Vedanta Lectures | Swami Tattwamayananda: Recent Episodes
Vedanta Society, San Francisco
Swami Tattwamayananda, currently the Minister of the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco, (originally founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1900) served in various centers of the Ramakrishna Order in India as editor, publisher, and teacher of Sanskrit, Advaitic texts such as Sri Shankaracharya's commentaries on the 'Prasthanatraya' (the fundamental Sanskrit texts of Vedanta philosophy), Buddhism and Indian philosophy. He underwent traditional training in Hindu scriptures, Sanskrit, Vedic and Vedantic literature for many years, from his early days. Before coming to the United States in January 2012 he was teaching Sanskrit, Vedantic scriptures and Indian philosophy at the Training center in Belur Math, the institution that trains the monks of the Ramakrishna Order at the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, Kolkata, India. Apart from his traditional education, the Swami has also received modern University education in English literature, psychology, European history, and Western philosophy. He is frequently invited for lectures on Yoga, Vedanta, and traditional Hindu scriptures and for participating in interfaith dialogues.
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Swami Tattwamayananda expounds Maitreyi-Brahmana of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad in a series of three lectures given online at the Vedanta Society of Northern California from 9/4/2021 - 9/6/2021.
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Vedanta Society of Northern California
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Swami Tattwamayananda expounds Maitreyi-Brahmana of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad in a series of three lectures given online at the Vedanta Society of Northern California from 9/4/2021 - 9/6/2021.
All Rights Reserved.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
www.sfvedanta.org
Swami Tattwamayananda expounds Maitreyi-Brahmana of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad in a series of three lectures given online at the Vedanta Society of Northern California from 9/4/2021 - 9/6/2021.
All Rights Reserved.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
www.sfvedanta.org
This lecture was given on May 16, 2021 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on April 25, 2021 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
Swami Tattwamayananda gave this online talk at the request of the Vedanta Society of New York on April 24th, 2021.
This lecture was given on December 13, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on December 6, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on November 22, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on November 8, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on October 25, 2020 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on October 18, 2020 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 15, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 8, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 1, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 18, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 11, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 4, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 27, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 20, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given as part of the online Labor Day Retreat by Swami Tattwamayananda from September 5 - 7, 2020.
This lecture was given as part of the online Labor Day Retreat by Swami Tattwamayananda from September 5 - 7, 2020.
This lecture was given as part of the online Labor Day Retreat by Swami Tattwamayananda from September 5 - 7, 2020.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 23, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 16, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 8, 2020 at 3:00 pm PDT.
Spiritual lectures
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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"Yoga is the art of befriending the mind and living in harmony with ourselves."
This class was given on August 8, 2020.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali contain 195 sutras organized into four chapters. It gives a complete analysis of the mental system, how to transcend mental conflicts by linking the mind to a transcendental spiritual reality and how to become established in our true nature. Patañjali takes it for granted that the students of his system accept that life is not just one chance; life is a continuous cycle. We are born, we live, we die, we are reborn again to enjoy or suffer the fruits of those actions of this life. Our mind is conceived to be a lake with different layers, different layers constituted by different actions, vrttis, tendencies, vasanas, impressions, that we accumulated over innumerable lives. When the external circumstances are helpful or conducive to spiritual life, then the accumulated tendencies coming from the lowest layer of that mental lake will come to the surface as units - not individually. In fact, one main area of difference between Western psychology and Patañjali’s system is this. Western psychology doesn't make a clear distinction between vrtti - the modifications that arise out of individual actions and thought currents - and the accumulated samskaras, which become a positive tendency, which drives you toward certain actions. Patañjali says when vrttis become samskaras, they become a tendency. The tendency becomes a tendency to do certain things and that tendency to do certain things leads to the formation of will, which is sankalpa. That will force you to do certain things and again that produces modifications. This cycle continues. The whole cycle can be stopped by constant practice of dispassion.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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"Yoga is the art of befriending the mind and living in harmony with ourselves."
This class was given on August 7, 2020.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali contain 195 sutras organized into four chapters. Patañjali takes it for granted that the students of his system accept that life is not just one chance; life is a continuous cycle. We are born, we live, we die, we are reborn again to enjoy or suffer the fruits of those actions of this life. Our mind is conceived to be a lake with different layers, different layers constituted by different actions, vrttis, tendencies, vasanas, impressions, that we accumulated over innumerable lives. When the external circumstances are helpful or conducive to spiritual life, then the accumulated tendencies coming from the lowest layer of that mental lake will come to the surface as units - not individually. In fact, one main area of difference between Western psychology and Patañjali’s system is this. Western psychology doesn't make a clear distinction between vrtti - the modifications that arise out of individual actions and thought currents - and the accumulated samskaras, which become a positive tendency, which drives you toward certain actions. Patañjali says when vrttis become samskaras, they become a tendency. The tendency becomes a tendency to do certain things and that tendency to do certain things leads to the formation of will, which is sankalpa. That will force you to do certain things and again that produces modifications. This cycle continues. The whole cycle can be stopped by constant practice of dispassion.
Vedanta society of Northern California
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This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 2, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-Prashna Upanishad is from the Atharva Veda tradition.
-Six students approach a great sage, Pippalada, to learn the knowledge of Brahman. Though they have studied all of the Vedas and have practiced austerities, he asks them to stay one more year with him before asking him any questions.
-This Upanishad consists of these six questions and six answers.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 26, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 12, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 25, 2020.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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On July 18th and 19th, 2020 Swami Tattwamayananda gave a retreat on "Karma Yoga: The Pathway to Happiness" online. This is the final session of the four sessions.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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On July 18th and 19th, 2020, Swami Tattwamayananda will gave a retreat on "Karma Yoga: The Pathway to Happiness" online.
This is the third session of the four sessions.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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This is the second session of a four session online retreat. On July 18th and 19th Swami Tattwamayananda gave a retreat on "Karma Yoga: The Pathway to Happiness" online.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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This is the first session of a four session online retreat. On July 18th and 19th Swami Tattwamayananda gave a retreat on "Karma Yoga: The Pathway to Happiness" online.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 5, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-Isha Upanishad is the most realistic Upanishad. It is closed to the Bhagavad Gita in teaching how to practice spirituality while living in this world.
-Live in the world while remembering its transience. Then we will be able to practice ethics and spiritual common sense - we can satisfy our needs but there is something that goes beyond.
-The Upanishad teaches universal spiritual humanism - that the whole creation is one spiritual family.
-No spiritual effort is wasted. It is stored as a positive tendency in our "spiritual bank account."
-God in the Upanishads is not necessarily a creator God. It can be realized as the divine reality, immanent everywhere.
This lecture was given on July 5, 2020 by Swami Tattwamayananda on the occasion of Guru Purnima.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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The Lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 4, 2020.
Vedanta society of Northern California
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This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 28, 2020. It was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-The Bhagavad Gita is a universal scripture appreciated by philosophers and great men and women from cultures around the world.
-The Gita teaches non-attachment in work. It is not negligence or indifference but it removes the binding effect of work.
-The first characteristic of a devotee is contentment (संतोष).
-Jnana Yoga teaches us to find out our own immortal nature.
-The Gita gives examples of men of women who combine secular success with spiritual values (राजर्षि) – the dynamism of a reigning monarch with the wisdom of saint who knows the inherent limitations of empirical success.
-By learning to distinguish between what is of permanent value and what is of spiritual value, we gain spiritual common sense. Our actions bring a sense of inner fulfillment (कृतकृत्यता).
-The one who is established in this spiritual common sense is able to see pain and pleasure with the same mind – a person of steady wisdom (स्थितप्रज्ञ).
-The characteristics of the person of steady wisdom are natural to him or her. According to Shankaracharya, if we practice them we will also become enlightened.
-The Gita also explains why we sometimes feel we reach a dead-end. We can become trapped by temptations presented to the mind and senses.
-To break this bondage, we should link ourselves to a great spiritual ideal. Then, our whole life becomes a sacred act (यज्ञ).
-A harmonious blending of action and contemplation, the positive aspects of secular values and spiritual values.
-Looking at the problem of unpleasant duty with equanimity of mind.
The Lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June -28-2020.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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Lecture delivered by Swami Tattwamayananda at the Vedanta Society of Northern California on November 11, 2012. Without self-effort we cannot understand or make use of God's grace. In the end, we find even our self-effort was the result of God's grace. Examples from the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna, Christian mysticism, and Sanskrit tradition are taken to expound this topic. The two major kinds of obstacles and how God helps a person to overcome them are also explained.
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The Lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 20 at 3 PM PDT.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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Lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 6 at 3 PM PDT.
Chapter - 1 Verses:
तस्य ह नचिकेता नाम पुत्र आस ।। 1.1.1 ।।
त्ँह कुमार्ँसन्तं दक्षिणासु नीयमानासु श्रद्धाविवेश सोऽमन्यत ।। 1.1.2 ।।
पीतोदका जग्धतृणा दुग्धदोहा निरिन्द्रियाः ।
अनन्दा नाम ते लोकास्तान् स गच्छति ता ददत् ।। 1.1.3 ।।
अनुपश्य यथा पूर्वे प्रतिपश्य तथाऽपरे ।
सस्यमिव मर्त्यः पच्यते सस्यमिवाऽऽजायते पुनः ।। 1.1.6 ।।
वैश्वानरः प्रविशत्यतिथिर्ब्राह्मणो गृहान् ।
तस्यैता्ँशान्तिं कुर्वन्ति हर वैवस्वतोदकम् ।। 1.1.7 ।।
तिस्रो रात्रीर्यवात्सीर्गृहे मेऽनश्नन् ब्रह्मन्नतिथिर्नमस्यः ।
नमस्तेऽस्तु ब्रह्मन् स्वस्ति मेऽस्तु तस्मात्प्रति त्रीन्वरान्वृणीष्व ।। 1.1.9 ।।
लोकादिमग्निं तमुवाच तस्मै या इष्टका यावतीर्वा यथा वा ।
स चापि तत् प्रत्यवदद् यथोक्तमथास्य मृत्युः पुनरेवाऽऽह तुष्टः ।। 1.1.15 ।।
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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This lecture and question and answer session were recorded as part of the Memorial Day Online Program held on May 25, 2020.
Third lecture on Kena Upanishad by Swami Tattwamayananda as part of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures delivered on May 9, 2020.
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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Lecture by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 25, 2020.
Kena Upanishad Verses: Chapter 1 Verses 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7, 8; Chapter 2 Verses 1, 2
Vedanta Society of Northern California
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Lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April-11-2020 of the South
Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures.
Kena Upanishad Verses:
OM keneShitaM patati preShitaM manaH
kena prANaH prathamaH praiti yuktaH |
keneShitAM vAchamimAM vadanti
chakShuH shrotraM ka u devo yunakti || 1||
shrotrasya shrotraM manaso mano yad
vAcho ha vAchaM sa u prANasya prANaH |
chakShuShashchakShuratimuchya dhIrAH
pretyAsmAllokAdamRRitA bhavanti || 2||
na tatra chakShurgachChati na vAggachChati no manaH |
na vidmo na vijAnImo yathaitadanushiShyAt || 3||
anyadeva tadviditAdatho aviditAdadhi |
iti shushruma pUrveShAM ye nastadvyAchachakShire || 4||
Psychology of True Happiness is a lecture given by Swami Tattwamayananda at the 98th Colloquium sponsored by the Indian Community Center Palo Alto and Cupertino on April 23, 2020.
Swami Tattwamayananda offers two Universal Vedic prayers from the Yajur Veda and gives a short description for these troubled times.
This is a prayer from Rig Veda and Yajur Veda. The essential harmony and unity of all existence are expressed eloquently in these Vedic mantras. The ancient Vedic sages of India prayed for peace and prosperity and harmony both in the external nature and also in our own hearts. They always prayed for peace, tranquility and harmony in all natural phenomena on Earth, in the sky, in the winds, in the oceans, in the rivers, mountains, and everywhere. They believed the interrelatedness or what we call Ritam in the Vedic tradition of all existence.
When we tune our life and actions according to this principle of inherent harmony and interrelatedness of all existnece, we are following the path of Ritam. We are in tune with the entire creation and when we regulate our actions and lifestyle according to this principle of spiritual unity of existence, then we are following the path of Dharma, and when we speak and interact with others in tune with this inherent principle of peaceful coexistence and interrelatedness of the whole creation we are following the path of Satyam.
When we live our life according to the principles of Ritam, Dharma, and Satya, which constitute the highest universal principles of ethics and morality and spirituality then our whole life becomes spiritualized. Every word becomes a sacred mantra, every action becomes an act of worship. Even without going to churches or temples or any places of worship, in our own hearts we can worship the Lord, we can worship the divine presence present everywhere and present in all of us. This idea of universal spiritual oneness of the whole creation, the idea that the whole creation is one spiritual humanity, helps us to live in peace, especially in trying times while facing challenges, which are beyond our control.
Om Shanti Shanti Shantih Hari Om Tat Sat Sri Ramakrishna Pranamastu
Swami Tattwamyananda, the minister-in-charge of the Vedanta Society of Northern California delivers a special message in the context of the Coronavirus emergency on the occasion of Easter Sunday on April 12, 2020.
This lecture was given on March 29, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras with its Sanskrit commentaries give a complete analysis of the workings of the human mind.
-Human mind is healthy by its intrinsic nature.
-When it is associated with saṃskāra-s, vṛtti-s, and vāsanā-s, it becomes agitated.
-The five stages of mental tranquility are kṣipta, mūḍha, vikṣipta, ekāgratā, and nirūḍha.
-The first stage ( kṣipta ) is constant restlessness, and the second stage ( mūḍha ) is a dormant mind.
- vikṣipta state is common to spiritual seekers – it is a pendulum swing between a noble desire and then the mind reacting against it. Mind becomes your best friend and then becomes your enemy.
-Mind is your best friend when it helps you to work towards citta-prasāda, the feeling of deep mental serenity coming as the result of having done or spoken what one ought to have done or spoken (kṛtārtha / kṛtakṛtyatā).
-Every word, action, thought done with full identification and awareness of being the doer (kartṛtva) and of being the enjoyer of the results (bhoktṛtva) leads to a residual effect in the mental system. These residual effects are called vṛtti, which can have a longer effect than the tangible results of actions. When solidified, they become tendencies called saṃskāra. When that becomes an aptitude it is called vāsanā. When the results of actions are pleasant we continue them and when the results are unpleasant we have a tendency to avoid. This continues in a cycle from life to life. That is why we get agitated.
