Vairagya: Non-attachment
Whether one belongs to a Christian school of thought, or to a Buddhist, or a Sufi one, or to this school of Adhyatma Yoga, one finds that great emphasis is always laid on the necessity for cultivating non-attachment to success and failure, and the like, and renunciation of the pleasures of the senses. In The…
Read MoreRight Discrimination on the Path of Light
At a basic level, discrimination means that we have accepted the goal of liberation as our own, and that we are prepared to evaluate experiences according to the criterion: ‘Is it helpful to my path towards my goal? Will it take me a step forward, or throw me back?’ Once we get a feeling for…
Read MoreSelf-Examination on the Path of Light
One step towards this higher self-awareness is the practice of self-examination. Setting aside a few minutes for self-examination, we place our mind before us, so to say, and take a detached look at its condition. We remember our highest purpose: progress towards enlightenment. We then review the day’s actions, reactions and thoughts, in the light…
Read MoreAction as an Offering to Me
One expression used in the Gita is ‘Be My-minded’. This means that the mental energies, which before were spread over a hundred diverse interests, are now preoccupied with the quest for divine knowledge. By using the word ‘My-’ in this way, the Gita links the idea of God with the idea of Self. The quest…
Read MoreVedanta Light
Vedanta Light is a short book containing answers to questions that arise in the mind of a sincere enquirer setting out on the course of inner discovery. The questions raised and answered are: What is man and what is God? What is the world and what is man’s mission here? Do you teach absolute renunciation?…
Read MoreThousand Teachings of Shankara
The Thousand Teachings (Upadesasahasri) of Shankara is an exposition of the non-dual philosophy written by Shri Shankara, the great philosopher-sage who established the non-dual teachings as we know them. Most of Shankara’s writings are in the form of commentaries on other texts, such as the Upanishads, and deal with subjects mentioned in those texts, much…
Read MoreTeachings from the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most studied and most translated texts in the world’s wisdom literature. Teachings from the Bhagavad Gita is a loose translation of the original, focusing on what is relevant to us and making the essential points clear. Often known simply as The Gita, it teaches a balanced way of activity,…
Read MoreSongs of Enlightenment
Songs of Enlightenment is a collection of poems by Swami Rama Tirtha, originally written in Persian and Urdu, here translated into English. Rama Tirtha lived 1873-1906. He attained Self-realization and left behind vivid accounts of his experience in the form of articles, poems and lectures. In his early life he overcame extreme poverty to excel…
Read MoreA Short Course of Meditation
A Short Course of Meditation contains a valuable collection of teachings on meditation drawn from the writings of Hari Prasad Shastri, Marjorie Waterhouse and other illumined sages, arranged with explanations under six progressive headings: Getting Set Up for Meditation Bringing the Mind Under Control Feeling the Meditation Creating the Focus Self-Identification The Canvas of Meditation…
Read MoreShankara Source Book
The Shankara Source Book contains writings by Shri Shankara, arranged systematically by subject. Shri Shankara was a great philosopher-sage who expressed the non-dual teachings in such a complete and satisfactory way that his formulation has been followed by authentic teachers of the non-dual tradition ever since. Most of his writings are in the form of…
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