Jason:Ramji, you are right. I have been successful at discriminating thought and emotion as not-self. But the discrimination of the doer/enjoyer has eluded me...
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
Grant:Ever since I read and contemplated the meaning ofIsvarawhich you had kindly offered me as written satsang some years ago, it’s been a deepening...
Kate:Of the qualifications,samadhanamis the most challenging qualification and what trips me up the most. Can you explain exactly why and what it entails? Sundari:Samadhanamis...
DK:Ma’am, do you agree with this forward? “You all have so many desires. What do the desires say? ‘Fulfill me and you will get...
James:Dear Terry, sorry I was a little hard on you. I’m not giving up on you. However, our relationship should give me as much...
Mike:Good morning, Ramji. Just a quick note to let you know I think I have made some headway in dealing with the incessant idea...
Frank:Thank you, Sundari. I agree with what you are saying. I am 61 years old and struggle with intense chronic pain due to high...
Roger:Why does it seem to be such a natural human inclination to want to have control over our future experiences? I findkarma yogareally difficult....
Matt:When you talk aboutkarma, what do you mean exactly? Rory:Karmaliterally means “action.” Anything that you do iskarma, from brushing your teeth first thing to...
Jane:I have difficulties practicingkarma yogabecause I have a problem with theIsvara/God concept. I cannot pray to a higher instance, because the whole concept of...
Matt:You say: “We’re never not experiencing the Self, because there’s nothing else to experience. All that’s necessary is the removal of ignorance about that...
Jane:The great magic show called life – I cannot enjoy it. I am constantly thinking, “Why do I have to deal with this sh**?...
Jane:I have a conflict between the spiritual and the material. On the one hand, I have deep thoughts and value the meaning of Vedanta,...
Dave:I notice that Vedanta doesn’t mention much, if anything, about the importance of love. For many, God is equated with love, i.e. “God is...
Ann:Dear Sundari, time flies! I think of you and James every day. In fact I spend almost every day with you guys☺, listening to...










