Summer Retreat Notes, 2016 Shifting consciousness A seminal theme in Babaji’s presentation of Indian dharma concerns how consciousness shifts whereas Consciousness is unmoving.  Every teaching from any school or perspective can be said to be intent on explaining the existence of higher awareness and its stages, or freeing people from obstacles in their minds that prevent them from shifting to …

Pilgrims to India Beginning mid December, SRV Sangha members will go with Babaji to Mother India.  There are plans to visit and sometimes stay at Sri Sarada Math, Belur Math, and Master and Mother’s birthplaces, as well as to meet and have satsang with several monks of the Ramakrishna Order in Delhi, Varanasi, and Kolkata. Throughout, Babaji will give classes …

Swami Vivekananda’s Western Antaranga Swami Vivekananda introduced the West to the universal principles of Vedanta beginning in the United States in 1893. Although hundreds and thousands attended lectures and were awed by him, a small group of dedicated people came forth to devote themselves to the principles of Vedanta and to help Swamiji spread its universal message.  Among his closest …

Aruna’s light of dawn Namaste, and Aloha to all those interested in Divine Mother Reality and the Wisdom Teachings of The Dharma. At the first appearance of Aruna’s light of dawn, and to the accompaniment of distant thunder and the resultant oncoming early morning rain, I sit to write this little message to all the faithful after reading through what …

QUESTION #2: “Other than awareness of the following: the cosmic significance of prana asdescribed by Swamiji, the sublimation process of prana into shakti power, and informed controlof the breath (important sets of threes), what is required of the aspirant for obtaining or practicing pranayama?”ANSWER: The answer is, another set of threes, and one that is greatly missing today in spiritual circles, and …

QUESTION: “I have been studying Yoga Vasishtha lately, especially with regard to dealing withadharmic desires, and contemplating these teachings in light of Yoga, Vedanta, and other teachings mentioned. For example, you have mentioned how you witnessed Lex Hixon being too busy with sadhana to even have a restless mind, and thus never be tempted by adharmic desires or other ridiculous distractions. With all …

India Festival in Portland, Oregon Sunday, August 14 from 11am – 9pm An enthusiastic group of volunteers representing most of the Portland sangha have been planning for this over several months.  We held a first “dress rehearsal” recently, and captured a few photos of our design team working on the layout.   Please come to our booth and bring your friends!  …

Prana – A Missing Link for Inner Life Notes from Babaji’s classes We have all heard of pranayam, breathing exercises used in Yoga, whether in the popular hatha yoga or the complete and authentic Patanjala Yoga System. Breathing exercises calm the body, which calms the mind.  For ordinary practitioners, this is as far as it goes – a little stress …

Spring Retreat Notes & Reflection Introduction The subject of our last Spring Retreat, The Vedanta & Neo Vedanta of Shankara and Vivekananda, was effective in opening one’s mind to the correlations and contrasts between these two great souls – emanations of Siva – as well as to the ways in which they complement each other. Those of us actively engaged …

Five Concise Books on Essential Indian Philosophy Cosmic Quintuplications, the final book in Babaji’s series of five short but concentrated books on essential Indian Philosophy, has been released.  These books, listed below, present fundamental concepts and perspectives needed to understand and approach Vedanta’s Advaita, Tantra’s culmination in nonduality, Yoga’s lower and higher Samadhis, and Kundalini Yoga’s Shakti. As the West …