-We must increase the store of positive saṃskāras, in order to compete with the pull of the negative saṃskāras.
-In Yoga and Vedanta the mind is analyzed in terms of experience bhoga, and then reactions – obsessive attachment (rāga), hatred (dveṣa), or fear (abhiniveśa or bhaya). These are stored in the cittam of the internal organ – antaḥkaraṇa – and can manifest as irrational liking for wrong and harmful things or the mind’s inability to do something, though we want to do it.
-The best way to neutralize negative tendencies is to continuously engage in good actions at the physical level, where we have more control. These physical activities generate spiritual energy, change the mind, refine the saṃskāras and lead to a pure mind (citta-śuddhi) as it is called in Vedanta or one-pointedness (ekāgram) as it is called in Yoga.
-With a purer mind, we gain a great sense of purpose to reach higher evolution (pariṇāma) and all our worries and desires get sublimated. When we succeed we obtain citta-prasāda and live with spiritual common sense.
-Then, mind becomes our friend. While we cannot watch every micro-movement of our mind all of the time, when the mind is our friend, we are able to look upon the whole of life with a higher perspective.
-To move out of the karma-saṃskāra-cakram and make the mind healthy, we need to solve our psychological problems at the spiritual level. Normally, we move between the kṣipta and vikṣipta states. The mind (manas) is defined as saṅkalpa vikalpa antaḥkaraṇa vṛtti, varying opposing types of speculations – stream consciousness – “Is this a human being or is this is a pillar?” In spiritual life, we are able to evolve from vikṣipta and reach the ekāgratā state.
-We should take care to guard our spiritual life by regulating our interactions with people, thoughts, and ideas: maitrī, karuṇā, mudita, upekṣa. We should remain friendly with those who have strong positive tendencies. We should be compassionate towards those who are struggling to evolve. We should have sincere admiration for those who have good qualities that we would like to obtain. And lastly, we should develop an inner filtering mechanism to protect ourselves from negative influences.
-By linking ourselves to a spiritual ideal, we become rooted in a state of inner blessedness, the state of a sthita-prajña a person of steady wisdom as described in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verses 55 to 72.
- In Vedanta, we are linked to the unwavering Ātman. In Bhakti, a great devotee surrenders to God, and all his mental functions are linked to his or her divine spiritual ideal. One can reach that goal through bhakti, Vedanta, karma yoga, or yoga. Then, every word becomes a mantra, every thought is a meditation, every act is an act of worship, and life becomes a pilgrimage.
-Only by linking ourselves to Ātman, the spiritual reality beyond the mind, can the mind remain in perfect health.
This lecture was given on March 8, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of St. Louis by Swami Tattwamayananda. It gives a thorough analysis of Sri Ramakrishna’s Advaita experience from the perspectives of Advaita Vedanta.
-Advaita experience is timeless.
- It is just as ancient as an idea - a concept – as it is as an experience.
- The Rig Veda Samhita itself, which is the oldest and, incidentally, the most important spiritual document of Hindu tradition, states ékaṃ sád víprā bahudhâ vadanty (Rig Veda 1.164.46), “Truth is One, Sages call it by various names.”
-This idea was expounded and first developed into a compact philosophical metaphysical system by Shankaracharya (788 – 820 AD).
- When Totapuri landed in Dakshineswar, he found a young man with beaming face, which showed that he had not thought of anything other than God in his whole lifetime because what you think with your mind, that can be seen visibly on your face.
-Totapuri started instruction and found that it was difficult for Sri Ramakrishna to transcend the personal. Every time he tried to ascend beyond Dvaita, beyond the anthropomorphic, the personal, the sākāra, the Divine Mother Bhavatarani, Kali always appeared before him, blocking the way.
-Totapuri instructed Sri Ramakrishna to meditate between the two eyebrows and then Sri Ramakrishna “cut asunder,” he went beyond the personal and entered into Nirvikalpa Samadhi for 3 days.
-Totapuri exclaimed that the Advaitic experience that he himself had taken forty years to attain with great difficulty, Sri Ramakrishna had accomplished in three days.
-Normally, in traditional Advaitic instruction there is one upadeśa-vākya, one lakṣaṇa-vākya, one anusandhāna-vākya, and then there is the anubhūti-vākya. These are the four Mahāvākya taken from four different Vedic traditions and four different Upanishadic traditions.
-After getting Tat Tvam Asi Mahāvākya, a normal spiritual seeker, after practicing this maybe for several decades or maybe several lives may eventually reach the experience.
-When you reach the experience level, it is called Aham Brahmāsmi (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I.iv.10)
-Even that experience has two levels – (1) where you intellectually get convinced of the reality - I am that Brahman. (2) Then you transcend the statement, you reach the real experience where knower, known and knowledge merge into one.
-Sri Ramakrishna's never thought of anything other than God in his whole life. For normal people, the problem is how to think of God. For Sri Ramakrishna, the problem was how to think of anything other than God.
-His saṃskāra-s, vṛtti-s, vāsanā-s, saṅkalpa-s, all had been merged into one single sākāra-vṛtti as it is called in the Bhakti tradition. It is also in Vedanta. Before you reach Advaita Anubhūti, it is called brahma-ākāra-vṛtti. If such a person happens to listen to a great spiritual idea, immediately he captures it.
-A normal person who has not reached that level of spiritual evolution has to struggle hard to accommodate the God idea into billions of his other ideas which have already accumulated in the mental system. Whatever we do - karma, it becomes an impression, an attitude, a tendency – saṃskāra, which leads to more actions. This karma-saṃskāra-cakram goes on in cycles, different life cycles.
- śabda-aparokṣa-vāda holds the view that a highly evolved person, a person who has reached the highest level of spiritual fitness, if he listens, immediately it strikes him as an experience.
-The fundamental qualifications, for an Advaita-adhikārī are sādhana-catustaya – discerning wisdom, dispassion, the 6 virtues of self-restraint, and the desire for freedom - together with śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana - reading, listening, meditating, and contemplating on higher spiritual ideas.
-One example makes it clear. Suppose a child, a student has done extremely well in his fifth grade examination with a very high grade. When he goes and sits in the sixth grade the next year, the first few lessons that he has to study will be very easy for him. There's no distance at all.
-ābhāsa-vāda and pratibimba-vāda elaborated.
-The opposite view is called Prasaṅkhyāna-vāda. Even after getting the instruction Tat Tvam Asi, you can't immediately get experience according to this view. You have to work hard to purify the mind for reaching that level of spiritual fitness.
-Some parallels can be found in Western Christian mystical tradition in St. Theresa of Avila's autobiographical writings, St. Augustine’s life, or even Saint Francis of Assisi.
-In one of the unique books, small books belonging to the Russian Orthodox tradition - the Way of a Pilgrim - you find a simple Russian pilgrim who was able to grasp the essence of the Jesus Prayer after being taught by his teacher almost immediately. He, of course had to make long preparation in search of his teacher first.
-You can get an experience only if you travel the distance from an idea to the experience. It's a long distance. It is not just a concept or information or news that we get. It is a matter of real experience.
-The view of Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha explains seven stages of spiritual evolution. After the initial stages, there should be a natural tendency, an instinctive tendency to study scriptures, to meditate on scriptures, without a lot of effort.
-If you are surrounded by a large number of books, maybe in the airport or bus-stand or anywhere, your mind should automatically go to the Upanishad, the Gita or the Bible or anything that is likely to sublimate your mental tendencies. That kind of natural instinctive tendency - when we reach that level of spiritual evolution, then naturally slowly we evolve into the early stages of mukti, jivanmukti.
-The personal-impersonal contradictions exist only at the polemical dialectical level, not at the experience level.
-There is no question of going contrary to the personal. You are going beyond the personal. You are transcending the personal and once you have reached that transcendental-impersonal dimension, that Advaita Anubhūti, then you understand that the personal is also part of it.
-The highest unwavering devotion - avyabhicāriṇī bhakti is jñānam itself.
This lecture was given on March 7, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Kansas City by Swami Tattwamayananda. It gives a thorough analysis of Sri Ramakrishna’s Advaita experience from the perspectives of Advaita Vedanta.
This lecture was given on March 6, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Kansas City by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This class was delivered by Swami Tattwamayananda on March 1, 2020 at Stanford University. The Stanford Hindu Students Association hosted the lecture.
-Yama, the deity of death, is in charge of making sure we don’t live forever.
-Vedanta teaches that life moves in cycles: from birth to life, to death, to rebirth. Death is like transferring to a new plane to continue your journey.
-Spiritual saṃskāras from previous life cycles help us to maintain sustained interest in spiritual life.
-Belief that life is only one chance, leads to both a sense of urgency and a strong sense of tension.
- uśan means a person with great respect for doing good things, correct things.
-vājaśrava, was performing a ritual called sarvasva dānam, which is giving away all that one possesses. What is everything for me, I give to others.
- vājaśrava’s son naciketā saw that his father was giving away old useless cows. Seeing that this was a violation of the sincere spirit of the ritual, he became possessed (āviveśa) with the sense of sanctity (śraddhā).
- śraddhā means to do things in a non-indifferent way. It brings us back to a sense of propriety. It creates a sense of discernment, an inner teacher which can correct itself. It is a natural instinct for what is right and what is wrong.
- śraddhā can come as great dedication to one chosen area. Yogic śraddhā lights a candle within yourself, which gives a comprehensive spiritual common sense. This ekāgra (one-pointedness) organizes all of our faculties in a comprehensive manner. We can hear the inner voice.
This lecture was given on February 23, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-The uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna’s message and parables: “God is the only Reality. The only goal of life is God-realization.”
-In one parable, Shankaracharya teaches his disciple not to blindly imitate him in assuming that all things are Brahman alone. We need to transform our saṃskāra-s and vṛtti-s through meditation, unselfish service, and prayer in order to turn a concept into our reality.
-In another parable, a Homa bird is born in the sky from his Mother and starts falling to Earth. When he begins to see that he is about to hit the earth and die, he cries out and flies back up to his Mother in the sky. Highly evolved spiritual persons may be born for God-realization. When blows, shocking experiences, or good associations come, we may make a sudden change of course. Spiritual life becomes our only option.
- śabda-aparokṣa-vāda: we may suddenly realize the true implications of spiritual teachings. We feel at home. We may be helplessly (avaśo'pi) pulled toward spiritual life by the force of spiritual practices accumulated in previous lives (pūrva-abhyāsena).
-God’s grace is recognized as God’s grace when we make our own spiritual effort.
-In another parable, an animal is seen by many to be different colors. The one who really knows the animal knows that it is a chameleon. In spiritual life, we can also look beyond the diversities of interpretations of God.
This lecture was given on February 16, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-The real meaning of Shiva is auspiciousness not destruction.
-Pralaya means the effect returning to the cause – dissolution.
-In one story, Shiva was more pleased with the mental temple built by the humble devotee than the grand temple built by the king.
-In a second story, a hunter escapes wild animals by climbing a tree. As he plucks leaves to stay awake, the leaves fall and create an image of Shiva.
-In a third story, a hunter offers meat to Shiva in the shrine and the priest tries to drive him away but Shiva announces that the hunter was his real devotee.
This lecture was given on January 12, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on January 5, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda. The 2020 winter retreat dives deeper into the topic of mindfulness in its relation to spiritual psychology with references to original scriptures such as Buddha’s Mahasatipatthana Sutta and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
This lecture was given on January 4, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda. The 2020 winter retreat dives deeper into the topic of mindfulness in its relation to spiritual psychology with references to original scriptures such as Buddha’s Mahasatipatthana Sutta and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
This lecture was given on January 4, 2020, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda. The 2020 winter retreat dives deeper into the topic of mindfulness in its relation to spiritual psychology with references to original scriptures such as Buddha’s Mahasatipatthana Sutta and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
Given on February 29, 2020. Eighth of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures given by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-The meaning of the word “Upanishad” – destruction of avidya
-The Real and the unreal in Vedanta – the distinction between asat and vyavaharika
-The 6 astika and 6 nastika schools of Indian philosophy.
-Different approaches in Indian philosophy to cause and effect – creation – satkaryavada, asatkaryavada, vivarta, parinama.
-The different schools of Advaita Vedanta: 'Bhamati', 'Vivarana' and 'Vartika'
- अवछ्छेदवाद, आभासवाद, and प्रतिबिम्बवाद elaborated
-Shankaracharya’s organization of worship into six categories explained.
- The two powers in Maya:
- The power of false projection (vikshepa-sakti)
- The power of concealing the true nature of the reality (avarana-sakti).
-The relationship between scriptural study and devotional life explained.
-The last criterion of Vedanta is experience, not belief.
Given on February 15, 2020. Seventh of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures given by Swami Tattwamayananda.
In this lecture Swami Tattwamayananda corrects a common disastrous misunderstanding of what Advaitins mean by the word “karma.” By tracing the significance of the term from the time of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, to Lord Buddha, then to the schools of Later Buddhism, then to the Mimamsakas, and finally to Shankaracharya, Swami gives a lucid history of one of the most significant dialectical confrontations in world philosophy.
Swami then goes on to explain that for an Advaitin, books remove all wrong notions so that the direct experience of the Spiritual Truth is revealed. Swami then continues to explain how great Jivanmuktas like Shankaracharya lived and how we can also rediscover our true nature through right effort and cultivating healthy samskaras.
Given on February 1, 2020. Sixth of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures given by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This class was delivered by Swami Tattwamayananda on February 23, 2020 at Stanford University. The Stanford Hindu Students Association hosted the lecture.
-Upanishads are the most profound and philosophical portion of the Vedas. Vedas are divided into four parts: Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads.
-Rigveda Samhita is the most ancient document of human spiritual aspiration. There has been an oral tradition of preserving the Vedas through the Guru-Shishya parampara.
-Kathopanishad belongs to Krishna-Yajurveda. It is one of the 10 Upanishads that are popular and that Shankaracharya wrote commentaries on.
-Kathopanishad is in the form of a dialog between a teacher (Yama, Lord of Death) and Student (Nachiketa). It has a story background and a deeper philosophical portion.
