For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish
191 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 42 ratingsThe world of Yoga is wide and varied. In this podcast, yogi Nish the Fish shares the deeper dimensions of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra, asking the big questions: why do we practice? What is meditation? What is the purpose of a human life? What is Beauty? What is Death? Nishanth Selvalingam studied various South Asian philosophies with his Shaivite grandfather in an ashram in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and moved to Los Angeles to study philosophy, teach yoga and play guitar in a rock band. Join him and special guests as they explore Yoga, in all its splendours. For more episodes and instruction, and to support this humble offering of the heart, visit me on Patreon: patreon.com/yogawithnish
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Episodes
Ābhāsa Vāda | The Doctrine of Reflection in Kashmir Shaivism
August 24, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 72.3 MBIn this lecture, we are going to discuss the Abhāsa-Vada (Reflection Model) of Kaula Trika Tantra: how is it that the one Unchanging Absolute, śiva, manifests playfully as this dazzling display of phenomena called the world without (a) losing pristine transcendent nature (b) while actually literally and really manifesting as everyone and everything? This sounds like a flat out contradiction. What's more, tonight I'm going to show how Kaula Trika Śaivism gives us a worldview that is neithe...
The God Solution | A Critique of Materialism and a Defense of Theism
August 18, 2023 05:00 - 2 hours - 86 MBWe gave this lecture on the full moon celebrating the Guru, guru-pūrnimā the day when we honor our teachers and our lineage. You are all of you my guru, my teacher. And it is at your feet that I offer all of these words, like so many meagre flowers. You have all taught me and are continuing to teach me and will go on teaching me so much! I am eternally indebted to each and every one of you. A hundred thousand pranams at your feet! What could I possibly say to you now or offer you that can ex...
The Highest Teaching of Spiritual India | Happy Independence Day!
August 15, 2023 19:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBPrior to the British occupation of India, there was no such word as "Hinduism". There was really only a very diverse range of spiritual attitudes all coexisting alongside one another in a spirit of not only tolerance, but celebration. Notice the tremendous resilience India has demonstrated through her 5000 year old (by conservative Western estimates) civilization. The fundamental truths she articulated in the Upanishads at the very dawn of human civilization continue to be chanted by milli...
The Message of Spiritual India | Happy Independence Day!
August 15, 2023 19:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBPrior to the British occupation of India, there was no such word as "Hinduism". There was really only a very diverse range of spiritual attitudes all coexisting alongside one another in a spirit of not only tolerance, but celebration. Notice the tremendous resilience India has demonstrated through her 5000 year old (by conservative Western estimates) civilization. The fundamental truths she articulated in the Upanishads at the very dawn of human civilization continue to be chanted by milli...
God's Face Is Your Face! | The 5 Faces of Lord Śiva in Kashmir Shaivism
July 28, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBIs there anything quite so joyful as thinking in terms of eternity and infinity? Perhaps that’s why coming together every Monday night for our 7pm PST Satsangh remains ever fresh and ever blissful even after all of these years together. There is just such a sweetness to holding these profound and refined conceptions of the Absolute. By holding and contemplating vast concepts, you taste the vastness of our own being to which those concepts can only point! Tonight’s lecture will explore “The...
What Does Enlightenment Feel Like?
July 25, 2023 06:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBSri Ramakrishna, like the Buddha before him, often held that what the Absolute Reality, Brahman is cannot be described. It is "ucchishta", meaning, undefiled by the tongue. As such, it is beyond the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantra or any sacred book. Further, because the ultimate Reality is "one without a second", that is, non-dual, It cannot be compared to any other thing, It being all there is. What does ghee taste like? Well, Sri Ramakrishna would say, it "tastes like ghee!". In saying ...
What is a Mantra?
July 16, 2023 01:00 - 51 minutes - 35.7 MBToday I feel quite inspired to talk about mantra and Deity yoga: what is a deity and in what way is a mantra connected to a deity? How does one properly chant a mantra? What should we visualize? (featuring a brief excursus on yantra, sacred geometry!) and why would we even want to do a mantra practice? etc. Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday at 6pm PST. There's Q&A right after the lecture. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome! Use this link and ...
