Poetic Pointers to Non-Duality
One of the themes that we find in the poetry of Hari Prasad Shastri is how the seeker of truth is open to receiving help from a power far greater than that of our limited intellect and will. This help is sometimes called inspiration, sometimes grace, and its influence, though itself indescribable, is indicated by…
Read MoreSharing the Same Boat
In this changing world We are all travellers in the same boat. Let us treat each other with love. Tulsidas Is universal peace possible? Only when we realise that our Self is not confined to our personal body and mind, but is one with the Self of all. Then we will know that none is…
Read MoreYour Real Nature is Perfection
That is perfection, this is perfection. Out of perfection comes forth perfection. When perfection is removed from perfection Perfection alone remains. This verse comes from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. It was revealed by an enlightened seer of Truth. These words indicate non-duality—the direct experience of ultimate reality. This experience is not something that comes and goes.…
Read MoreDiscovering Our Infinite Nature
We function in the world of time but the roots of our being are in eternity. We seem to be limited but there is something in us which is not at all limited, and which is at the root of our being. Hari Prasad Shastri The chief purpose of the Yoga of Self-Knowledge is to…
Read MoreMeditation Practice: the Essence of All
A meditation practice session led by the Warden at Shanti Sadan Let us use this precious time to establish ourselves in the peace and harmony which always prevails at the centre of our being whether we are aware of it or not. In order to prepare for meditation, we consciously turn our attention inwards. Not…
Read MoreProgress in Self-Knowledge: Part One
Self-knowledge has many levels of meaning, depending on which aspect of our nature is being considered. Many would agree that it is better to have some understanding of our psychological makeup than risk living in a way that may be based on self-deception. This sort of self-knowledge includes a willingness to pause and reflect about…
Read MoreActualization and Fulfilment
From a lecture by Hari Prasad Shastri We are in this life in order to fulfil ourselves and to actualize our higher potentialities. There is peace hiding in the cave of our soul. There is delight which surpasses all delight, and that delight is serene, not excitement or the fulfilment of desire. We fulfil ourselves…
Read MorePoem by Mira
The key to unlock the gate of the palace was applied, For desire had been expelled from my mind. My mind is not a shallow roadside pond— Who can travel in a puddle? I have no use even for the Ganges or Yamuna now, I have reached the sea. Subscribe or enrol for free guest…
Read MoreThe Bhagavad Gita – From Grief to Peace
In the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita the pupil is led from grief to a vision of transcendent peace through a swift traversal of the essential points in the teaching. At the start of the discourse we find the pupil in a situation where he is expected to go into battle with people he…
Read MoreThe Eternal Wisdom
Continuing Hari Prasad Shastri’s imaginative portrayal of the life and teachings of the sages of ancient India Shri Yajnavalkya was about to retire for the night after his evening meal, and was sitting on a blanket slowly removing his flowing robe, when Katyayani softly entered his apartment with some almonds mixed with cream, for she…
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