-In Vedic times, there were no temples or image worship. There were two types of religious practices: (1) Ritualistic and (2) Meditative. Under meditative practices, natural phenomena were used as points of focus and prayers were made for peace in all regions. The meditator would contemplate on the divine principle behind the natural phenomenon and the one Absolute Reality behind the entire cosmos.
-The story of Kathopanishad is discussed as below.
Vajasrabasa is performing a Vedic ritual. Under the ritual, he is supposed to offer all his possessions to needy people. His son Nachiketa observes that his father is only giving away discarded cattle. Possessed of Shraddha, Nachiketa asks his father three times: “To whom are you going to make a gift of me?” Annoyed at his question, his father replies: “I am going to give you to the Lord of death.”
To make his father’s words come true, Nachiketa goes to the palace of Yama, the Lord of Death. He has to wait there for three days without any food. Upon return, Yama grants him three boons. The three boons requested by Nachiketa represent three levels of human aspiration and evolution.
First Boon: When I go back, please ensure that my father will not scold me.
Second boon: After death, I should be able to enjoy a long life in heaven.
Third boon: When a man dies, some say he is; other say, he is not. Please teach me the truth.
In response, Yama explains to Nachiketa the nature of the Atman. He compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the owner of the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate terms to the mind.
Those who cannot control the senses do not reach the destination. If one focuses on material pleasures alone, then the smallest setback can be devastating.
-When we think of after-life, we become wiser in this life. When we know that all we care about will disappear, we develop spiritual common sense. We do not have to experience the transcendental to benefit from the idea of the transcendental – even an intellectual understanding influences our attitude.
-Many education programs are focused on immediate material benefits. There is no room for purification and sublimation of ideas for young minds. Mind also needs proper food. It is important to make mind and intellect fit instruments to guide our life and go beyond utilitarian values. If we can focus on unselfish activities that seemingly have no immediate tangible value, its indirect spiritual benefit can be enormous.
-The story of how Yajnavalkya got the Shukla Yajurveda is discussed. Yajnavalkya was asked to unlearn the Krishna Yajurveda, which he had received from his teacher, due to his arrogance. Later, he learned Shukla Yajurveda from Lord Surya. Kathopanishad and Taittiriya Upanishad belong to Krishna Yajurveda. Isha Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad belong to Shukla Yajurveda.
This lecture was given on November 10, 2019, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-Sacred mantras gain a spiritual potency because they have been meditated upon by great saints and sages for millennia.
-Mantras are not written; they are a fundamentally sound phenomenon.
-When we chant mantras with a sense of sanctity and sacredness (‘shraddha’), we realize the mantra's real meaning. We realize the Reality within ourselves, which is present everywhere.
-Vedic knowledge has survived because the Vedic mantras were chanted, meditated upon, and their meaning was realized.
-Chanting holy names is also practiced by Christian mystics and monks.
-Mantras have no author (‘apauruṣeya’). This can be understood only through practice.
-A mantra is a live wire connected with a spiritual current, so it should be practiced properly.
-Word ('vak') and meaning ('artha') are connected, with the practice of prayers, we realize the more profound meaning.
-Patanjali explained the science of mantras in his Mahabhashyam on Panini’s grammar.
-Our understanding of a mantra evolves from gross to subtle. In descending order they are: ‘Para’ (identification with reality of/ realization of the essence of the mantra), Pashyanti’ (completely focused on the meaning and essence of the mantra),Madhyama’ (mental repetition but verbalized, not audible) and `Vaikhari’ (verbal repetition with sound audible).
-At the highest level, in the Way of the Pilgrim, the pilgrim learned the art of unceasing prayer and could see all creatures as children of Christ.
-Nineteen forms of practice are mentioned in the chanting of Vedic mantras.
-The “Altar Fire” by Frits Staal is the most profound book on the subject written by a scholar not born into the tradition.
-Worship, prayer, and practice of mantras with sincerity and a sense of sanctity transform our consciousness.
-The Gayatri mantra awakens higher consciousness and insight into all things.
-In the Mundaka Upanishad, the imagery of two birds is used to illustrate the spiritual journey. One bird eats sweet and bitter fruits, while the other sits above unperturbed. As the lower bird evolves, it realizes its identity with the higher bird. As we practice our mantra, we evolve and our whole life becomes spiritualized.
Given on November 9, 2019. Fifth of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures given by Swami Tattwamayananda.
Given on October 26, 2019. Fourth of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures given by Swami Tattwamayananda.
This lecture was given on November 3, 2019, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-According to Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit Ayurvedic Text, a healthy person is one whose body, mind and soul are in a state of perfect stability.
-The mind often does not want to cooperate with us. There is a conflict between what we want to do and what we end up doing in the form of mental blocks. Modern medicine may only postpone the problem.
-Kalidasa says that youth, money, authority over others, and lack of wisdom each can cause serious problems.
-The mind is compared, in ancient Sanskrit texts, to a monkey who is drunk on alcohol, has gone mad, has been bitten by a scorpion, and possessed by a ghost. William James calls it the stream consciousness.
-In Yoga, the concept of Citta-Prasada refers to a clear balanced mind, controlled by spiritual common sense. When we observe our own mind, we do not identify with our emotions.
-Spiritual common sense means not only knowing something but also learning to handle what we know.
-Because we cannot directly control what we will think at any time, we make use of our ability to control our physical activities. Physical energy can be converted to positive spiritual energy through selfless dedicated work for a noble cause or a spiritual ideal (Karma Yoga).
-Vyasa’s commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra compares the mind to a river (citta nadi). It will either flow to the auspicious or to the negative, but it certainly cannot keep still. Direct the mind towards positive channels through good physical actions and consuming positive ideas.
-To permanently solve the problems of the mind, we must link the mind to something stable and beyond the mind – Atman – the transcendental Reality as a witness.
-Anxiety is foreign to our mind.
-Even a strong positive intention to do something noble will generate an invisible spiritual wealth in our mind.
-To break the cycle of anxiety, we must learn to perform actions without being enslaved by utilitarian ideas (the prison of short-term goals).
-Buddha calls it being from desire (trshna).
-We must learn to link ourselves to something beyond the mind. The mind automatically focuses on immediate short-term results.
-When we try to make a change and move towards a more noble way of life, we may be confronted by postponement, procrastination, false justifications, and taking things for granted.
-To obtain clarity and stability of mind (citta-prasada) we must take in good mental food rather than poisonous food.
-We can learn to think of a higher ideal. We can have a sublime ideal, a higher worry (Parinama Duhkha from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra). Buddha is a great example.
-We evolve a sublime ego, dedicated to serving God. This gives a promotion to work - a new definition of work. This kind of work gives peace of mind and evolves a stable mind.
-The concept of Swardharma from the Bhagavad Gita sublimates our activities towards a higher ideal.
-We evolve from a state of work exclusively, to a state of both work and worship, and finally to a stage where all work is worship.
-When all work is saturated with the spiritual ideal, we can no longer become too anxious.
-We experience mental imbalance because our actions may not be in harmony with our duties (satyam, dharma, ṛtam). We can rebalance by performing Swardharma.
Verses 125-127
- This class was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on November 3, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-This class focuses on answering the following question from the pupil: “What is Atman?”
-One approach of analyzing Atman is to enquire “Who am I?” – this is the approach used by Ramana Maharshi. During this analysis, one reaches different levels of answers, equating it first to body, mind and intellect. Finally, one reaches the Atman, which is beyond all the changing entities. One has to practice spiritual disciplines such as japa, prayer, meditation, and puja to conduct this analysis.
-Atman cannot be the body, which is changing. If one limits his understanding to only the physical body, then even small issues in the empirical world will cause him despair.
-Atman cannot be the mind as it is also a changing entity swinging between pain and pleasure and happiness and unhappiness.
-“I” is the foundation. “I” is interpreted differently depending on the context in which it is used. When we say “I am feeling pain, or I am happy” the association of “I” is to the body or mind. When we say “My mind or My head”, the association of “I” is to a higher entity that is distinct from the body and mind.
-Atman exists without the support of anything beyond itself. It is self-existent and self-revealed.
-Atman is present in all three states of awareness as “Turiya” – waking, dream and deep sleep states. Since it is present in all three states, it is not exclusive to any state, it is distinct from any state and it transcends all three states.
-To be a witness to an activity, two criteria have to be satisfied: (1) One has to be present at the activity (2) One cannot be participant in the activity. Atman when interpreted as witness in the three states is called Sakshi or Turiya.
-In waking state, there is full awareness, senses are active and the consciousness is at a gross level. Dream state exists only at a mental level by projecting memory stored in the chittam. No dream experience is possible without any connection to waking state. The common experiencer between waking and dream sleep state is Turiya.
-Turiya is also present in deep sleep state. When we wake up, we are aware of the absence of intellect and its activity in deep sleep state. The awareness of this absence comes from Turiya.
-Verse 126: That seer, who knows everything in the three states, who knows the intellect and its action, when it is present and when it is absent, is the Atman.
-Another way of explaining Atman is that it is different, distinct, beyond the five sheaths and transcends them all – it is called Pancha-kosha-vilaksanah. The five sheaths are: Annamaya Kosha, Prāṇamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijñānamaya Kosha and ānandamaya Kosha. Aham is present in all five sheaths.
-The story of King Janaka and Sage Yajnavalkya is discussed. King Janaka starts with the question: “Endowed with what light is a human being able to live in this world?”. The first answer is sunlight. As each option provided in previous answers is eliminated, subsequent answers are moonlight, agni, and sound. When all four of these options are eliminated, the final answer is Atma-Jyoti, which is in all of us and that is self-revealing. Without it, all other sources of knowledge are useless. It is this light that enables all other lights, such as sunlight, moonlight, agni to function.
-Our ability to comprehend comes from something within us that is the nature of enlightenment and knowledge. In both an average scientist and advanced scientist, the same light is present – but it manifests itself more brilliantly in the advanced scientist. Swami Vivekananda said: “The difference between a Buddha and an amoeba is one of degrees not of kind”. In the Buddha, the Atma-Jyoti is very visible and revealed; in the amoeba it is very dim.
-Through meditation and spiritual practices, we can make our own buddhi more clear, so Atman reflects with more brilliance. Our ability to cognize gets better when Atman reflects with more brilliance.
-When Atma-Jyoti reflects on the mind, this body is Shiva. Without this Atma-Jyoti, this body is Shava (corpse).
-When people perform Aarti and Puja, or read a spiritual book, they are trying to link themselves to this Atma-Jyoti. Natural light is only used as a concept to take us to the real light.
-Just like when we look beyond the five sheaths, we find the “Real I”. Similarly, when we look beyond the sunlight, moonlight, agni, and sound, we find the real “Atma-Jyoti”.
-Verse 127: One who comprehends everything and who is not comprehended by anything – who illuminates the intellect but whom nothing can illuminate – who is always the subject and never the object – who gives Chaitanya to our intelligence – that is Atman. Atman reveals buddhi, mind – everything.
-Chanting of Vedic mantras, even without full understanding of the meaning, can activate the hidden potential of the mind. It provides divine joy.
-When we close our eyes and disconnect from Annamaya Kosha, we connect with something transcendental. Even when standing in front of a temple image on pilgrimage, people close their eyes, because they attempt to see within themselves what they are seeing in front of them.
-One should get established in yamas and niyamas before undertaking rigorous spiritual practices. This ensures that the energy generated from spiritual practices will not flow through negative channels. Ancient Indian martial arts first taught students to restrain their power. Even Pranayama should not be practiced without moral and ethical disciplines.
This lecture was given on October 13, 2019, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
- The Motherhood of God grants us both our secular good as well as the spiritual wisdom to go beyond our secular welfare.
- Mahalaya means Bhakti and Jnana merging.
- Amavasya means the astrological signs show that the sun and moon, knowledge and devotion respectively, are merging.
- The significance of Navaratri is the control of the senses by diverting them towards a higher spiritual ideal, eventually to reach spiritual illumination.
- The Sanskrit roots of Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Dashami indicate their significance. They represent realizing the all-pervading divine reality, purifying the senses/mind, and realizing that Reality.
- Shraddha, the sincerity with which pray and meditate upon an image, determines the effectiveness of image worship. The image is a symbol, a point of focus. The all-pervading cosmic Reality is asked to reside in the image. Then the divine Reality is once again asked to reside within us. The purpose of all worship is to go beyond the need for rituals.
- Once a worshipper transcends the need for rituals, he will usually perform rituals but for selfless purposes.
-Sankalpa is a ritual performed to protect us from negative obstacles as well as set our intention to realize the Atman everywhere.
-Achamana is for the purification of the mind. Upacharas are offerings to God.
-God does not insist that we perform rituals, but they benefit us by helping our mind to evolve and to spiritualize our life.
-The symbolic spiritual significance of offering Prasad, conch, incense, flowers, and light is explained.
-The significance of pradakshina, namaskar, and asana is also explained.
Verses 116, 242. Given on October 12, 2019. Third lecture of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures given by Swami Tattwamayananda. The lecture series will begin with the foundational principles as enunciated by Sri Shankaracharya in Viveka Chudamani and other texts.
Verse 16, Verse 51, Verse 74, 94- 98, 110. Given on September 28, 2019. Second of the South Bay Lecture Series on Vedic Scriptures given by Swami Tattwamayananda. The lecture series will begin with the foundational principles as enunciated by Sri Shankaracharya in Viveka Chudamani and other texts.
Verses: 124, 125, 154, 165, 167
- This class was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on October 20, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
- This class focuses on the nature of Absolute Reality, knowing which one gets liberated from the continuous cycle of birth and death
-Everything in the world is composed of two categories of elements. The first category is the permanent, unchanging, Absolute Reality that is beyond name and form. The second category belongs to phenomenal things and is composed of name and form.
-The Real “I” is the subject and eternal witness.
-Absolute Reality is all-pervading as Asti, Bhāti and Priyam, which are three approximate descriptions of the indescribable. Everything has a basic element of existence (Asti), everything is cognizable through effulgence (Bhāti), and has the essential nature of bliss (Priyam).
-Names and forms are innumerable and diverse.
-Atman is present in all three states of awareness – waking, dream and deep sleep states. Since it is present in all three states, it is not exclusive to any state, it is distinct from any state and it transcends all three states.
