The Sufism of al-Junayd— Self Forgotten, Self Fulfilled
This article is about the Sufi mystic al-Junayd, more completely, Abu-al-Qāsim al-Junayd, or Junayd of Baghdad, who lived from about 830 to 910 of the common era, that is about 215 to 298 according to the Islamic calendar. Al-Junayd is interesting for several reasons. Although he did not write voluminously, his teachings in person and…
Read MoreThe Nature of Man
By Hari Prasad Shastri Every human being is a microcosm in which all grades of existence are repeated on a minute scale. Our nature reaches up to the Absolute on the one hand, and down to the animal and the plant worlds on the other. Although we are bound up with matter and occupied with…
Read MoreVerses from Samadhi Shataka
A selection of verses from Samadhi Shataka, also known as Samadhi Tantra, written by Shri Pujyapada, a great teacher of the Jain tradition who probably lived in the 5th-6th century CE. The translation is by Hari Prasad Shastri. He who identifies the body with the Self never finds liberation, though full of learning and ever…
Read MoreLife Skills for Inner Peace and Freedom
It is sometimes said that every person who comes into this world has their own unique contribution to make. Each of us has a special gift or talent, and, given the right circumstances—the right shaping influences—our gift will develop and flower. This way of thinking—that we all have something we can do that others cannot…
Read MoreStepping Stones
When we cross a stream on stepping stones, we have to watch every step. Each stone has its unique shape and tilt, causing us to vary our tread. Some stones adjoin each other; with others we have a small gap to mind. The stones are a blessing, conferred by our predecessors. They are also a…
Read MoreMeditation Practice: One Ocean of Consciousness Exists
A session led by the Warden at Shanti Sadan If someone discloses to us that they practise meditation, it is likely that the techniques they employ will differ from our own—such is the vast range of meditation options now available to us. But what most forms of meditation have in common is that we are…
Read MoreFinding Safety in Your Deeper Self
One of our main needs is to feel safe. Outer safety cannot be guaranteed, but there is a marked difference between living in a threatening environment, and one in which we are left in peace. A good friend with whom we feel perfectly safe is one of life’s greatest gifts—as long as we make our…
Read MorePrayer and Self-Knowledge
A discourse given at a recent meeting by the Warden of Shanti Sadan That which is unapproachable by the mind and which gives the mind the ability to think, that is to be known as Brahman, and not what people here worship as an object of the mind. Kena Upanishad 1:6 Let us consider the…
Read MoreA Wider View of Meditation: The Bhagavad Gita Chapter Six
The practice of meditation is most effective if we see all of life as a progressive learning experience. Sometimes a life dedicated to the inner enquiry is called ‘being a yogi’, and re-organising our lives to give the inner search first priority is called ‘becoming a renunciate’. This is the subject of the first verse…
Read MoreThe Garden of God
An Original Poem by Hari Prasad Shastri Subscribe or enrol for free guest access to read all of this article and Self-Knowledge online. Already subscribed or enrolled? Log in:
Read More