Only Consciousness

The question that scientists ask is how matter becomes conscious. The new idea is that everything has a “degree” of Consciousness. It’s called panpsychism. The conclusion of this way of thinking is that the universe is conscious. And this is considered to be...

Meditation: Ananda, the Peace That Passeth All Understanding

In this inspiring meditation, Rupert Spira (teacher of the “direct path,” a method of spiritual self-inquiry) uses the analogy of a person watching a movie in a cinema to explore the imperturbable nature of awareness. The peaceful presence of awareness, as...

Life & Teachings of Sri Shankaracharya

Sri Shankaracharya was the 8th century Indian philosopher/theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. He also organized the Daśanāmi Saṃpradāya (the order of Swamis) of which the Integral Yoga lineage is a part. Swami Sarvapriyananda (spiritual...

How Responsible Are You for Your Actions?

Those who are realized beings, who have become enlightened, always must act responsibly. But, their only responsibility is to allow things to happen to them because they realize they are instruments of the Divine. As such, they are no longer creating any new karma....

Just Be As You Are

I often quote Avvaiyar, a very great saintly female poet from South India. She was clever with her use of words and never wasted any. Just a few words were enough to give you a great message. Somebody asked her, “How can I arrive at my home?” or in other words, “How...

Be As You Are—The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi

David Godman (his family’s actual surname!) read a book in 1974 about the great sage and jnani, Sri Ramana Maharshi, and two years later traveled to his ashram in India. Since then, he has lived almost continuously in Tiruvannamalai, the town where Sri Ramana spent...