that’s so,...
This satsang is based on a recent satsang called “Throw the Dog a Bone.” Dear James, Awesome, thank you! Had a feeling I was...
Throw the Dog a Bone Hi James, it’s been a while, how are you? James: Never better. I’ve been less consistent with it...
Attachment to the Right Things Dear James, How are you doing? I spoke with a friend yesterday, who is also a yoga teacher and...