-Buddha took the principles of Mandukya Upanishad, and gave a long profound discourse on remaining in a state of permanent awareness and witness-ship.
-When we can be identified with awareness, with our own Transcendental Spiritual Reality, we will not feel tired even while working with the body, mind and intellect.
-To be a witness to an activity, two criteria have to be satisfied: (1) One has to be present at the activity (2) One cannot be a participant in the activity.
-“I” is interpreted differently depending on the context in which it is used. When we say “I am feeling pain, or I am happy” the association of “I” is to the body or mind. When we say “My mind or My head”, the association of “I” is to a higher entity that is distinct from the body and mind.
-When we witness a tragic drama, it purifies our emotions. Some of the greatest creative works are tragedies as they penetrate deep into the human mind.
-The concept of free will does not apply to witness. When witnessing, we are not under the control of anything.
-The psychology of relaxation is based on the principle of dissociation. Story of Gotami is discussed, who felt pain at the loss of her son. Buddha asked her to get mustard seeds from a household where no one had ever died. She came back empty-handed and realized that death was common to all. Realizing that her problem was universally shared, helped her dissociate from the pain of losing her son.
-Even while identified with the state of the witness, there is motivation to do karma, because we cannot keep quiet mentally & physically even for a split second. Our own natural tendency will prompt us to do things – if we do good actions, it will generate spiritual energy. For the most evolved spiritual individual, it is his natural tendency to do good to others.
-Another way of explaining Atman is that it is different, distinct, beyond the five sheaths and transcends them all. The five sheaths are: Annamaya Kosha, Prāṇamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijñānamaya Kosha and ānandamaya Kosha. Aham is present in all five sheaths.
-The Annamaya Kosha is the outermost sheath. It comes from matter and food, is endowed with Prāṇa, and consists of skin, flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bones. This cannot be Atman.
-Our spiritual journey starts at the Annamaya Kosha. Ramana Maharshi’s spiritual journey started when he experienced the loss of his father and he understood the perishable nature of the body. Questions around the mystery of death have helped human civilization evolve.
-Prāṇamaya Kosha is changing/moving all the time. It itself does not have effulgence and borrows it from another source. It is spread out all over the physical body. This cannot be Atman, which is independent, steady, unchanging and the nature of effulgence.
-Manomaya Kosha is composed of the five senses of perception and the mind. The five senses of perception are touch, vision, smell, taste and hearing. This also cannot be Atman.
-The ānanda of sat-chit-ānanda, the Absolute Reality is not the same as the ānandamaya Kosha. The ānanda-svarūpa means “its very nature is bliss”; ānandamaya means “there is an abundance of bliss”.
-Any kind of spiritual endeavor brings ānanda. People go on pilgrimage to feel this ānanda. The first sign of a devotee of God is that he has inner serenity and joy.
-Many mystics experienced obstacles and suffering. However, their inner contentment enabled them to withstand these sufferings. Without facing obstacles and learning to withstand these obstacles, one cannot make spiritual progress.
-Absolute Bliss cannot be explained at the empirical level. When we start our spiritual journey, its reflection shows up as inner contentment.
-Intellectual understanding of being the witness helps in spiritual progress. However, one should not start the journey by practicing being the witness.
- Verses: 109-116
- This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on October 6, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
- Seven questions from the student are discussed: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between Atman and anatman?
The teacher discusses anatman in detail (that which is not eternal and not real and non-Absolute) because once we realize “what we are not”, “what we are” does not need to be explained – it becomes self-evident.
-Expecting permanence from things that are inherently impermanent is the cause of unhappiness. -Bondage expresses itself when we interpret ourselves as this changing body. The right notion automatically comes when the wrong notion disappears.
-Three levels of reality are discussed. (1) Paramarthika-sat, which is Atman. (2) Vyavaharika-sat, which is the changing world and (3) Pratibhashika-sat, which is conceptual reality. Once we understand the illusory nature of Pratibhashika-sat, we understand vyavaharika-sat. Once we transcend Vyavaharika-sat, we understand Paramarthika-sat.
-When we realize the Absolute Reality, we become a Jivan-Mukta. The world does not cease to exist for a Jivan-mukta. He sees the world as Brahman, devoid of name and form.
Per Vedanta, the same seer exists in the three states of human awareness (waking, dream and deep sleep states). That seer is Turiya, which is distinct from all the three states and transcends them.
-Anatman is made of Sthula Sharira, Sukshma Sharira and Karana Sharira.
-Sthula Sharira is composed of skin, flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bones. Sthula Sharira is non-eternal.
-Sukshma-Sharira has eight units: (1) Five organs of perception (2) Five organs of action (3) Five pranas (4) Five subtle elements (5) Antahkarana – mana, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara (6) Avidya (7) Kama and (8) Karma. Sukshma-Sharira is transmitted to the next life – when we have inexplicable attraction to great ideas, it is because the chitta retains memory from previous lives.
-Karana-Sharira is also known as Maya or Avidya – it is the reason we lack awareness of our true nature. As the cause of the universe, it is known as Maya and as the basic source of mis-understanding it is known as Avidya.
-Vedanta’s criteria for “Sat” are discussed: (1) It should remain without change in the past, present and future – both time and space. (2) It should stay the same in waking, dream and deep sleep states. (3) It should be beyond the six changes – existence, birth, growth, change, decay and death.
-Maya is not “Sat”. It is not the Absolute Reality. It changes – therefore, it is relative. Maya is not “asat” either, as it is not absolutely unreal. It is not a combination of sat and asat either.
-Most of us experience Maya in our everyday life. It is beyond logical comprehension, cannot be explained in words or cognized with the mind, and is a great wonder. Both Brahman and Maya are inexplicable.
-Maya is neither different from Brahman, nor non-different nor a combination of difference and non-difference. If Maya were the same as Brahman it could have no end. Then, there would be no liberation from bondage. And if Maya were different from Brahman that would lead to duality. When you realize Brahman, what was hitherto perceived as Maya is now perceived as Brahman because then, the Reality is perceived devoid of names and forms, beyond nama and rupa.
-Maya is neither endowed with parts nor devoid of parts, nor a combination of the two. If it were endowed with parts, it cannot be “anadi”. If it were devoid of parts, it cannot be the cause of evolution.
-114th verse: Even one who is intellectually advanced, who knows scriptures, who understands the subtle truths and who is convinced of his learning – even such a person, by the power of Tamas, looks upon the unreal as the Real and the Real as the unreal. This is the strength of Maya.
-116th verse: Maya expresses itself as (1) Ajnanam, which is ignorance (2, 3, 4) Alasya, jadatva, pramada, that prevent us from doing what is obviously good for us (5) mudhatva, which causes us to misrepresent things (6) Nidra, which hides reality and (7) Samsaya, which cause doubt.
-Mind does not co-operate due to past samskaras that are not conducive to spiritual life. This friction can be reduced by increasing the balance of positive samskaras. Duryodhana’s story is discussed to illustrate how one can feel helpless due to inherent samskaras.
-A beginner has less freedom at the mental level, and encounters conflicts. However, he has more freedom at the physical level and should start his spiritual life with physical activities. Physical work generates spiritual energy, increases the balance of positive samskaras, reduces conflicts and helps one evolve in spiritual life.
-Work can be physical in nature, such as cleaning a temple, or it can be more subtle in nature such as reading a book.
-Lord Krishna: Starting with work that has selfish motive is better than doing nothing. One can then evolve towards selfless work.
-It is a wrong notion to try to start work with no ego. It is important to develop a friendly, spiritual ego. --Give your ego a spiritual promotion by letting it be God’s servant. If one does continuous good activities with a proud ego, it helps him later to do continuous good activities without ego – the ego becomes sublime, purified and then disappears.
-A sincere spiritual seeker should first focus on his own evolution, rather than try to help others. Once he realizes the highest truth, he will feel the presence of the Divine Reality both within himself and others. At that point, it is psychologically impossible for him to hurt others. If a seeker tries to help others early in his evolution, he may wrongly try to thrust his own philosophy upon others.
-Who is the highest devotee of God? “One who feels the presence of God in everything, everywhere, in every action and in every word” AND “one who feels the presence of whole humanity and creation in God.”
This lecture was given on September 29, 2019, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-The lecture begins with a quotation of two ancient verses written by Kshemendra, living in Kashmir, in the 11th century AD in his famous Avadānakalpalatā, a Sanskrit work depicting the previous life cycles of Gautama Buddha and his spiritual evolution.
-The first verse means if you think of Buddha, if you meditate on Buddha, even those who are in a state of spiritual darkness will have an inner spiritual ecstasy (निर्वृति). There is an indescribable peace on Buddha's face and that peace will be translated to Buddha when they contemplate the spiritual significance of his life and teachings.
-The second verse means the sweet and peaceful glance of the Buddha will give us a shower of immortality. It cools down our heart and mind, calms down our anxiety and even a person who is very primitive in his spiritual life will be liberated by contemplating on Buddha and his message.
-Buddha (6th century BC), Shankaracharya (6th century AD), Ramakrishna - Vivekanananda (19th Century)
-Buddha had to confront corrupted Vedic rituals. For example, he confronted a king who was practicing animal sacrifice by offering his own life in place of the limping lamb who was going to be sacrificed. The king repented and founded the first hospital for animals - the beginning of veterinary science.
-He preached in Prakrit, an unrefined form of Sanskrit. He spoke in the language of the common person.
-Buddha means the enlightened one, the awakened one. He didn't teach a particular dogma, he taught compassion, wisdom, and the art of living a spiritual life in this world. There is a degree of incompleteness in life when we do not have a higher transcendental goal. That is called "duhkha." Grief is a very imperfect translation, rather it is a feeling of spiritual imperfection despite having everything in the world - possible only for a very refined person.
-catvāri āryasatyāni - the four noble truths
-Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta – mindfulness - samyak - smrti is now known as mindfulness. Awareness minus entanglement is the 7th discipline, which leads to nirvana.
-Vivekananda defined Buddhism as the humanization of Vedantic principles. Buddha says there are three fires in our mind: desire, anger, and delusion. Fire can be used for cooking or it can consume the house.
-Parable 1: The Mustard Seed - A wealthy person hoarded his gold so it turned to ashes. A virtuous poor woman came one day and when she put her hand on the ashes it turned to gold because whatever she had, she was using it for good. Later, this woman who had lost her only son, was inconsolable. She went back to the rich man, who had now become spiritually evolved, and he told her to visit Buddha. When she reached Buddha, he asked only for a small quantity of mustard seed. She was happy, but as she left, he added that it had to be from a house that had not seen the death of a child, husband/wife, parent, or friend. She was not able to find any house. When she came back empty-handed Buddha instructed her that all things are transitory. These problems are not an individual problem; they are universal for all people. Buddha explained the 12-link chain of cause and effect.
-Story from Bhagavata Purana: Chitraketu - A king lost his son. Nobody could console him; Narada came and realized he could not be consoled. Buddha also could not console the woman in the previous parable in theory. The process of looking for a mustard seed made her ready to understand. Similarly, Narada had to bring the son back to life. He told that he could not recognize his parents because he had had so many parents in the past and his parents were once his own children. The king and queen were then consoled.
-Parable 2: The very interesting story of Buddhahood - Buddhahood is already in us but we delude our self into thinking that we are not already Buddhas. A young son ran away from his poor family. When he was older he came back to his home and could not recognize his own father who had become very rich. The father could recognize his own son. The servants dragged his poor son back home; the son was scared and ran away. He sent the servants disguised as beggars and brought him back to take a good job in the house. The son could understand this. Over time, the father showed his affection, reduced his duties, and when his father was about to die told him the truth: this poor man who was working as a servant in his own home was actually the inheritor of all of the wealth. In the same way after doing karma yoga, practicing spiritual disciplines, we are able to understand the real experience of Buddhahood.
-Parable 3: The White Elephant and the Blind Men - The owner brought the elephant to a land where all people were blind. Some blind men thought the elephant was a great snake, another like a small snake, others thought it was different because of all of the different parts they could feel. Only the owner knows the whole elephant. Like that, one who takes refuge in the Buddha, the enlightened one, will get the whole of truth; otherwise he may only realize one part of the truth. The aspirant should practice and realize the whole truth itself.
-Parable 4: Fire Worshiper and Orthodox Priest - A priest thought he was the greatest worshiper in the world. His sacred fire was guarded by a dragon. Buddha came and the priest was happy. Buddha insisted on staying in the same room with the fire, but the priest was afraid that the dragon would attack the Buddha. Instead, the dragon became pacified and lost all of its anger and hatred. The significance is that we should not think that rituals constitute the whole of spiritual life; they are stages through which we evolve to get to our higher spiritual ideal -Buddhahood.
This lecture was given on September 22, 2019 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-Spiritual common sense is valuable and rare. It is rarer than intellectual brilliance and scholarship.
-Spiritual common sense is an internal balancing mechanism that allows us to see the limitations of empirical activities. It is not tied to intellectual brilliance, which can conceal our natural and higher faculties.
-Bhagavad Gita describes a Rajarshi. A Rajarshi is a philosopher-king. As a king, he is active, successful and efficient in conducting executive, legislative and judiciary powers. As a philosopher, he is a “Drshta”, who sees far into things, keeps the transcendental reality in mind and understands the limitations of his powers. This gives him spiritual common sense.
-According to Vedanta, the empirical world is transient. What we experience in everyday life is “व्यवहारिक-सत्य”, a relative reality. We need to understand that there is a transcendental reality beyond the empirical and approach pleasant and unpleasant situations in the empirical world without being affected by them. We should have a transcendental link to “परमार्थिक-सत्य.”
-Kant’s concept of duty is devoid of spiritual content and transcendental value. Kant justified righteousness based on whether it fulfilled a sense of duty – this leads to ultra-pragmatism and pursuit of empirical happiness alone. We should be able to look beyond duty and understand where pursuit for empirical happiness ought to end.
-Ishavasya Upanishad begins: “There is one transcendental, omnipresent, immortal Reality that goes beyond the empirical. After being convinced of this reality and relative nature of the empirical world, we should work hard. We can then enjoy the world by renouncing the wrong notion that empirical success is the only thing to be achieved”.
-Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhava: “Youth, money, power – each individually can lead to one’s downfall, if one has no spiritual common sense - what to speak of all three combined together.”