Rogue Gurus and Fallen Yogis | How To Practice Guru-Yoga
June 27, 2023 22:00 - 1 hour - 47.5 MBGuru-Yoga is the central practice of the Tantrik tradition. In fact, I would go so far as to say that in any genuine mystical tradition, the role of a living teacher is highly emphasized: in Christian mysticism, its the spiritual perception/director/elder; in Sufism its the Affendi; in Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism its the Guru. My guru likes to say: the human Guru is a matchmaker who marries you to God, who alone is the Guru, and Who, in Truth is what You are at the essence of your Being....
What is Scripture? | Nārada Bhakti Sutra
June 21, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 42 MBEvery spiritual and religious tradition in the world has some sort of scripture. One very interesting thing about South Asian spirituality (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and others) is that there is no one authoritative scripture but rather a vast commentarial tradition of scripture that features a peer-reviewed and corroborated account of mystical experiences and the subtlest, most refined truths of spiritual life that are gleaned from them. More importantly, the central claim of the South ...
How To Attain God | Kashmir Shaivism
June 17, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 73.3 MBWhat is "God" and what does it mean to "attain" That? In this lecture, we discuss discuss "The Absolute" on a few different levels from a philosophical perspective but more importantly, we offer a few practice methods for "attaining", that is "recognizing, integrating and acting/thinking/feeling according to" that Absolute Truth. This lecture is part of a series on Kashmir Shaivism which you can watch here https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfGGe32PDNMb9bvgn4Vfn1mtrfF7JPZQn In this insta...
What Is The Purpose of My Life? | The 36 Tattvas of Kashmir Shaivism
June 13, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBDoes your life have a purpose or meaning? In order to ask the question, "what is the purpose of my life?" you have to first take a few steps back and ask "what is the purpose of the Universe?" Since you are an active participant in and a veritable fraction of (if not entirely) the Universe, your purpose must be in some what articulated along with and according to the purpose of the Universe. But does the Universe even have a purpose? Or is it just insentient matter? Is there a God who create...
Why Do Personal Tragedies Happen? | Theodicy Trilogy
June 12, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBEvery theists (those who accept the existence of God), no matter how strong their faith, will one day have to reconcile for themselves what philosophers have been calling, the "problem of evil": if God is all-good and all-powerful, then, why is there evil in the world? The existence of evil, both natural and man-made seems obvious. Natural disasters, famine, disease, genocides, petty acts of violence etc. So either is this means God is not all-good, because God can intervene but chooses not ...
5 Reasons To Have A Spiritual Ego | Kashmir Shaivism
June 02, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBIf you'll allow me to be a little controversial, I'd like to make a case in this lecture for why you should have a spiritual ego. I'm going to explain what I mean by "spiritual ego" on a few levels in order to transmit to you strength, self-reliance and confidence. I'm going to say that "weakness" (which typically disguises itself as false "humility") is the ultimate obstacle in spiritual life. To combat that, I want to assure you of your own power, your own indomitable strength! And to do t...
The Power of Words in Kashmir Shaivism
May 21, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBThis lecture is going to be an exciting one: Can You Become Enlightened From Watching YouTube Videos? Despite the cheeky title, we're going to explore some of the subtlest linguistic mysticism ever: the Kashmir Shaiva development of the 5th CE sage Bhatrhari's claim of the śabdabrahman, the "sound Brahman". Interestingly, it is a beautiful commentary on the opening of the Gospel of John, "in the beginning was the logos, the word." What does it mean for the "word" to be "with" God a...
How To See God Even In Horrific Tragedy | Q&A 5.8.23
May 13, 2023 04:00 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBThis Q&A from our recent Monday satsangh was so rich especially after Richard asked the beautiful question about learning to see God even in those places and people where its especially hard to see Her! I suspect this discussion will be particularly valuable to those struggling with theodicy, or the problem of evil in theism: "if God is all-good and all-powerful, why does She permit so much suffering?" We also make a rather nuanced point about "karma" being the Indian version of "the devi...
5 Signs of Enlightenment in Kashmir Shaivism
May 10, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 75.8 MBWe are about to have a very fascinating discussion: how do I know if I am enlightened? First of all, while there are certainly different conceptions of realization among the various spiritual traditions, there is a universal principle that is common to the all. We first discuss this and offer a few insights about why this discussion would even be valuable to have from the point of view of spiritual practice. Then, we take up the unique conception of realization offered by Kashmir Shaivism a...
