Question: Dear James, Vedanta is the most amazing teaching. It has changed my life. It gives and gives. I noticed in the recent newsletter that you asked for financial help. It made me realize how ungrateful I have been. I’m not poor but I think I am. I feel ashamed. Why don’t you charge for your teachings? They are so valuable. I am now making regular donations.
James: How can anyone put a price on this great knowledge? It was freely given to me and it is a gift that, as you say, keeps on giving and giving. My teacher fed and sheltered me for two years as my money ran out. When, thanks to the teaching tradition, I felt confident to stand on my own feet spiritually I had twenty-one cents in my pocket and happily became a street scavenger. If there is no support I will keep teaching and figure out something. Fortunately, God, in the form of many good people, has made it possible to live a simple lifestyle and continue to disseminate non-dual wisdom worldwide for the last fifteen years. But those days are gone. I’m nearly eighty, have heart disease and have settled down with a mortgage, which may be soon to be resolved, Covid-19 willing.
ShiningWorld is not a legal entity or a business. It is the most powerful idea on the planet, a positive moral force. It is not right to monetize it. Somehow Isvara always looks after us. I am in the sunset of my life and have nearly completed my mission in life. Sundari and I want ShiningWorld to be available to future generations, as Self-knowledge is the only solution to suffering. So we need help. Anyway, your confession touches me deeply. It shows that Isvara is in your heart. Thank you on behalf of ShiningWorld.
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