-Swadharma helps us translate what we know intellectually into spiritual common sense. It is impossible for the mind to remain quiet. At the same time, every action leaves an impression on the mind. Swadharma helps us get out of this conundrum by developing “rishitvam” towards life as a whole.
-Swadharma is a duty that is natural and spontaneous. It justifies its own existence and comes to us unasked by virtue of our natural qualifications. Swadharma is different from “Dharma” which is a regulating principle.
-The mind gets spiritually enriched while performing Swadharma. We feel inner contentment. We feel “I did what I ought to do”.
-Vyasa’s story is discussed. Vyasa wrote the Vedas and Mahabharata and yet was depressed. Narada advised him to write something that provides direct instruction on spiritual evolution. Vyasa wrote Bhagavata Purana and narrated the story of Lord Krishna and found inner serenity.
-Success in life is no success if one is not able to enjoy the success. Develop spiritual common sense. Understand the limits of duty and link yourself to the transcendental. Interact with the transcendental reality through Swadharma. That will give you inner contentment and take you spiritually forward.
Verses: 110-114
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on September 15, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
Vivekachudamani is a prakarna grantha on Advaita Vedanta.
Maya is “anadi” (without a beginning), but not “anantha” (it is not eternal). It is beyond logical comprehension, cannot be explained in words or cognized with the mind, and is a great wonder.
Seven schools of Vedanta are mentioned, and then dualism, qualified non-dualism and non-dualism are discussed. In dualism, ishvara, jeeva and jagat – each have their own independent status. In qualified non-dualism, ishvara is present as antaryami in jeeva and jagat, but is different from them. In non-dualism, Brahman is present in everything in jagat and in each jeeva and is not different from them.
As in the snake/rope analogy, the wrong understanding disappears when we realize our true nature. The wrong notion is based on accumulated memory/impressions and is called Adhyasa.
Adhyasa has three properties: (1) Tamas, which functions as Avarana or concealment (2) Rajas, which functions as Vikshepa or false projection and (3) Sattva, which functions in the form of our natural interest to explore higher truth.
We live within Maya and cannot recognize it when living within it. Just like a dream, we have to come out of it to identify it.
The qualities of tamas are intellectual/physical laziness and ignorance. Rajas is the natural propensity to be active and functional. Rajas is superior to tamas. The natural evolution of human consciousness is from tamas to rajas to sattva.
Vikshepa shakti cause the rotating wheel of karma, vritti, vasana and samskara. The chain reaction of Vikshepa-shakti can be countered by following the seven disciplines. (1) Discrimination between unreal and the Real (2) Renunciation of what is unreal (3) Self-control: shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, shraddha and samadhana (4) Mumukshutam (5) Shravanam (6) Mananam (7) Nidishyasana.
Mind connects with external world through the senses. It can be restrained if we constantly remember the changeable nature of the world and understand avarana/vikshepa shakti.
The properties of Rajas are desire for enjoyment, anger, greed, pride, envy, egotism and jealousy.
What we learn from a teacher is in direct proportion to the shraddha we have. Lord Krishna’s advice at the end of 18th chapter of Gita: “Do not teach this science to anyone who does not have self-discipline, austerities and devotion, humility and willingness to do good to others. This great truth is never to be taught to someone who cavils me".
Avarana shakti is the manifestation of tamas, and is the cause of vikshepa shakti. It triggers a chain reaction by concealing the reality – then the great game starts with Vikshepa’s projection.
Avarana shakti is very powerful. Vedanta gives us all the proof, yet we continue to be deceived by it.
In dream-sleep, vikshepa is active. In dreamless sleep, avarana is active. Rajas to sattva is not a progression in sleep - only conscious actions lead to spiritual evolution.
Samadhi and deep sleep state are not identical. There is full awareness in samadhi, but not in deep sleep state. To transcend duality, one needs awareness. Experience of duality after samadhi is very different from before samadhi. Jeevan mukta lives in the world with zero concerns of what others may think.
Dreams cannot be completely separated from waking state experiences. Animals retain memory as instincts, not as memory that can be analyzed – as such, they don’t dream in their sleep.
Samadhi is the natural state of Jnana-prapti. Advaita is not a concept – it is based on anubhuti (experience). Swami Adbhutananda’s story is discussed – his conviction came from experience.
Mahavakyas, the Upanishadic statements are only approximations of the actual experience of Brahman.
People felt affinity to the opening words of Swami Vivekananda at Chicago – "Sisters and brothers of America". This is because he spoke from having experienced the unity and oneness of humanity.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Shreemaya Krishnadham on September 14, 2019.
Bird’s eye view of Vedanta literature is provided. Vedas constitute the foundation of Vedanta philosophy and “Sanatana Dharma”.
It is believed that initially, there was only one Veda. Vyasa classified into four groups: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. Story of Yajnavalkya is discussed in the context of Krishna-Yajur-Veda and Shukla-Yajur-Veda.
Each Veda has 4 divisions: (1) Samhitas (2) Brahmanas (3) Aranyakas and (4) Upanishads. Samhitas are hymns or 'Mantras' to various deities, such as Agni, Indra, Varuna, etc. Brahmanas are explanatory in nature, commentaries on the hymns of the Samhitas or hymns, often describing the performance of rituals. Aranyakas were evolved by hermits living in forest hermitages, belonging to the 'Vanaprastha Ashrama. Upanishads constitute the highest metaphysical and spiritual philosophy, the essence or the conclusions of Vedic thought.
The great Vedic law-giver Manu says that when an householder becomes old, his face is wrinkled, and when his hair becomes grey, - he should retire from all worldly entanglements and live in a hermitage spending his time in contemplation and imparting Vedic wisdom to his pupils.
Sri Shankaracharya holds a pre-eminent position among the world's master-minds and spiritual teachers. 'Viveka-chudamani' is one of his introductory treatises (traditionally called 'prakarana-granthas') on Advaita Vedanta and is usually studied and memorized by students who learn Advaita Vedanta according to the old orthodox tradition. Being an original work of Sri Shankara's genius in 581 verses the book combines a lucid and poetic exposition of the basic tenets of Advaita Vedanta in the form of a lively dialogue between the Guru and the Sishya (disciple) culminating in the highest Advaitic experience of the disciple. The work deals with topics like Value of human birth ( verses: 2,3,4,), qualifications of the disciple and of an ideal teacher (34, 35), the important disciplines to be practiced (16-19), the seven fundamental questions dealing with subjects like bondage, liberation, Atman etc (51), the instruction of the Upanishad Mahavakya "TATTWAMASI" (243-253) etc.
Considered to be an important preparatory text that should be studied and memorized before one steps into the more difficult works like the bhashyas on the "Prasthanatraya", "Viveka-chudamani" is both lucid, simple and exhaustive in its treatment of the fundamental doctrines of Advaita Vedanta.
Shankaracharya’s contributions to Vedanta are discussed. He wrote profound poetry, upacharas and commentary on Bhagavad Gita. Prior to Shankaracharya, Mahavakyas were interpreted as boons from devas. Shankaracharya provided a higher meaning of the Vedas and mahavakyas, that culminates in experience of the Absolute Reality. He traveled all over India, built four monasteries, installed temples and formulated the rituals that are practiced today.
Guru Vandana in Vivekachudamani is discussed. Guru shishya parampara is a unique aspect of Indian culture and is also seen in dance, music and sculpture work. Shankaracharya pays tribute to his Guru, Govinda Bhagvatpada, who is a representation of Brahman and entire Vedic wisdom.
Shankaracharya emphasized that the teachings were not his – they come from Vedas and ancient traditions. Authenticity of Vedas is not dependent on a particular person’s teachings. Each teacher had his own experience of the Truth as proof. Six types of proofs ('pramanas) are discussed.
Human birth, longing for freedom, and the company of great souls are the three rare gifts from God.
Prema, maitri, kripa and upeksha are discussed. A spiritual seeker should be friendly with fellow seekers, have respect towards those more evolved, sympathy towards those less evolved and keep a long distance away from those who may distract him from his spiritual path.
What a wonderful fortune it is to be born as a human being. Human beings alone can throw the light on their own hearts and analyze what is the purpose of human life. Vedanta says: “Death is a comma or a semi-colon, not a full stop”
Even among human beings, not many can ask the higher question: “What is my true nature?”
Nachiketa’s story and his three boons from Kathopanishad are discussed as a representation of spiritual evolution. The three boons that Nachiketa asks are: (1) Let my father not scold me when I return (2) Teach me rituals to get to heaven and (3) Teach me the reality beyond death. Yama then describes life as a journey for highest spiritual enlightenment.
Highest happiness comes when we go beyond happiness and unhappiness, and when we stop looking for happiness all the time.
Seven fundamental disciplines are discussed. (1) Discrimination between unreal and the Real (2) Renunciation of what is unreal (3) Self-control: shama, dama, uparati, titisha, shraddha and samadhana (4) Mumukshutam (5) Shravanam (6) Mananam (7) Nidishyasana
Mumukshutam helps us develop a higher goal. The senses are then withdrawn from their natural focus and redirected towards a higher focus. That automatically give us the first three of the seven disciplines.
Spirituality enables us to have a higher ideal in life and give all our thoughts and actions a healthy direction. When we don’t have any desire for worldly or heavenly enjoyments, then we transcend rituals.
Vedas emphasize experience. Listen and read the scriptures (Shruti); use your own analysis and logic (Yukti); have your own experience – swanubhuti.
Verses: 109-111
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on September 8, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
Class starts with seven questions from the student, and then bondage is discussed in depth: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?
Sthula Sharira, Sukshma Sharira and Karana Sharira are briefly discussed. Sukshma-Sharira has eight units: (1) Five organs of perception (2) Five organs of action (3) Five pranas (4) Five subtle elements (5) Antahkarna – mana, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara (6) Avidya (7) Kama and (8) Karma.
Vedanta’s criteria for “sat” are discussed: (1) It should remain without change in the past, present and future – both time and space. (2) It should stay the same in waking, dream and deep sleep states.
Maya is not “sat”. It is not the Absolute Reality. It changes – therefore, it is relative. Maya is not “asat” either, as it is not Absolutely unreal. It is not a combination of sat and asat either.
Maya is “anadi” (without a beginning), but not “anantha” (it is not eternal). Maya is without a beginning - this is realized only when we go beyond Maya.
Maya is neither different from Brahman, nor non-different nor a combination of difference and non-difference. If Maya were the same as Brahman it can have no end. Then, there is no liberation from bondage. And if Maya were different from Brahman that would lead to duality. When you realize Brahman, what was hitherto perceived as Maya is now perceived as Brahman because then, the Reality is perceived devoid of names and forms, beyond nama and rupa.
A Jeevan-mukta does not see the world of names and forms. He sees the world as Brahman, devoid of name and form.
Maya is neither endowed with parts nor devoid of parts, nor a combination of the two. If it were endowed with parts, it cannot be anadi. If it were devoid of parts, it cannot be the cause of evolution.
All of us experience Maya in our everyday life. It is beyond logical comprehension, cannot be explained in words or cognized with the mind, and is a great wonder.
Maya makes life livable – all higher pursuits in life are because of the unpredictability in life. This unpredictability is an expression of Maya. Maya provides us the opportunity to transcend it, and become spiritually liberated.
Swami Vivekananda provides many examples of how Maya defies human logic. Example of mother’s continued affection towards an ungrateful child is provided.
Maya is neither subjective, nor objective, nor a combination of the two. We understand the relativity of Maya only when we come out of it. Describing Maya when we are within it is impossible.
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is a good scripture to understand Maya. It provides many examples of different levels of human existence.
Maya functions at the level of three gunas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. As in the snake/rope analogy, the wrong understanding disappears when we realize our true nature. Swami Vivekananda’s story is discussed of how Sri Ramakrishna transmitted spiritual powers to him to help him see beyond Baya.
Maya operates with two powers: Avarana-shakti, which conceals the reality and Vikshepa-shakti, which projects something false.
Maya is a great mystery and efforts to understand it gave us great souls such as Buddha. Buddha made great contributions to human civilization.
Verse 111 and vikshepa shakti is briefly introduced. An example is provided of how mind can project an imaginary world, based on triggers from any of the senses. Even this projection leaves a residual effect on the mental system. This happens because of Rajas-guna.
Maya is composed of two sounds: “Ma”, which negates and “Ya” which is a pronoun and refers to something real.
Regular spiritual practices and reading of authentic scriptures helps the seeker develop spiritual common sense. This common sense helps him restructure his attitude to life as a whole.
Sri Ramakrishna taught spirituality in all forms: non-dualism, dualism and bhakti are some examples. Non-dualism accommodates and transcends all religions.
-All different people came to Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar and went away satisfied.
-He accepted people of all traditions, believers and non-believers, and had a positive approach towards all.
-The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is unique as a document of acceptance of all paths.
-The message that the spiritual experience of God transcends all boundaries of faith and dogma helps to lessen religious conflicts and doubts.
-Sri Ramakrishna did not like people to have a negative outlook on life. A devotee has the characteristic of inner bliss because he lives with God.
-His approach was essentially humanistic. He did not like the egotism of thinking that you have to save the world. Rather his disciple Swami Vivekananda preached that to serve man is to worship the “Taj Mahal of temples.”
-His message helped India to hold to its Vedic tradition and also helped Swami Vivekananda deliver a message of universal harmony of the Parliament of World’s Religions in 1893. This was done in a time of great challenge to religion.
This lecture was delivered at the Vedanta Society of Northern California on April 15, 2012.
Verses: 108-109
Class starts with seven questions from the student, and then bondage is discussed in depth: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?
Maya is real for someone in ignorance – rope/snake analogy is provided. Snake exists only as long as there is not enough light – when light is brought, the snake idea disappears and only rope remains.
Maya operates with two powers: Avarana-shakti, which conceals the reality and Vikshepa-shakti, which projects something false.
Mandukya-Karika II - verse 32 is discussed.
Seven-Anupapatti’s of Ramanujacharya on Avidya (Maya) are discussed.
Creation is discussed as “leela” (sport) of God.
Maya is “anadi” (without a beginning), but not “anantha” (it is not eternal). It functions at the level of three gunas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Maya can only be inferred by tracing from effect to cause.