How To Make A Living In An Enlightened Way | Tantrik Career Advice
May 02, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBHow do I bring in the abundance that I need to support myself and my loved ones while still remaining aligned with my spiritual values? What should I do with my life? How do I "make a living" without making myself into the "living dead"? For so many of us, "making a living" involved doing the kind of work we might not want to be doing but feel like we have to be doing to get by! Interestingly, the tradition of Paramadvaya or Non-Dual Shaivism, offers some very interesting insight into why w...
How To Overcome Cravings
April 15, 2023 15:00 - 1 hour - 43.5 MBSooner or later, in spiritual life, we find that there are certain habits, patterns and attachments that are getting in the way either because they prevent us from practicing as much (or as well) as we'd like or because, for whatever reason, they are obstructing the natural joy and peace that should radiate from the depths of your being. Naturally, then, we become interested in "renouncing" these things! And these things might take various forms: TV, substances, workaholism, sensual indu...
How To Be Free | Kashmir Shaivism
April 14, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBWhat is the ultimate goal of spiritual life? I’m going to propose that it’s freedom, however we choose to articulate it. But what is that exactly? And does freedom mean the categorical end of all suffering and the attainment of the supreme bliss? What’s so blissful about freedom? Today we’re going to articulate the Kashmir Shaivism position on freedom and contrast it against the freedom of other systems like Samkhya and Advaita Vedanta to show that ultimate freedom requires ultimate ...
Is Religion Just Sexual Repression?
April 09, 2023 15:00 - 1 hour - 53.5 MBThis lecture is an exciting one: we’re going to discuss sex and more specifically sexual repression! To what extent are all spiritual experiences just hallucinations caused by repression, narcissism and grandiosity as the Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysts suggest? As spiritual practitioners we must take these kinds of critiques seriously and really engage thoughtfully with them since they can show us the deepest aspects of spirituality as it relates to very complex human psyche! We're ...
Shaiva Non-Duality = Non-Judgement, Service, Power
March 23, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBIn this lecture, we do a lot of philosophical work to show, at least for the sake of theoretical understanding, that everything you see in this world is nothing but Consciousness. From this, we come away with three insights: 1. To judge, criticize or resent anyone is to judge, criticize and resent God. 2. To serve and help anyone is really an act of worship to God. 3. You yourself are God so you have infinite strength and potential to do anything, including overcoming #1 and doing #2 abo...
What is Shiva?
February 18, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MBIn Non-Dual Shaivism (paramadvaya) the word "shiva" doesn't always refer to the blue fella sitting atop a tiger skin mat meditating in the Himalayas. While "shiva" literally means "blessing" or "auspicious", the word "Shiva" in this context comes closer in meaning to Satchidananda Brahman, which means pure, Formless Awareness...but with a few nuances! In order to show how the Satchidananda Shiva of Tantra differs in some respects from the Satchidananda Brahman of the Vedas, we first have...
What is Mahashivaratri, the Great Night of Lord Shiva?
February 18, 2023 05:00 - 24 minutes - 17.2 MBOn Saturday, Feb 18th 2023, millions if not billions of people all over the world will be pulling and all nighter to celebrate the great God of renunciation and yoga, Lord Shiva. But what's all the fuss and hullabaloo about anyway? In this video we discuss what mahashivaratri, the Great Night of Shiva is and what about it makes it special. Lord Shiva is the symbol of meditation, renunciation and asceticism. These ideals are at the heart of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism. And this same blazin...
How To Practice Spirituality | The 9 Principles of Genuine Spirituality
January 21, 2023 21:00 - 2 hours - 84.3 MBHappy New Moon! Because this is the first New Moon of the year and an important puja to the Divine Mother (Ratanti Puja), I thought it would be nice to discuss an important approach to spiritual life! This is a rather foundational topic and with Mother’s grace, I pray I can do it some justice: How To Practice Spirituality. My only prayer is that something in this lecture inspires you to start practicing now and if you've already been practicing, then to intensify your practice. Give you...
What Does God Look Like? | A Plea for Religious Harmony
January 05, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBMany people feel like their path is the only path to salvation and that their God is the only God. However, if you wanted to get to the beach, aren't there many routes, each unique in their own way and yet each equally capable of taking you to the same destination? Further, if God is an infinite being, then shouldn't such a being express Itself in (and allow Itself to be reached by) an infinite myriad of ways? One thing is clear: the saints of all the major religions all the world over h...
