Practice
The Identity of Self and the Supreme
Let us consider the question: ‘What am I?’ In the collection of Shankara’s writings called The Thousand Teachings, we find the answer to this question presented in direct and uncompromising terms. For example: I am the Lord, ever one and the same in all beings, beyond the destructible and indestructible principles, hence the supreme Spirit.…
Read MoreHow Appearance Arises from Reality
One of the gifts this Yoga can give to those who follow it, is the knowledge that all human beings are in essence divine, and this implies that they have always been divine and will never cease to be so. The picture man usually presents of varying degrees of domination or inefficiency is the result…
Read MoreConceptions of Consciousness
What is the conception of consciousness in the West? Awareness—awareness of something, awareness which lies inherent in the mind but which needs the co-operation of the mind and the sense-organs before it can function. Consciousness is thus perception, either mental or sensory, and is a distinctive characteristic of the mind. The idea that Consciousness could…
Read MoreSeeing More: Appearance and Reality
The central teaching of Adhyatma Yoga is that if we calm and purify our mind through a spiritual way of life, we will arrive at a deeper understanding of the nature of ultimate reality. This principle is expressed in a response given by the Indian holy man, Shri Dada of Aligarh, to a questioner who…
Read MoreRight Detachment in Practice
How to develop true detachment or inner independence, what is called in Sanskrit Vairagya? (There is more on what this means in the non-dual theory section.) Like all qualities, we can cultivate this simply by practicing it. So for example if we have a strong aversion to something, we can practice not being deflected by…
Read MoreSelf-Examination on the Path of Light
One step towards this higher self-awareness is the practice of self-examination. Setting aside a few minutes for self-examination, we place our mind before us, so to say, and take a detached look at its condition. We remember our highest purpose: progress towards enlightenment. We then review the day’s actions, reactions and thoughts, in the light…
Read MoreDedicated Action
An important part of the practical teachings of non-duality is about the best way of action. Usually, we do our actions with a strong wish that they should lead to the result we want. The problem is that this attachment to the results of action binds us to the process of cause and effect. And…
Read MorePractising Right Discrimination
How can we practise and cultivate Viveka, the ability to discriminate between reality and illusion? We know that under the influence of feelings like fear and anger we have a distorted view of the world. Cultivating calmness and tolerance helps us to see things more as they really are. Then, the world looks flat, the…
Read MoreSelf-Examination
Like many practices, self-examination is most effective when done regularly. We may choose to do this just before we retire at night. Then, we can briefly review our day, note points where we might have done better in our own eyes, and identify the quality that would help us to do so, which could be,…
Read MoreDeveloping Helpful Qualities
The qualities that most help us in the search for knowledge of Reality include: – a growing discernment between what is transient and what is enduring – a growing sense that what matters most to us is that which is enduring We express and deepen this vision by cultivating further qualities such as: – the…
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