It is possible to learn much concerning some aspects of the non-dual teachings from books. But at certain points, personal guidance is needed. For this reason, the essential teachings have always been passed down from illumined teachers to prepared pupils.
In 1933, in London, Shanti Sadan was founded by Hari Prasad Shastri as a centre where the pure teachings could be given in the ordained way. Hari Prasad Shastri had followed the path of Self-Knowledge, Adhyatma Yoga, under the guidance of a traditional teacher, and had confirmed the truth of non-duality in direct realisation. He founded the centre according to the wishes of his own teacher, the Mahatma Shri Dada of Aligarh, who belonged to a line of teachers in the tradition of Shri Shankara Acharya, stemming from the sages of the Upanishads.
Hari Prasad was born in Bareilly in Northern India, in 1882. He studied at Benares University and distinguished himself as a scholar of Sanskrit and philosophy. He travelled to Japan in 1916 and taught at Waseda University in Tokyo for two years. He then spent 11 years in China as Dean of the Foreign Department at Hardoon University, and Professor of Philosophy at Nankwang College. During this time he also edited the Asiatic Review. He travelled to London in 1929.
From the non-dual perspective, the same essential truth is recognised at the heart of all the great wisdom schools. As a scholar with a wide knowledge of Indian, Persian, Japanese, Chinese, and Western philosophy and culture, Hari Prasad Shastri was able to present the teachings in ways suited and appealing to a contemporary audience. He is the author of many of the books published by Shanti Sadan, and articles that appear in Self-Knowledge Journal. The universal outlook has been continued and extended through books and articles by his pupils and followers.
Before his passing away in 1956, Hari Prasad Shastri nominated his successor, and the line has been continued through subsequent Wardens of Shanti Sadan to the present day. The true non-dual teachings have always been presented impersonally, with an emphasis on the abiding truth rather than the personality of the one who communicates it. The connection with their source allows the teachings to be restated in ways appropriate to current circumstances while preserving their essential purity without the admixture of personal opinions. This was the purpose of the founder, which is being continued at the centre.