How To Pray | Christ's Message on Practice
December 28, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 52.9 MBSince prayer is at the heart of the Christ’s sadhana (and also that of Sri Ramakrishna) we’re going to ask the question “How To Pray?” What is prayer exactly and how can I do it? In this lecture, we first have a discussion on the centrality of prayer in spiritual life before defining prayer and then asking "who should I pray to?" We present the theory of the Ishta Devata, or Chosen Ideal to demonstrate that what you are praying to is not at all as important as the power of the prayer itse...
Christianity vs "Church"-ianity | A Yogi Discusses The Bible
December 25, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays one and all! Your very nature is Love, Purity and Simplicity. The Christ as such is a perfect mirror to reflect back to you the truth of your being. That’s what a perfect Master is: a reminder. He is an invitation to be what you already are and yet have forgotten. We see in Christ, the Buddha, Ramakrishna the highest possibility of humanity. Perhaps that’s why we love them so much. Who is Christ? Well, who knows. To me: He is Purity personified . He...
How To Forgive Your Enemies | Christ's Message of Forgiveness
December 20, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBMy intention tonight is to ask the question: “did Christ suffer on the cross?” Some would argue that he did and only then is there value in his sacrifice. I’m going to argue rather that he didn’t suffer at all and therein lies the real teaching. After all, how else could he have had the strength to forgive his oppressors? I’m going to suggest that he could forgive them because they were not really oppressors, at least not to Him. As such, in studying this very important episode in the Chris...
5 Reasons to Renounce Everything for God | Christ's Message of Renunciation
December 16, 2022 01:00 - 1 hour - 52.4 MBThis is the first of a three part lecture series on the teachings of the Christ in the light of Vedanta, Yoga and Tantra. Today, we take up Jesus' message of renunciation. Above all, the Christ, like all the avatars before and after him, exemplified total absorption in God and uncompromising renunciation. What is renunciation, anyway? You see: We all want to be happy. The goal of life is happiness and fulfillment. Now consider this carefully: We do so many things in a day. But if ...
Introduction to the Bhakti Sutra of Narada
December 10, 2022 18:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBIf you have ever felt love for anybody or anything, in any capacity, then, you have felt God. God IS love. And the essence of all love, however worldly or misdirected, is ultimately divine. As such, Bhakti Yoga (the Path of Divine Love) is the refinement of and the conscious cultivation of our capacity to love until it reaches an all-consuming, one-pointed intensity for that which is most sacred, the self of our self, the indwelling essence of our being: God. But does love for God come so ...
Kashmir Shaivism and the Vijnana Vedanta of Sri Ramakrishna | Swami Medhananda Puri
December 06, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 75.3 MBTo what extent do the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna embody or even exceed the vast and oceanic philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, that is, to be precise, the Tantrik exegetical writings of various Shaiva masters in the Kashmir Valley between 900-1050 AD who for the most part seem to have embodied similar mystic experiences and articulated similar philosophies to the ones we find in the Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, or the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna? Many scholars have argued that Sri...
Thanksgiving Dinner as Spiritual Practice
November 24, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 45 MBI believe it was Ram Das who said: "if you think you are so enlightened, try spending a week with your parents!" Getting together with family is an opportunity many people in the world do not get to enjoy. Nonetheless, time with parents, children, siblings etc. can be grating in its own way! As many have discovered over the holidays, there is something about family that can push certain buttons and revive certain patterns. Especially for spiritual aspirants who are keenly aware of this kind...
Lord Bhairava and the Yoga of Fear | Halloween Special
November 01, 2022 19:00 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBBhairava in Indian spiritual iconography is often depicted as somewhat of a marginal figure who lives far beyond the pale of society. He dwells in the cremation grounds, wearing nothing but ash, garlanded in skulls and snakes. His companions, much like him, are outcastes: a black dog that nobody wants, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, banshees and of course, a flock of yogis who are his devout disciples. Naturally, he is the perfect figure to discuss in our Halloween Special! After all, Bhairava i...
The Goddess of the Tantras | Navaratri Special
September 27, 2022 23:00 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBOn the auspicious occasion of Navaratri, we launch into an exploration of Shakti, the Divine Goddess of the Tantras. By Her grace I hope to share with you some deep insights from Ramprasad, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda regarding the worship of Ma and its important in spiritual life. I am going to take an approach that is entirely like Ramanuja in that I will attempt to show, by Her grace, how we can use Jnana, Raja and Karma Yoga to attain to Bhakti Yoga, the highest. Faith and devotion...
