Meditation Practice: Rest in the Peace and Bliss
A recent session led by the Warden at Shanti Sadan In meditation we turn our thoughts from the noise and pressures of the outer world to the source of life and consciousness within our own being. That source seems to be hidden, but through our ongoing efforts we learn how to create conditions of peace…
Read MoreProgress in Self-Knowledge: Part Two
Know thyself! In the first part of this article, the meaning of self-knowledge was looked at from a psychological point of view, with examples from literature, both comic and tragic. We also examined the idea, elucidated by the psychologist, Alfred Adler, that human beings have a fundamental need for significance and to overcome restrictions. This…
Read MoreHigher Knowledge
Higher knowledge is that which makes known the fundamental nature of everything. Is such knowledge possible and if so how is it to be sought? These are pressing questions because we live at a time when human knowledge of the world around us is growing faster than previous generations could have imagined possible. And very…
Read MoreLantern Lesson
A recent presentation at Shanti Sadan made use of a handcrafted candle cover. Shaped from thin brass, with tinted cut-glass stones circling centre and base, it is covered with fine engravings and pierced with many minute openings. A night-light burns at the centre. Subscribe or enrol for free guest access to read all of this…
Read MoreThe Eternal Wisdom
The final chapter of Hari Prasad Shastri’s imaginative portrayal of the life and teachings of the sages of ancient India. Human life is subject to certain laws which must be obeyed. The purpose of law is the welfare of the details, if that is commensurate with the welfare of the whole. The individual exists for…
Read MoreDharma
In its broadest sense, Dharma stands for the most subtle, fundamental law underlying the universe, well-known to sages and seers. Indeed, it is by trimming their sails to this law that they have discovered the way which, as the Upanishads say, ‘carries one beyond sorrow’—the way which is called Yoga. Increasing our knowledge of the…
Read MoreAn Introduction to the Avadhut Gita
From Hari Prasad Shastri’s translation of this Advaita Vedanta classic The word ‘Gita’ means a song. Many of the holy scriptures were written as songs, their theme being the non-dualistic philosophy of the Upanishads. Among these the least known are the Shiva Gita, Rama Gita, Vyadha Gita and Devi Gita, and the best known is…
Read MoreRealizing the Infinite Peace
He who holds Shanti (peace) in his heart, dwells in a sea of bliss. Tulsidas The state of eternal peace, the higher transcendental Truth, space-like am I. Avadhut Gita The infinite peace is with us right now, ever present, yet apparently hidden. Verses like those above, when held in the mind, revive our remembrance of…
Read MoreResolution
A pilgrim, dusty from travel, passed an aged countryman resting by the roadside. He asked: ‘How long will it take me to walk to the next village?’ The countryman remained silent, and the pilgrim felt: ‘Oh, well, not everyone is friendly’, and trundled on his way. No sooner had he taken about ten brisk paces,…
Read MoreMeditation Practice: that Infinite Reality
A session led by the Warden at Shanti Sadan If we deepen and develop the practice of meditation, it will lead us to an awareness of something of supreme value in our own being. This may be called the higher consciousness, or the eternal wisdom, or the light and being of the true Self. This…
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