Mithya
I’ve written before about how our dominant guna (quality) determines how we see the world. When Tamas (inertia) is dominant, we experience the world as solid and real. This is how most people see the …
Category: Vedic
The 26 Qualities Discussed
Gareth really liked my The 26 Qualities of the Liberated post, so he and Eva had a 2-part discussion about them. Remember that awakening itself is instant: the Self recognizing ItSelf. However, the integration and …
Vasishtha’s Guidance
One of the most illustrious of the Vedic sages is Vasishtha. He was the guru of Rama, an avatar (embodiment) of Vishnu. The Yoga Vasishtha is the story of his teachings within the Ramayana. It …
Where Are We Speaking From?
In the ancient Vedic tradition of India, they described 4 levels of speech: Vaikhari: Spoken or voiced Madhyama: “middle one”, mental speech, the monkey mind Pashyanti: the first impulse, fine feelings, intuition, flow Para: being, …
26 Qualities of the Liberated
Dayanand posted an article on the 26 qualities of spiritual development that Krishna lists. It’s in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, verses 1-3. I also reviewed Maharishi’s translation, the Yoga Sutra, and some related resources. …
Good, Bad, and Evil
Good, bad, and evil are discussed endlessly. And yet good and bad are largely value judgments. Very little is truly evil. I can cite the old English proverb, “one man’s meat is another man’s poison.” …
On Money
Money can be a rather vexing arena. For example, the saying “money is the root of all evil.” Demonizing money is very unhelpful. I would argue that money is not the problem, it’s greed and …
Sri Yantra: The Oregon Desert Mystery
Some readers may enjoy this film about a small group of artists who built a large Sri Yantra in a remote Oregon desert. They never expected it to be noticed. However, it was photographed by …
Vimanas
[I originally wrote this article in the summer of 2020 but it got lost in my annoyance with the translation. Trimmed.] Vimanas are ancient flying machines. I’ve recently read a translation of the Vymaanika Shastra …
Brahman is Inclusive
It’s hard to describe Brahman as words use comparison and qualities to give meaning. Brahman itself is well beyond that. While we might have some idea about it, even based on inner experiences of emptiness …
Stages of Flying
A discussion from the recent Tips article leads to some points worth discussing on Yogic flying. Why would we even practice siddhis (abilities)? We’re unlikely to get any good at many of them, simply because …
Vakyavritti
Recently, I read the Vakyavritti of Adi Shankara. Vakya means spoken saying. Vritti means thoughts or movements of the mind. In other words, his thoughts on the Vaykas. The Vakyas in question are the 4 …