Renunciation, The Secret of Happiness
August 30, 2022 19:00 - 2 hours - 85.5 MBToday's lecture is about Renunciation, the ultimate ideal of Indian philosophy and the secret to happiness in life. You will learn the Four Principles of Non-Duality (Advaita Vedanta) which are: 1. Upadhi : mistaking yourself to be something you are not as the cause of suffering) 2. Sakshi : developing the Witness to create more intimacy with experiences in life) 3. Adishtana : recognising Awareness as the ground and substance of the world to awaken agape, all-encompassing love) 4. Viverta :...
Renunciation, The Secret of Happiness
August 30, 2022 19:00 - 2 hours - 85.5 MBToday's lecture is about Renunciation, the ultimate ideal of Indian philosophy and the secret to happiness in life. You will learn the Four Principles of Non-Duality (Advaita Vedanta) which are: 1. Upadhi : mistaking yourself to be something you are not as the cause of suffering) 2. Sakshi : developing the Witness to create more intimacy with experiences in life) 3. Adishtana : recognising Awareness as the ground and substance of the world to awaken agape, all-encompassing love) 4. Viverta :...
The Ideals of Spiritual Life and What To Do When We Fall Short
August 17, 2022 23:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBWhy do we such high ideals in spiritual life? What is renunciation and why is it important for genuine spirituality? Once we understand why these ideals are the way they are, we will naturally take up and attempt to live according to them. Naturally, we will also fall short time and time again. The temptation here might be to drag the ideal down to make excuses for our weakness. Or conversely, our tendency might be to be overly critical of ourselves for failing and thus render our spiritu...
Shravan and the Ecstasy of Lord Shiva
July 27, 2022 23:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBIn this mini-episode, we say a few words about the Vedic calendar month of Shravan and what makes it so auspicious for the study and practice of Non-Duality. Then, we ask the question: "why is Lord Shiva so blissful all the time?" The answer reveals a lot about the context in which live our hatha yoga and meditation practice. For more classes like this, visit our lecture library here: https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish OM Namah Shivay! Support the Show.
Tantrik Non-Duality vs Classical Non-Duality | Q&A
July 26, 2022 20:00 - 3 hours - 137 MBHere is a wonderful Q&A discussion comparing Classical Non-Duality with Tantrik Non-Duality to show that despite what pandits might say, they are actually ultimately one and the same and perfectly complementary! 00:01:06 What Is It To Be a Human Being? Does Buddhism/Advaita Invalidate My Personhood? Yes. All Religion Does! Here's Why! 00:12:14 Kashmiri Shaivism and "Playing the Character of Me" 00:14:20 Tantrik Non-Duality vs Classical Non-Duality: Iccha-Shakti, the Role of Desire in God 00...
Why Aren't You Enlightened Yet? | Q&A
July 22, 2022 19:00 - 2 hours - 101 MBIn one of our most productive Q&A sessions of all time (in my opinion, at least!) we ask the central question: "why aren't you enlightened yet?" "why have you not seen with clarity that you are Awareness, ever free?" "what is keeping your from claiming with conviction your essential nature as the Self, which is even now the case?" 00:00:00 Introduction: Why Aren't You Enlightened Yet? 00:00:30 Awareness vs Mind: Does Awareness Change? It Seems To! 00:08:45 The Role of Discernment/Intellect ...
What Is A Guru?
July 13, 2022 22:00 - 2 hours - 107 MBWho (or what) is a Guru? Today we talk about the role of a Guru in our spiritual life as the living embodiment of scripture, as an initiator or empowerer of mantras, as a "broadcaster of reality" and as a living example of the full possibilities of a human life. What qualifies the Guru to be a Guru? And when/how does one find one's Guru in this life? Must the Guru have a body? All this and more in today's class! This lecture is from our program "Journey Into Tantra"! It is an 18 part, coll...
What Is A Guru?
July 13, 2022 22:00 - 2 hours - 107 MBWho (or what) is a Guru? Today we talk about the role of a Guru in our spiritual life as the living embodiment of scripture, as an initiator or empowerer of mantras, as a "broadcaster of reality" and as a living example of the full possibilities of a human life. What qualifies the Guru to be a Guru? And when/how does one find one's Guru in this life? Must the Guru have a body? All this and more in today's class! This lecture is from our program "Journey Into Tantra"! It is an 18 part, coll...