Vedanta’s criteria for “sat” are discussed: (1) It should remain without change in the past, present and future – both time and space. (2) It should stay the same in waking, dream and deep sleep states.
Maya is not “sat”. It is not the Absolute Reality. It changes – therefore, it is relative. Maya is not “asat” either, as it is not Absolutely unreal.
Because, if Maya were the same as Brahman it has no end. Then, there is no liberation from bondage. But if Maya were different from Brahman that would lead to duality. When you realize Brahman, what was hitherto perceived as Maya is now perceived as Brahman because then, the Reality is perceived devoid of names and forms, beyond nama and rupa.
The Real experience of Absolute Reality is beyond what is described in Mayavakyas. Mahavakyas are only an approximation of the highest transcendental experience.
Maya is neither different, nor non-different nor a combination of difference and non-difference.
All of us experience Maya in our everyday life. It is beyond logical comprehension, cannot be explained in words or cognized with the mind and is a great wonder.
Vedanta discusses not just the future of a seeker but also the past. Vivekachudamani starts with the rare privilege of human birth and the longing for liberation.
Vedanta is the result of inner contemplation. It begins with the inquiry at the effect level. Ancient sages then practiced spiritual disciplines and meditated to realize the Absolute Reality.
Creation is one spiritual family. When we hurt others, we hurt ourselves.
Swami Vivekananda clarified what Maya is. Maya is relativity, not an illusion. He asserted again and again that Maya is relativity, and not delusion or illusion.
-Sri Ramakrishna practiced all of the major Vaishnava, Tantric, and Vedantic paths of Hindu spiritual practice and reached their goal very quickly. He already possessed the intuitive understanding of the spiritual reality from his childhood experiences.
-Out of sincere interest, he also practiced Sufism and Christianity and saw that God could be realized by those paths.
-For him, he could experience and penetrate into the essence of every religion he practiced by concentrating on the core spirituality of that tradition.
-His life is an embodiment of the Vedic dictum that Truth is One, though sages call it by many names.
-Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi remarked that he never intended to demonstrate interfaith harmony through his practice but the implications for religious harmony are plain. Beyond the level of ritual, mythology, and philosophy, unity can be found at the level of intuitive spiritual experience.
This lecture was delivered at the Vedanta Society of Northern California on November 4, 2012.
Verses 96-99
-Reference is provided to the seven questions posed by the disciple in verse 49. One of the questions posed “what is anatman?” is discussed further in the class.
-Various levels of reality are discussed. Anatman is that which is unreal or relative. Things in the empirical world have name and form – they are not Absolutely Real, but not totally unreal. In Vedanta, for a thing to be real, it must exist in the past, present and future. Only Absolute Reality meets this requirement.
-96th verse: Sukshma-Sharira has eight units: (1) Five organs of perception (2) Five organs of action (3) Five pranas (4) Five subtle elements (5) Antahkarana – mana, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara (6) Avidya (7) Kama and (8) Karma.
-Vritti is the residual effect left in mental system from any thought, deed or speech. Vritti => Samskara => Vasana => Karma form a continuous cycle.
-97th verse: It is this subtle body that provides indication that there is something beyond the body. Subtle body is the one that goes through all experiences, even from past life. Example of a child exhibiting musical talent is provided. Only tendencies/impressions travel from life to life.
-Atman is all-pervading. When it is caged within a jeeva, it is referred to as Jeevatma.
-Concept of subtle body only applies to a person who is not enlightened. That is why avidya is included in the eight units of subtle body. Avidya causes us to misinterpret ourselves in many wrong ways as to who we really are. Example of rope illusion is provided.
-Everything is pervaded by Atman. However, only living beings have antahkarana, which acts as a reflecting medium. When the mind is pure, the Atman manifests with greater effulgence. Good actions re-energize latent good samskaras.
-Swami Vivekananda: “The difference between an amoeba and Buddha is one of degrees, not of kind.”
-“We are all Brahman” – this is only a concept in the beginning. The gap between concept and experience disappears through shravanam, mananam and nidhidhyasanam.
-Images and photos are symbols, not God. When we worship, we invoke the all-pervading Atman to be present in the image or photo.
-98-99 verse: A way of understanding supreme reality through three states of consciousness: waking, dream and deep sleep states. Waking and dream state differ in gross/subtle dimension and space and time dimensions.
-Waking state: Experienced with mind and senses of perception/action. All experiences are in gross state and retained in chittam.
-Dream state: Based on experiences from waking state, but re-arranged. All experiences are at sukshma-level, and based on ideas.
-Deep sleep state: While one does not experience duality in deep sleep, they do not transcend duality. During deep sleep only chitta-vritti is active. Recollection happens when one wakes up and chitta-vritti associates with aham-vritti.
-Turiya exists as the one reality and witness in all three states: waking, dream and deep sleep state. A witness has to meet two requirements: (1) be aware and (2) not involved.
-Samadhi and deep sleep state are not identical. There is full awareness in samadhi, but not in deep sleep state. To transcend duality, one needs awareness.
-The idea of religious universality, that all religions can lead to the same transcendental experience of unity, has entered into the modern world thanks to the influence of Sri Ramakrishna.
-Sri Ramakrishna was able to reach the highest Advaitic experience in only three days under the instruction of Tota Puri.
-This immediate realization comes when the disciple is fully concentrated on realizing the truth.
-Ordinary seekers may need to practice concentration on the meaning of the highest Vedantic statements for some time before these ideas go from being only a doctrine or a concept to becoming an experience.
-The waters of the various rivers mingle into one body of water. In the same way, the material of all religions is the same spiritual reality. An Advaitin can no longer be in conflict with any religion because he is not separate from anybody.
-Sri Ramakrishna’s experience was the very embodiment of the ancient Vedantic revelations.
-In modern times, according to Arnold Toynbee, this universal trend is shaping the trajectory of civilization. Directly or indirectly, Sri Ramakrishna’s nondual practice is the source.
This lecture was delivered at the Vedanta Society of Northern California on March 10, 2013.
Verses: 82-96
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on July 14, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-An elaborate analysis of the non-self (anatman). Descriptions of sthula-sharira (gross body) and sukshma-sharira (subtle body) are provided.
-Comparisons to Buddhist interpretation of anatman. Concept of Sunyata in Buddhism is not nothingness – rather it refers to the indescribability of the Absolute Reality.
-Anatma is made of three parts: (1) Sthula-sharira (2) Sukshma-sharira and (3) Karana-sharira
82nd verse: if one wants liberation, one should reject all kinds of desires for material enjoyment, and stay away from them, as one would stay away from poison. Take to contentment, kindness, forgiveness, truth and peace.
A householder who does not strive for dharma, artha, kama through proper means is considered “adharmi”. Sri Ramakrishna and Hazra’s story is discussed. Hazra ignored his duty towards his mother, wife and children to pursue a spiritual life – he was scolded by Sri Ramakrishna for ignoring his duty as a householder.
Begin by desisting from doing what you are not supposed to do. Eventually, you will be able to do what you are supposed to do.
85th verse: Obsessive attachment to sensory pleasures without a spiritual ideal is “moha”. Moha conceals the reality and projects the wrong idea. Moha can lead to spiritual death. Only those who give up moha deserve mukti.
-87th verse: Gross body is detestable as it is composed of skin, flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bones. If we touched those things, we would wash our hands. However, the same gross body is a great asset, as it is what we use to achieve liberation. The journey beyond the body needs the body itself.
Kalidasa-Kumara-Sambhava story of Shiva and Uma is discussed. Shiva advises Uma to not ignore the gross body as she pursues austerities.
96th verse: Sukshma-Sharira has eight units: (1) Five organs of perception (2) Five organs of action (3) Five pranas (4) Five subtle elements (5) Antahkarna – mana, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara (6) Avidya (7) Kama and (8) Karma.
Sukshma-sharira defines one’s personality. Gandhi’s example is discussed as stark contrast between sthula and sukshma sharira.
Vritti is residual effect in mental system from any thought, deed or speech. Vritti => Samskara => Vasana => Karma form a continuous cycle.
Story of Vyadha Gita is discussed to illustrate path to liberation as a householder.
-Mahendra nath Gupta’s story is discussed – Sri Ramakrishna advises him to stay as a householder and pursue his spiritual journey. He had great respect for monks.
A householder needs to follow the path of dharma in his pursuit of artha and kama. This helps him understand the limitations of artha/kama and have a higher ideal.
Verses: 77 – 80
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on July 7, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-There are five methods of verbalization or description. Atman is beyond all such verbalization.
-Since Atman is beyond description, Vivekachudamani takes the approach of “neti, neti” or “via negativa” in Christian Theology. It describes everything that it is not, so that what is left out is Atman.
-Atman transcends all descriptions but it is not devoid of all characteristics.
-Sense-objects are more poisonous than the poison of a snake because just seeing such an object can create mental slavery to that object.
-We are often unable to get out of a negative infatuation despite our intellectual knowledge that it is harmful to us (Dostoyevsky's creative fiction is given as an example).
-Even a person who has mastered the six schools of orthodox Indian philosophy may not be able to get out of negative infatuation. We live not at the intellectual level but at the mental level.
-Shankaracharya tells us to develop our inner faculties and become aware of the way out of our problems.
-Superficial renunciation is denounced. At the first stage, we become aware of the need to get away from an undesirable thing. At the second stage, we move towards something positive. We develop a spiritual common sense: the ability to have all success yet realize its inherent limitations.
-A householder develops this inner renunciation through associating with these holy ideas and spiritually minded people. Spirituality has value for people in all walks of life.
This lecture was given on June 28, 2019 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
- Swamiji admired the merits of modern western secular educational system, like its emphasis on humanism, innovation, human rights, egalitarian and democratic values, utilization of science and technology, etc.
- Swami Vivekananda's positive approach and constructive criticism of the Western and Eastern models of education; a harmony of the positive elements of both.
- Education for evolving healthy social and political institutions.
- Civilizations, like individuals, go through the successive stages of birth, adolescence, decay and destruction
- Two approaches to social transformation:
(a) Evolution, which is a natural constructive growth from within and,
(b) Revolution, which is unnatural, often destructive and is a change imposed from outside - He recommended a harmonious blending of the very best of the secular modern, Greco-Roman, Western, scientific and technological values and the best of Eastern, traditional and spiritual values.
- Vivekananda's most well-known definition of education was this: "Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man."
-Education should be for character building, nation building, and man making, training of the whole personality.
-Swami Vivekananda says, “You cannot teach a child any more you can grow a plant, all you can do is on the negative side. You can only help. You can take away obstacles but knowledge comes out of its own nature. Education should involve training in spiritual and cultural values. Swamiji’s definition: “We must have life-building, man-making, character-building assimilation of ideas.”
-Education in practice implies removing the obstacles that stand in the way of unfoldment of perfection already in all of us.
-Such an education should make us sensitive to the needs of the society in which we live and we become sensitive to our own obligations to our fellow beings living around us. - Swamiji's reference to the transformative impact on the conditions of the Irish migrants who came to America in the 19th-century
-The best of Realism and the best of Idealism.
-This would be the foundation of an ideal educational system. - Swamiji’s criticism of placing too much emphasis on secular values to the exclusion of the spiritual ideals.
- Swamiji says, "All knowledge is inherent in man." (He refers to Newton's discovery of gravitation)
-According to religion, interpreted and understood as spirituality should be the 'core subject' of education. (in contrast to some of the views advocated by Western educational thinkers like J.F. Herbart, Froebel, John Dewey. etc.) - But Swamiji was in full agreement with some of these Western thinkers in totally rejecting John Locke's theory of 'tabula rasa', though this view goes back some of the ancient Greek philosophers.
- Integrating some of the values of ancient Indian education with modern educational system: the 'GURUKULA' system:
- An ancient convocation address from the Vedic period: " मातृदेवो भव । पितृदेवो भव । आचार्यदेवो भव । अतिथिदेवो भव ।" (तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत्)
- Nature, the great educator
- Stress on family values: the sacredness and sanctity of the institution of the family, like respect to the parents, teachers, guests, etc.
- Evolution of education: from information to knowledge to wisdom to 'Prajna'
- आचार्यात् पादमादत्ते पादं शिष्य स्वमेधया |
पादं सब्रह्मचारिभ्य: पादं काल क्रमेण च || - Managing the fruits of education
- "I learn as long as I live"
- The importance of श्रद्धा in education
- Sanctity and sacredness of the spoken word; need for moderation in speech and choice of the vocabulary.
-It should not promote national fanaticism. It should inculcate constructive and creative patriotism based on humanistic values: वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् - Education should emphasize humanities, (study of language, literature, history philosophy, art, religion etc.) along with science and technology.
- Poet Kalidasa on moderation in the use of spoken words: मितं च सारं च वचो हि वाग्मिता । (attributed to the ancient Sanskrit poet Kalidasa)
(True eloquence is the correct, concise and meaningful use of words) - An illustration from Valmiki's Sanskrit classic Ramayana: Hanuman's eloquence:
- The glorious examples of the American transcendentalists
- An illustration of the invocation the Goddess of learning in the ancient Gurukula system of education
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on June 30, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
Verses: 66-76
-The first stage of spiritual life is discrimination between the real and unreal (nitya-anitya-vastu-viveka). Nitya means Atman or unchanging Absolute Reality. Anitya means “the changing” or non-eternal.
-Avidya is the absence of knowledge of the absolute truth. When we are in the spell of Avidya, we have desires and we direct our efforts towards the fulfillment of those desires.
-An elaborate analysis of the Non-Self (anatman). Descriptions of sthula-sharira (gross body) & sukshma-sharira (subtle body) are provided. Strive to go beyond the cycle of birth and death and put your own effort towards experiencing the absolute truth. We have to think of ourselves as beyond the body and mind. Atman is our true identity.
-Life of Tulsidas is briefly discussed.
-A spiritual seeker should develop dispassion to anitya and not assign permanence to what is impermanent. The Buddhist concept of Trishna – desire for impermanent things – is discussed.
-Raga-Dvesha is discussed. Raga is an obsessive desire for something that we know is harmful to us, but we are not able to get out of it. Dvesha is obsessive hatred towards someone or something, that one is not able to get out of. Both are types of enslavements.
-Conflicts are natural to the mind; the mind is full of momentary thoughts and one cannot determine what thought will emerge next. To make the mind steady, one should not fight the conflicting thoughts – rather one should direct the mind toward a higher goal.
