Vedanta Talks - Swami Sarvapriyananda

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Apr 10th, 2022. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:24 - Isn't enlightenment part of Maya? 16:05 - The witness consciousness, sat, chit, ananda, the basis of all truths, cannot perform any action. The mind removes its own veil. How can we turn this understanding into meditation? 34:10 - In the Gospel, Sri Ramakrishna says to "dive deep". What does this mean? 50:05 - What does Sri Ramakrishna mean when he tells Naren "He who was Rama and he who was Krishna was born again as Ramakrishna, but not in your Vedantic sense"? 59:30 - How do I know if I am progressing spiritually? How can one recognize an enlightened being? 01:15:25 - Why is there a tradition of fear in relation to God?

Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on Vedanta in this conversation with Rajiv Mehrotra, Hon. Trustee/Secretary of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH The Dalai Lama (https://furhhdl.org/). This is part of 'Healing Our Minds', a series of virtual talks organized by the foundation in collaboration with India Habitat Centre.

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches the Katha Upanishad, one of India's most revered texts which is also a part of the Vedas. It is a collection of philosophical poems representing a conversation between the sage Naciketas and Yama (god of death). They discuss the nature of Atman, Brahman and Moksha(liberation).

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches the Katha Upanishad, one of India's most revered texts which is also a part of the Vedas. It is a collection of philosophical poems representing a conversation between the sage Naciketas and Yama (god of death). They discuss the nature of Atman, Brahman and Moksha(liberation).

Inspired by the 15th chapter of the Ashtavakra Gita, Swami Sarvapriyananda gives a discourse on the nature of the Self.

As part of retreat inspired by the Ashtavakra Gita, Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on the connection between the path of knowledge and devotion.

"I, the One, illumine this body and also reveal this universe. Therefore, mine is all this universe or indeed nothing is mine." Inspired by this verse from the Ashtavakra Gita, Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on the nature of the Self.

"The objects of knowledge, viz., sound, touch, etc., which are perceived in the waking state, are different from each other because of their peculiarities; but the consciousness of these, which is different from them, does not differ because of its homogeneity." Inspired by this verse from the book, Pancadasi by Vidyaranya (Ch 1, Verse 3), Swami Sarvapriyananda gives a discourse on direct path of Advaita Vedanta.

Andrew Holecek interviews Swami Sarvapriyananda about Advaita Vedanta, and its relationship to Vedanta, Tibetan Buddhism, and Kashmir Shaivism. This is a cross-post of the original podcast at https://www.andrewholecek.com/swami-s.... Andrew Holecek (https://www.andrewholecek.com) is an author and spiritual teacher renowned for his expertise in lucid dreaming and the Tibetan yogas of sleep and dream.

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Feb 27th, 2022. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - How can I worship God if I am one with God? 12:58 - I find it easy to say "I am Brahman", but how can I say "I am Jesus"? 19:32 - When we pray for peace, who are we praying to? 26:38 - My dream borrows material from my waking experience. Where does my waking reality borrow material from? 36:03 - As our identities are ephemeral in dreams, aren't our identities also ephemeral in awareness? How is Advaita as expressed by Nisargadatta different from Advaita taught in the Ramakrishna Order? 46:50 - After having our vices under control, what is the next step forward? After having cleansed the mind, what is the next step in mediation? 01:00:13 - What hope is there for an ordinary householder in achieving realization?