The 9 Types of Tantrik Awakening
June 27, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBWhat is it that turns someone away from the shallow, fleeting pleasures of the world and towards genuine spiritual life? Obviously, it is grace. Abinava Gupta, in his masterwork, Tantraloka takes up the very nuanced work of articulating the science of Grace: how did this Grace come about and who is "worthy" of receiving it? Are there practices you can do to invite this grace? And where does this grace come from and why? All these questions are taken up and brilliantly answered in Chapter 13 ...
The Way of Shakti | The Zen Koans of Tantra
June 23, 2022 17:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBWho or what is Kali? In what form does Shakti create this Universe? And how can I (a) interact with that and (b) BECOME that? In perhaps one of our deepest discussions yet, we explore the ultimate nature of Reality: the mantric body of Shiva, i.e Shakti. Everything that you see around you is a mantra, a subtly vibrating phoneme that gives rise to thought structures in the mind which in turn produce language structures in speech which ultimate filters down into your subjective and intersubjec...
How To Meditate Like Lord Shiva
June 11, 2022 19:00 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBIn 10th CE Kashmir, there were a slew of Tantrik masters who wrote brilliant commentaries on principal texts in Tantra and in so doing developed a wholly unique, thrilling and sophisticated approach to spirituality. These masters wrote within the tradition of Shaivism, the spiritual philosophy centered around Shiva as the principal divinity. Naturally then, their approach came to be called "Kashmir Shaivism." While this is a broad and far reaching school with many technicalities and subtleti...
Buddhism and Hinduism (Q&A) | Buddha Purnima
May 19, 2022 20:00 - 2 hours - 103 MBIn this Buddha Purnima special, we celebrate the birth, death and enlightenment of one of the world's greatest spiritual teachers, Gautama the Buddha by having a Q&A discussion on various themes in Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and spiritual life in general. 00:01:16 Is Buddha's Enlightenment and Sri Ramakrishna's Enlightenment the same? 00:07:46 Nagarjuna's "Nirvana = Samsara" 00:12:15 The Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu? 00:21:45 How is Advaita Vedanta different from Soliplism/Subjectiv...
Sri Ramakrishna's Mission | Celebrating 125 Years!
May 03, 2022 18:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MBOn May 1st this year, the Ramakrishna Mission turns 125 since Swami Vivekananda established it in 1897, in Balaram Bose's house in Calcutta. As an offering to my Guru, I say a few words about the central theme of this mission that to me represents the Highest Ideal of Spiritual Life: service to our brothers and sisters, not out of the delusion that we can "help" them or that they are in need of "our help", but out of the recognition of the innate divinity of the soul. As such, our service t...
The Bhagavad Gita Rock Opera + Q&A | Lissa Coffey
May 03, 2022 18:00 - 2 hours - 94.9 MBWhen you surrender your life to the Divine Inspiration arising from deep within you, then, you no longer live your life. Your life lives you. In this sangha Q&A discussion, we interview celebrity author and sister-disciple, Lissa Coffey (Parama) to talk about: Why don't we do the things we know we want to do? What is holding us back? And what will happen when we surrender our life to our inspiration, that is, to our Svadharma, our Personal Mission? In this moving discussion, we hear about L...
What Is Freedom?
April 19, 2022 16:00 - 2 hours - 82.6 MBWhen people talk about freedom, they usually speak about the freedom to be a slave to their own impulses. The million year tyrant of our biology has kept us entangled in its own survival and reproduction motives, using us as pawns in a much larger game that we cannot win. Every now and then we wake up to this reality and ask if there are other motives by which we might live our lives, motives more meaningful and fulfilling than simply the dressed-up drives of sex and survival? 00:00:00 What...
What Is Evil?
April 04, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 79.8 MBTheodicy or "The Problem of Evil" is as follows: if God is omnipotent (all-powerful) AND omnibenevolent (all good), why is there suffering/evil in the world? Either this means God is not powerful enough to stop evil even if She wanted to OR it means God could stop it but won't and as such is not all "good" by human standards. Today, we explore some ideas from Advaita Vedanta (Hindu Non-Duality) to offer a fresh perspectives on the Problem of Evil. Advaita argues that there is no such thing...