-When sense objects guide our senses, which guide our mind, which guides our life – our life loses its direction. Our mind then is our tormenter, our worst enemy.
-Example of dangers of guided from sense objects is provided from the animal kingdom. Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.
-When one observes their thoughts, they become a witness and are no longer attached to the thought and not affected by it. To become mindful, one has to go beyond the mind.
-A spiritual seeker should practice the six disciplines discussed earlier in Vivekachudamani. These six disciplines take to “Prasada” – inner contentment. Good, noble, unselfish deeds also take one to “Prasada”. Example of helping a blind man crossing the street is provided. Inner contentment is a sign that mind is our friend.
The lecture was given on December 5, 2015, at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-Bird's eye view of the four Mahavakyas in the Upanishad is provided, with deep dive on first Mahavakya: "Tat Tvam Asi"
-Four Mahavakyas are: (1)Tat Tvam Asi, from Chandogya Upanishad in Sama Veda (2)Prajnanam Brahma, from Aitareya Upanishad in Rig Veda (3)Ayam Atma Brahma, from Mandukya Upanishad in Atharva Veda (4)Aham Brahma Asmi, from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad in Yajur Veda
-The statements tell us who we are and what the universal truth is. The four represent the four stages of evolution in the spiritual evolution of the seeker, starting with Tat Tvam Asi and culminating in Aham Brahma Asmi, which represent complete union with the whole spiritual universe.
-Tat Tvam Asi is updesa-vakya and Aham Brahma Asi is anubhuti-vakya.
-Story of Uddalaka and Shvetaketu is discussed. True learning makes one wise and humble. Information + knowledge = wisdom. In the process of teaching Shvetaketu, Uddalaka utters: "Tat Tvam Asi" and repeats it eight more times during his instructions
-Meaning of Tat Tvam Asi: "The essence of the whole creation, the one supreme reality, the Atman - resides in all of us. It is omnipresent, all-pervading and is our own inner Self. It is not far away". God is not a person who creates the world and sits outside – the whole of humanity is one spiritual family.
-Discussion on why Swami Vivekananda only taught from the Upanishads. In those days, there were fanatic beliefs and people were looking for a universal spiritual paradigm. Swamiji realized that every religion had some level of universal truth. By teaching them Vedanta, he could help people realize the essence of their religion.
-True religion has two elements: (1) it teaches universal, spiritual humanism and (2) it presents a scientific analysis of who we are
-Belief is not the foundation of true religion. Experience is.
-Discussion on how to interpret Mahavakyas. We cannot take the meaning literally. Rather the implied meaning has to be understood. "That thou art" - thou refers to the Atman within.
-What a student should do after listening to "Tat Tvam Asi" - contemplate on the meaning, meditate, begin to lead a pure life, do unselfish deeds. The student should go through a spiritual preparation, which makes him fit for the knowledge. Theoretical knowledge should culminate in experience, and this evolution is represented by the four Mahavakyas.
-Four stages of a spiritual seeker's evolution: (1) Rituals and prayers (2) Conviction in the truth (3) Glimpse of the higher truth (4) Experience of the truth
Verse: 59, 60, 61, 62, 66, 69
Topics:
-Study of scriptures is the means, not the goal. The goal is spiritual liberation.
-Shravanam, Mananam, and Swanubhuti are discussed. Intellectual study of scriptures, by itself, is of no use. Spiritual journey starts with ideas from the scriptures. Deeper contemplation of these ideas is needed, which then provides one their own inner experience.
-Scriptures are of no use once the highest experience is realized. After achieving that state, one may still read scriptures because of their natural inclination to do so.
-Just like medicine removes the poison from a snake bite, spiritual knowledge is the only medicine for spiritual ignorance.
-Just belief does not give experience. Belief should become a deep conviction, which then turns into an experience.
-When one feels a great attraction for scriptures, it comes from some degree of their own experience.
-The spiritual bank balance is discussed. Fruits of spiritual practice are never lost. It even carries over across lives, where one is born with their past good samskaras. Even a little experience now, will become a real experience later.
-To treat spiritual ignorance, one has to practice seven disciplines, discussed previously in the Vivekachudamani.
-The first discipline is a sense of dispassion for things that are impermanent, Cause of unhappiness is assigning permanence to something that is inherently impermanent.
Lecture given on June 9, 2019 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California by Swami Tattwamayananda.
-An overview of Dhammapada is provided. Few verses are discussed in depth from Yamaka-vaggo and Brahmana-vaggo.
-Dhammapada: most popular and condensed summary of Buddha's teachings. Profound for any spiritual seeker & not tied to a religion. Captures Buddha's responses to questions from disciples. Each verse is accompanied by a story.
-Buddhism is popular because it is simple, straightforward, psychological and not tied to any dogmas. Dhammapada provides a taste of spiritual freedom (Vimukti). How to achieve liberation of the mind from all bondage and suffering.
-Four noble truths: Suffering, cause of suffering, the way out is Nirvana, achieved by eight-fold disciplines.
-Eight fold disciplines are: Right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration, right view and right resolve.
-Buddha's concept of Dukkha is explained: discontent in the midst of luxuries qualifies one for the quest for freedom. It is a desire for something higher.
-Buddha's own story and quest for freedom is discussed.
-1st verse of Yamaka-Vaggo is discussed in depth. "Mind is what matters. Mind precedes all actions". Story of Buddhist monk is discussed who loses his vision, walks over termites, and yet is non-attached to the killing of termites due to purity of his mind.
-Adjoining verse of the 1st verse is discussed: "If mind is pure, happiness follows". Story of a miserly person is discussed, whose son reaches celestial abode upon seeing Buddha and feels tranquility while dying.
-422nd verse of Brahmana-Vaggo is discussed: "Who has realized the supreme truth, who has conquered death, who has realized his real nature, and who is devoid of any wrong thoughts - Him I call Brahmana". Similarities with the 18 verses of the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita on the Sthitaprajna are discussed. Reinforced with the story of Angulimala, who achieves Nirvana upon meeting Buddha.
-Last verse (423) of Brahmana-vaggo is briefly discussed: "Has the capacity to transcend his past impressions and samskaras and attain Nirvana - Him I call Brahmana". The concept of being a Brahmin has nothing to with the social institution of caste in this context.
Verses: 49-59
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on June 9, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
Topics covered:
-Seven questions from the disciple on bondage, its causes and how to free oneself from bondage?
-Spiritual liberation is an individual journey. Through community effort, we cannot have community of Jivan-muktas. Analogies are provided to explain this.
-Absolute reality can be known through the eye of spiritual clarity (बोधचाक्षुष). Spiritual clarity is achieved through purification of the mind (चित्त शुद्धि) and by pursuing disciplines such as: discrimination between what is real and what is not real, renunciation of empirical things, self control, strong longing for liberation, listening to scriptures, understanding the meaning of scriptures and contemplating on the essence of scriptures.
-A scholar only helps provide intellectual conviction. Aparoksha-anubhuti is only possible through individual efforts.
-Avidya is the central cause of ignorance. Avidya leads to Kama (desire) which leads to Karma to fulfill that desire. If desires are left, one is born again to fulfill that desire. Jata-Bharata story is discussed. A king is born as a deer in his next life, due to his strong affection for a baby deer.
-Yoga, Sankhya and Karma-Yoga only take one to Chitta-Shuddhi, not to liberation. Liberation is achieved when Chitta-Shuddhi leads to Jnana-prapti, which leads to Moksha (identity with Brahman).
-Sakama-karma (karma for material prosperity) does not lead to Chitta-Shuddhi. Chitta-Shuddhi can be achieved by Karma-Nishtha (Karma-Yoga), where the fruits of action are renounced.
-The study of Vedanta is unique. Even to understand an elementary verse, the entire knowledge of Vedanta is needed. This is why Vedanta should be studied from a teacher who is fit.
-Four stages of shabda- Vaikhari, Madhyama, Pashyanti, and Para - are discussed. Vaikhari is explicitly uttering of mantras with a loud voice. Madhyama involves only lip movement. Pashyanti is mental and involves identification with the meaning of the mantra. Para is the highest form of prayer.
-Deva and Rishi rin (debt) are discussed. Swadhyaya is more meaningful once these debts are paid pack. Rishi debt can be paid back by passing the knowledge to others and the next generation.
-Scriptural study leads to chitta-shuddhi but does not grant liberation. After liberation, scriptures are not needed.
-Association with holy people helps in the individual spiritual journey. Individual contemplation and meditation is needed in addition to holy company.
This is the first lecture by Swami Tattwamayananda from a three-part lecture series on the essence of Vedic philosophy. It was delivered on January 21, 2018 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California.
Swami Tattwamayananda discusses the following topics:
-The Vedas are scriptures for the whole of humanity, not for a particular religion. Vedic truths can be revealed to anyone who undertakes an inner spiritual journey. Truths that are revealed represent different levels of our evolution, which everyone should and can reach.
-Swami Tattwamayananda cites the examples of several Western thinkers and philosophers, who belonged to different religions, but whose lives were transformed when they came in contact with the Vedas.
-The Vedic concept of God is first discussed in negation: God does not have to be kept happy, does not have to be defended, does not sit in heaven, does not impose dos and don'ts, does not divide mankind into believers and non-believers.
-Max Müller’s five stages of the evolution of Godhead are discussed:
-Pantheism: God is equated with external world.
-Panentheism: God is the spirit within the external world.
-Polytheism: Behind every natural phenomenon, there is a divine power that regulates it.
-Henotheism: A particular deity is elevated to the status of almighty God. Example: Indra or Agni.
-Monotheism: God is the creator of the universe, supervises it and answers prayers.
-The Vedic concept of God transcends all these five stages. God is the divine reality that is present in all of us and the same God is present everywhere, and is the essence of all creation.
-The 3rd line of first mandala of Rigveda Samhita is discussed: “The Reality is one; the Truth is one; God is one; Sages approach Him, call Him and define Him in different ways using different languages and expressions”.
-The first few lines of Purusha-sukta are discussed: All-pervading reality is symbolically explained as having 1000 heads, 1000 feet and 1000 eyes. It means that all-pervading reality is present everywhere, is infinite and limitless. It is all-pervading through immanence. It has cosmic awareness. Purusha means “The Immanent Reality”
-As we evolve, our idea of God evolves: without to within, many to one, gross to subtle, monotheist to one that is present in all of us and everywhere.
-The Medha-suktam is discussed: Purified intellect is depicted as a Goddess who helps us evolve in our spiritual journey through a pure intellect and mind. A pure mind helps resolve the inherent conflict between the mind and the intellect.
This lecture was given on June 2, 2019 by Swami Tattwamayananda at the Vedanta Society of Northern California.
-Transcendentalism’s universal spirit paved the road for the 1893 Parliament of World's Religions and other spiritual/reform movements of the 19th century.
-A contrast is drawn between obsessive love of the new and the rejection of all new things. The Sanskrit poet Kalidasa wrote that we should examine everything and accept what should be accepted, whether it is old or new.
-Political, social, and economic freedom was not enough. America’s quest for freedom turned to a higher spiritual freedom, which naturally was universal in spirit.
-Comparison is made between Emerson’s statement that “nature is the greatest manifestation of the transcendental divine,” Thoreau’s statements, and mantras and dialogues from the Yajur Veda.
-Tapas means looking for a higher meaning by withdrawing the senses from external objects and doing introspection.
-From Thoreau’s Walden: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagvat Geeta, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial and I doubt if that philosophy is not to be referred to a previous state of existence, so remote is its sublimity from our conceptions. I lay down the book and go to my well for water, and lo! there I meet the servant of the Bramin, priest of Brahma and Vishnu and Indra, who still sits in his temple on the Ganges reading the Vedas, or dwells at the root of a tree with his crust and water jug. I meet his servant come to draw water for his master, and our buckets as it were grate together in the same well. The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges."
-Thoreau is doing tapas here. He connects with “Ritam,” the harmony of the whole existence.
-America responded to Oriental wisdom at the emotional level. Europe responded at the intellectual level.
-When the mind becomes pure, it is able to catch the true meaning of spiritual texts.
-An example is given of Emerson’s understanding of the idea of renouncing the fruits of action, not the action itself found in the Bhagavad Gita. He was able to connect with the ideas of karma, and svadharma. These interpretations even influenced Gandhi later.
-Transcendentalists felt that the tools of science and technology are a distraction from our true nature.
-Vedanta is the universal natural instinct of a spiritual mind. Look in your own mind, look in nature. You will find Ritam, the harmonizing link.
-America’s quest for freedom naturally leads to a quest for higher spiritual freedom.
-The transcendentalists and Vedanta both show that by connecting with the divine and sublime in nature, we are able connect with the divine spark within all of us.
Verses: 31-35, 49-53
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on June 2, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-The highest bhakti ( is a natural effortless flow of the mind towards God. The six factors of surrender (शरणागति or प्रपत्ति) to God as described by Ramanuja are explained. For an advaitin, this bhakti is a means to the purification of the mind where Self-realization becomes inevitable.
-As we evolve, the divine qualities that we meditate upon enter into our own character and we begin to see unity everywhere. We are no longer able to do harm to anybody.
-The spiritual teacher, Guru, is the one who destroys our ignorance. Our spiritual nature is self-revealed. The analogy is that when a canal is cut, the water flows of itself.
-Some of the qualities of a perfect spiritual teacher are enumerated: 1)well-versed in the scriptures 2)sinless 3)teacher with no desire 4)a knower of Brahman 5) peaceful 6)with all desires burnt out 7)in possession of completely motiveless compassion 8)a friend who naturally and effortlessly helps those who seek refuge
-Real humility (प्रह्व) when approaching a teacher is not a slavish attitude but rather a polite dignified ability to stay one step below in order for wisdom to flow to the student.
-An aspirant will feel an inner discontentment because they have realized the reality of their bondage and the possibility of realizing something much higher. It is actually a positive attitude (मुमुक्षुत्व), not a wretched attitude.
-A strong warning is given that trying to practice sadhanas without respecting the teacher-disciple tradition (परम्परा) can lead to possible deviations or difficulties in spiritual life. The royal highway of following the teacher-disciple lineages is recommended.
