A Direct Pointer to Direct Experience
The Direct Experience of Reality (in Sanskrit Aparokshanubhuti) is a short classic text on the non-dual teachings. It was once thought to have been written by the original Shankara Acharya, who probably lived in the eighth century and gave what is still the most complete and respected presentation of the non-dual philosophy. Most scholars now…
Read MoreSuccessful Living
On the stage of matter the soul is left to act. The purpose of our engagement in action is to help our fellow-actors to realise their own freedom, and to attain to liberation from the bonds imposed on them by matter in its various manifestations. The stage-manager of this drama is the Lord omniscient and…
Read MoreLess Thought, More Light
The teachings on meditation point out the benefits of having a quiet mind. This doesn’t mean a dull mind or an uninformed mind. It means we have the power to create peace and tranquillity in our own mind whenever we wish to do so. This instruction in tranquil self-control is common to all wisdom traditions.…
Read MoreThe Non-Duality of Shri Shankara
Continuing H P Shastri’s essay on the Outline of the Advaita of Shri Shankara The jiva Like the world, jivahood (individuality) is an ultimate fact of our experience. Shri Shankara, in his descriptions of the genesis of the world, gives no hint as to the birth of the jiva. He says that the jiva is…
Read MoreThe Non-dual Contribution to Psychology, Philosophy and Religion
When we reflect on the non-dual teachings, we may wonder whether they are best described as a philosophy or a religion, or neither, or both. Also, we find that the teachings stress the pivotal role of our mind, and they transmit to us a wealth of psychological insights. So we have at least three fields…
Read MoreSt Augustine—The Early Struggles
In his youth Augustine had no clear sense of direction, but he knew that he wanted the best that life had to offer, and he grasped it with all the strength of his ardent personality. He sought admiration, worldly success, excitement, enjoyment, and he turned a deaf ear to his mother’s anxious advice about sexual…
Read MoreThe Course of Love-Knowledge
At the end of the prose part of A Thousand Teachings, Shri Shankara has, with great logical acumen, demonstrated that the subject is different from the object, and that the properties of the object are not the properties of the subject. You see a cow lounging in the open air in a green field. Its…
Read MoreMore Light from the Kena Upanishad
The Upanishads are of interest because they throw light on the deepest aspect of human nature. Their enquiry does not end with the life of the mind, or with the store of experiences and tendencies that we feel is uniquely our own. Instead, it discerns that consciousness is essentially free from the colouring of our…
Read MoreThe Trivial and the Tragic
When we learn of tragedies and disasters in faraway places, our hearts are moved, but the focus of compassion and concern is usually quick to fade, as the demands of daily life once again capture our attention. The charity appeal on radio or television, is followed by entertainment; the heartrending story in the newspaper is…
Read MoreThe Meditative Mind
People often ask about the state of mind brought about in meditation. Characteristic replies speak of tranquillity, one-pointed concentration, and a sense of unity with all. But more significant than mental states that occur in the stillness and withdrawal of our meditation period, is the development of a meditative mind. This is a mind that…
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