-The seven great questions about reality are asked. The guru congratulates the student for becoming a genuine Vedantic aspirant and achieved their life’s purpose (कृतकृत्य). Their whole lineage has become spiritually uplifted, blessed, and purified by the aspirant. This displays the sacred dimension of family ties.
-The aspirant must make self-effort to remove their own spiritual bondage.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 27, 2019 as part of the program “Universal Spiritual Humanism: Swami Vivekananda and America’s Spiritual Transformation,” celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Historic Chicago Addresses at the First World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893.
-Swami Vivekananda's presentation of Vedanta was original, but Vedanta is as old as the Vedas.
-Do not believe somebody who says they have invented the truth. Truth is passed down in a succession of great teachers and avatars.
-Swami Vivekananda’s 9-minute Chicago Address emphasized that all religions merge when we reach the highest spiritual experience.
-He translated the verse from the Bhagavad Gita, “Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me.”
-The foundation of ethics is not the fear of God but the unity of existence. Gandhi was able to see God both inside and outside the temple of God. Spirituality goes beyond religion.
-The highest devotee of God sees everything in God and God in everything. This was the essence of Swami Vivekananda's Bhakti Yoga. Every tradition produces people who have reached that level of spiritual experience. However, we reach that highest phase through the practice of rituals and temple worship.
-The greatness of Swami Vivekananda was that he always gave credit to his teacher and the ancient tradition.
This lecture was given on March 11, 2018 by Swami Tattwamayananda at the Vedanta Society of Northern California.
-Evolution in samskrti (culture) and pariskrti (civilization) are not always linked. The culture of science and technology can be a cultural suicide.
-We may lose the power of mananam (deep thought) unless we learn to wield science and technology as a tool in our hands rather than as slaves.
-Since information technology quickly changes, it narrows the focus towards only short-term goals for success and happiness. Psychological problems cannot be solved at the mental level. We can get only temporary relief and we constantly have to remain active.
-The total negligence of the classics is a real problem for education because our attitudes and emotions don’t get refined.
-Four purusarthas (dharma, kama, artha, moksha) are given in Hinduism. The pursuit of kama and artha should be regulated by dharma.
-Mental health is a state of natural inner blissfulness: krta-krtyata (I have done what I ought to have done) and krtarthita (I have attained what I was trying to attain).
-Raja rishis have the efficiency and dynamism of a king but inner serenity of a sage.
-Dharma is the value that preserves tradition and culture. It supports, sustains, keeps in balance, and regulates. It teaches the need for protecting the environment.
-It is a serious problem when you have no worldly problem but you still feel a vacuum.
-When a person has practiced dharma while pursuing worldly success, they may begin to pursue a transcendental value with a strong sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-Intense spiritual seeker can meditate, read scriptures, and pursue the realization of God. Otherwise, they can found a trust to do something for others.
-Wisdom is the ability to make proper use of what we know, such as the tools of science and technology and avoid improper use of this power.
-Success is needed but we need to know the limitations of success.
-The three boons that Nachiketa asks for in the Katha Upanishad represent a person’s evolution from the desire for worldly and heavenly pleasures to what is beyond life and death.
-His third question of what exists beyond death is what takes us into the realm of culture.
-If life ends with death, then that leaves a terrible vacuum.
-If you know that you will be reborn with your mental tendencies, then material wealth will be less important than acquiring love, broadmindedness, compassion, unselfishness – a wealth that never fades.
-When you have material success but also live the values of dharma and moksha, then you obtain real success.
Verses: 23-31
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on May 19, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-At stage one, Titiksha, is a strong determination to carry forward with your ideal with no response to negative obstacles. At a later stage, even the thought of response is gone. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is described as an iron will coupled with deep contentment, santosha. Buddha’s vow is a perfect example.
-Shraddha is critical for spiritual learning because Brahman is apparently invisible at the beginning of spiritual life and Jagat is apparently so real at the beginning. Without Shraddha, we cannot even listen to a Vedanta lecture.
-There is one kind of doubt, which consists of intellectual arrogance and hypocrisy – not wanting to believe. There is sincere disbelief which takes you to real belief because it is based on a sincere quest for truth.
-Shraddha leads to a firm belief in the words of the Guru and the words of the Shashtras. It is not accomplished through force but through an open process of listening, reasoning, and then obtaining experience.
-Samadhana is also explained with an example from the Bhagavad Gita.
-Mumukshutvam leads to all other qualities. The methods of intensifying Mumukshutvam and the dynamics of spiritual liberation over many lifetimes are explained.
-Only through Mumukshutvam, will all other qualities really bear fruit.
-An elaborate discussion is also given on the definition of Bhakti in the Vivekachudamani (nididhyasana) and its relation to the Bhakti discussed in the Bhagavad Gita. Advaita and Bhakti are clearly harmonized.
This lecture was delivered at the Vedanta Society of Northern California on May 19, 2019.
Vivekachudamani Verses: 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on May 12, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-Viveka means discerning what is real (nitya) and rejecting what is unreal (anitya). Our understanding of the real (nitya) reveals how far we have evolved. Maya is the power that projects something unreal in front of us that we take for the real. As we evolve, our sense of priority changes.
-Vairagya often begins with a negative running away from something. Eventually, it evolves into a positive turning towards a higher spiritual ideal.
-The six disciplines of shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, shraddha and samadhana.
-Mumukshutvam is the very foundation of all the disciplines. It can be expressed as an intense desire to learn more about the scriptures, attend classes, or realize the highest reality. This desire pushes away lower priorities so all of the necessary qualifications come to you automatically.
-Viveka means distinguishing between the real (Brahman) and the unreal (mithya). Mithya comes through a concealment of the real (avarana) and a projection of the false (vikshepa). This is the truth at the philosophical level. At the experience level, the unreal is seen to be nothing but the real, so the world is seen as real as Brahman.
-Traditionally, disciples practice shravana’ (श्रवण), manana’ (मनन),nididhyasana’ (निदिध्यासन) so that the reality of the statements made by the teacher become clear.
-Vairagya means giving up all the transitory things. Every sense object, which is perceived by the mind and the senses, is necessarily limited and transitory so it cannot be the Absolute.
-Shama means mind-control but that is not psychologically realistic. The real meaning is to turn the mind to a higher counterfocus. It is important to be reminded that enslavement by transitory sense objects is very dangerous.
-Aparoksha anubhuti is also explained. It is very important to study Vedanta with the aid of authentic teachers and commentaries.
-Dama and Uparati mean keeping the senses withdrawn in their respective locations. If the mind is not connected to a sense organ then, the sense objects are not experienced.
-Mumukshutvam, desire for the real, turns these disciplines into a positive pursuit. Viveka is enjoyed because it is understood to save us from problems.
The theme of this lecture (delivered May 12, 2019) is the concrete scheme of human relationships in Vedic culture. It begins with a brief introduction to the Vedas, the source books of universal spiritual laws.
There are four Vedas, each with four sections: rituals, prayers, contemplative prayers, and higher metaphysical/spiritual philosophy (Vedanta).
Max Muller was commissioned by the Church of England to translate the Vedas to show it was nonsense so that people would convert to Christianity. After learning about the Vedas, he became a devotee of the Vedas, not just a scholar of the Vedas.
The Rig Veda contains 1087 suktas (hymns), which together contain over 11000 verses. These hymns contain various concepts of God.
For example, Agni is called Purohit, because he takes your offerings to various deities. Max Muller gives a Western classification of the evolution of the idea of Godhead in the Vedas, which is not entirely acceptable to traditional scholars but useful for Western scholarship: Pantheism, Polytheism, Monotheism, henotheism, monism.
These Vedas were the product of the realizations of great saints and sages who had understood certain spiritual truths in their own heart and experience.
For example, the Nasadiya Sukta states that in the beginning, it was not anything that could be called either existence or non-existence.
Swami Vivekananda said that anybody can be a prophet because he can realize the presence of God in his own heart. A person leading a pure life can reach this highest spiritual evolution. These are the conclusions of the Vedas, the highest reach of the Vedas.
Vedic Scheme of Life – Universal Regulatory Principles of Life
Taittiriya Upanishad Convocation address: practice dharma; always continue learning; never deviate from the truth; respect your parents, your teachers, and your guests (even those who arrive uninvited).
Householders need to fight evil, generate wealth in order to uphold society. Many of these ideas encoded in the Smrtis were also incorporated in the Indian constitution.
Four ashramas or stages of life were regulated by 40 or 16 sacraments (samskaras).
A structure of values is needed so that all activities can be carried out in the proper way. Need for sleep and food are necessary for both humans and animals. What makes humans special is their sense of dharma. A spiritual orientation is given to all householder duties. This sense is universal, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi had a motherly love that all understood.
1)Marriage - is a joint spiritual pilgrimage. Never deviating from Dharma, they journey through artha and kama in order to reach moksha.
2)An ideal teacher sees his disciple as a father sees his own son. He dreams of being surpassed by his own son/disciple.
3)A father who sells his son for a dowry, parents who do not teach their children spiritual/cultural values beyond the utilitarian and practical cannot be called parents or teachers.
4)Moksha is the most important value of this life. In the Way of Pilgrim, you find the peasant had reached perfection in the Jesus prayer. Every moment was a joy because he felt the presence of God everywhere. He was a jivanmukta, liberated while living in the spirit.
5)The art of retiring: not micromanaging family affairs, retiring to contemplation and meditation instead.
6)Finally reaching the stage of sannyasa in the fourth stage.
7)Young people can take to monasticism at any time when the genuine desire for Moksha.
The Vedic scheme of life is universal, sublime, and applicable in all time and places. It embodies the highest spiritual ideals but in a concrete way in everyday life. It raises ordinary duties into selfless spiritual activities.
Vivekachudamani Verses: 1-7, 11, 15, 18, 19
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-Viveka means a discerning wisdom between the long lasting and real versus the short-lived and unreal. It is a reprioritization towards the beneficial and long lasting.
-Shankaracharya, the author of the text, may be one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever produced. Before Sri Shankaracharya, the idea of Advaita or nondualistic philosophy existed because it is as old as Rig Veda itself, but the formulation of a complete and compact philosophical structure, expounding its metaphysics, ontology, cosmology, logic, and epistemology, was entirely his contribution.
-Vivekachudamani is a great introductory text because it teaches the philosophy and the culture of spiritual life in 584 verses.
-Shankaracharya’s teacher was Govinda Bhagavatpada.
-Human birth, longing for freedom, and the company of great souls are three rare gifts from God. A great soul is one whose company stimulates your desire for higher life.
-It is spiritual suicide to reject our own spiritual nature if we have been given all the advantages for the realization of our spiritual nature.
-Action and rituals are not wrong but they cannot, on their own lead to spiritual realization. They serve to purify the mind.
-The proof of a pure mind is unshakeable inner contentment, which is unrelated to any external circumstances (santosha or citta-prasada or citta-shuddhi)
-Epoch makers in spiritual life always get linked to an ancient tradition through a guru. The guru is necessary to understand the reality of the spiritual reality which is apparently invisible at the beginning.
-Viveka, a reprioritization towards the Real or unchanging (nitya) and away from the Unreal or fleeting (anitya) is the first of the four disciplines of Vedanta. It is foolish to imagine eternal happiness in the obviously imperfect world. Saints internalize this fact, conserve energy and are able to work with complete concentration and do tremendous work.
-Mumukshutvam, the yearning for truth and freedom supports all of the qualities needed for a Vedantic aspirant. Without a higher non-worldly ideal, psychological depression is almost certain.
-Sri Ramakrishna’s parable of the four kinds of fish is used to illustrate mumukshutvam.
The Shanti Ashrama, the first Vedic Hermitage established in the West, was founded by Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. This is the Shanti Ashrama pilgrimage program on April 27, 2019. The speaker is Swami Tattwamayananda.
-Vyasa’s dilemma: The story from the Bhagavata
-Constitutional morality is not enough
-The need for a transcendental spiritual paradigm
-Creative utilization of energy resources
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at Stanford University. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association as part of Interfaith Harmony Week.
-Everybody wants to do noble actions and live up to a spiritual ideal but they also face mental conflicts when they actually try to start a new life. Yoga teaches the origin of those conflicts and how to overcome them.
-Every action or thought (‘karma’) leaves residuals effects (‘vrittis’) in our mental system.
-This accumulation of vrittis forms our character. It leads to strong tendencies (‘samskaras’) and further actions (‘karma’). This is an endless wheel (‘chakram’).
-Deep obsessive attraction (‘raga’), hatred (‘dvesa’) and fear (‘abhinivesa’) keep us chained and conflicted.
-Actions from previous lives have formed much of our character from this life.
-We have the freedom to start a new life by performing new positive actions and changing our karma.
-The result is a deep inner transcendental joy (‘citta prasada’)
The Yoga Tradition teaches a few invaluable techniques for succeeding.
1) Maitri, Karuna, Mudhita, Upeksha – friendliness toward fellow spiritual seekers, compassion for those who are seeking, sincere admiration for the virtuous, and indifference toward the negative.
2) Yamas and Niyamas – close all negative channels
3) Feed the mind with good spiritual food before meditation otherwise, it will eat bad food and revolt.
4) The mind never sits still, so the rascal must be given positive creative outlets.
5) A seeker turns his selfish worries into a great unselfish worry or desire (‘parinama duhkha’). Buddha overcame all his obstacles and became the Buddha.
A comprehensive exposition of this science in 111 lectures can be found at sfvedanta.org.
This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California.
-Evolution versus revolution
-Evolution is always creative, constructive and brings about growth and transformative improvement.
-India's 5500 years of spiritual/philosophical evolution from Sri Krishna through Buddha and Shankaracharya to Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
-They made creative contributions to world Spiritual heritage.
-Revolution is not always constructive and frequently leaves unpleasant consequences.
-Buddha's spiritual humanism and Shankara's philosophical Integration and harmony.
Lecture by Swami Tattwamayananda on Sunday, March 31, 2019 at the Vedanta Society of Northern California.
The cause of our inner conflicts - feeding our mind with good spiritual food - practice 'Yama' and 'Niyama' - the wheel (chakra) of karma-vritti-samskara-samkalpa-vasana- how to transform our character - "You are never late and whatever good actions you do will never be lost." - The danger of applying principles of business management in real life. - "SPIRITUAL COMMON SENSE IN REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS"