SkyGuardian

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  1. From my personal recommendations the following Gurus I’ve listed to me are authentic from my own judgment that I concluded by listening to the teachings and found helpful. I’ve listed them below see which resonates with you. BAPS known as Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha they follow Hinduism and their Vedanta philosophy is Akṣara-Puruṣottama Upāsanā. This teaching tradition started from Bhagwan Swāminārāyan and then continues through the ever present Gunatit gurus starting from Param Pujya Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj. Please note this branch has most of its teachings in the Indian language known as Gujarati on the main channel but have included a link to their other YouTube channels that have the basics in English that I have attached right below the link to the main channel. https://www.youtube.com/@BAPS https://www.youtube.com/@bapsbetterliving BK Shivani a teacher from the Brahma Kumaris spiritual movement founded by Lekhraj Khubchand Kirpalaniji and is rooted in Hinduism. https://www.youtube.com/@bkshivani Swami Tadatmanandaji who is a Hindu monk who’s teachings solely focus on the teachings of the Ancient Rishis. He is part of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy and this lineage comes from Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswatiji of Arsha Vidya. https://www.youtube.com/@SwamiT Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji is a Guru from the Jain tradition his teachings while rooted in Jainism take a wholistic perspective implementing teachings from: 1) Charvak 2) Jainism 3) Buddhism 4) Nyay-Vaishesik 5) Sankhya- yog 6) Purva Mimansa- Uttar Mimansã the approach was inspired by a Jain mystic known as Pujya Shrimad Rajchandraji who gave a collection of discourses which were then compiled into a text known as the Atmasiddhi Shastra. https://www.youtube.com/@SRMD Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji is a Hindu who follows Advaita Vedanta under her Guru Pujya Swami Chidanandji Saraswati Maharaj at Parmarth Niketan whose lineage comes from Pujya Swami Shukdevanandji Maharaj. https://www.youtube.com/@Sadhviji Swami Mukundanandaji is a Hindu monk that subscribes to the Bhakti yoga tradition and comes from the lineage founded by his Guru Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj. https://www.youtube.com/@swamimukundananda Venerable Ajahn Sona is a Theravada Buddhist monk whose lineage comes from the the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. He has training in both Sri Lankan and Thai forest Theravada Buddhist traditions. https://www.youtube.com/@AjahnSona Kauai Hindu Monastery is monastery founded by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami and this Hindu tradition comes from Nandinatha Sampradaya of Kailasa Parampara. This monastery also has a special YouTube channel for more General Hinduism attached below the main channel link. https://www.youtube.com/@kauaishindumonastery https://www.youtube.com/@HinduismTodayVideos Gaur Gopal Das that is a member of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) that follows the lineage of Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya has very uplifting material and is a life coach and encompasses faith and motivation. https://www.youtube.com/@GaurGopalDas Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī also known as Amma (Mother) and commonly dubbed the 'the hugging saint' has very uplifting videos. https://www.youtube.com/@MataAmritanandamayi
  2. I would like to add Swami Tadatamananda of Arsha Bodha Center has a great deal of material all of this can be freely accessed in the link below. https://arshabodha.org/teachings/ Here is a interactive video presentation on how to use the syllabus linked above.
  3. This is a fantastic post about the Meditation course from Arsha Bodha Center spefically from Swami Tadatmananda to add to this post Swamiji has even more meditations the first a special meditation playlist: Then also on his website he has several additional meditations (audio only) https://arshabodha.org/teachings/meditations/
  4. Perhaps this video "Enlightenment – Transformative Experience or Journey of Self-Discovery?" by Swami Tadatmananda might shed some light to this topic for whomever this may concern. Confusion about HOW to get enlightened is the result of not knowing WHAT enlightenment truly is. The great master Advaita Vedanta, Shankara, said that enlightenment is gained only through self-knowledge. But is knowledge really enough? Some people believe that enlightenment, liberation, or moksha in Sanskrit, is an unwavering feeling or sense of being limitless consciousness, or a feeling of absolute bliss, or a feeling of oneness, oneness with the universe or oneness with God. But there's no such thing as a permanent feeling. They change constantly. Enlightenment is often called a state, but if it is a state of experience, a state that arises in the mind, it too will soon pass away because all mental states are impermanent.
  5. @Leo Gura What do you think of these teachings?
  6. I recently came across these amazing teachings and wanted to share with the community here: Swami Tadatmananda is a American turned Hindu Swami. Swamiji has immense knowledge and love for the Indian culture and Hinduism. In fact, he has written a book known as “Roar of the Ganges” where it’s a journey of his life as a American computer engineer and how he discovers the rich culture of India and ends up a Hindu sannyasi and teacher of Vedanta. This book is an immersive experience in that you feel like a fellow companion to his story and end up learning Vedanta in the process! For those that would like to start or know about Advaita Vedanta and a in-depth history watch this: Please note that Advaita Vedanta is loosely translated to "Non-duality" and that there are tons of different teachers and schools in this field however, in regards to the material presented in this post has the following backstory: According to a Puranic story, Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Dakshinamurti to teach the first four rishis, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanatkumara. They received the wisdom of the Vedas and passed it down to other rishis, including Rishi Vyasa, the compiler of the four Vedas, the author of the great epic, Mahabharata in which the Bhagavad Gita is found, and the author of all eighteen Maha Puranas. That wisdom was eventually spread throughout India by many great teachers, and one of the greatest was Sri Shankaracharya. Shankara taught that wisdom to his disciples, Sureshvara, Padmapada, Totaka and Hastamalaka who, in turn, passed it on to their disciples. In this way, that sacred non-dual wisdom was passed down from generation to generation until it reached our modern generation of teachers, including Swami Tadatmananda's guru, Swami Dayananda, who was taught and initiated by Swami Chimayananda and later taught by Swami Tarananda. Swami Chinmayananda himself was initiated by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and later taught by Swami Tapovan. I personally also recommend Swami Tadatmananda’s Question and Answers series that answer many misconceptions about Hinduism and a broad range of other questions asked in regards to Hinduism. I’ve linked the playlist below. For anyone that is actually looking to embark on a complete thorough study into your true inner nature as unlimited, unchanging consciousness I recommend Advaita Vedanta offered by Arsha Bodha Center. They have made a curated a syllabus to lead you into discovering this truth that was passed from the Ancient Rishis to the founder of the current lineage Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya) to Swami Tadatmananda (Arsha Bodha). https://arshabodha.org/teachings/ Here is a interactive video presentation on how to use the syllabus linked above. If one really wants to know the Bhagavad Gita in-depth then I highly recommend watching the playlist attached below. This series is a complete course on the Bhagavad Gita and is extremely thorough such that Swamiji goes verse by verse with the explanation of verses and it’s correct meaning based on the context. He also gives real live scenarios to address various problems people face and use the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to help you face such problems all the while learning Vedanta in the process. Lastly, it also addresses some common mistranslation/misinterpretation that some seem to have when proper Sanskrit is not understood. Lastly, here are some videos that were done extremely well and are worth a watch: Finding God Without Faith – A Personal Reflection – Based on Advaita Vedanta Swami Tadatmananda's journey from being "allergic to religion" to a contemplative life of prayer, scriptural study, and meditation. God or Ishvara is a reality that can be clearly known through Vedantic teachings and your own power of reasoning. Truth is ONE. Why so much Divisiveness? Advaita vs. Vishishta Advaita vs. Dvaita For centuries, followers of Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva have argued stridently about the nature of absolute, universal reality - brahman. This divisiveness might possibly be harmful to sincere spiritual seekers. What can be done to resolve these differences? Vedanta is based on the teachings of the ancient rishis, teachings found in the last section of the ancient Vedic scriptures, Upanishads. It’s also based on the Bhagavad Gita and the highly analytical text, Brahma sutras. Shankara strictly interpreted each of those scriptures according to the principle of advaita, non-duality. Ramanuja interpreted each of them according to the principles of vishishta advaita, qualified nondualism. And Madhva interpreted each of them according to the principles of dvaita, duality. Other interpretations of those scriptures include: Amrita - Nectar of Immortality - According to Advaita Vedanta This double meaning allows the word amrita to be used, not to indicate a divine potion, but in a metaphoric sense. In the teachings of Advaita Vedanta, there's a wonderful metaphor that's based on the nectar of flowers and the bees that seek it. In Sanskrit, a common word for bee is bhramara, which literally means one who roams or wanders. Like bees wander from flower to flower seeking nectar, so too, spiritual seekers wander from guru to guru seeking liberation, seeking to free themselves from the cycle of birth and death, seeking immortality.
  7. @Leo Gura I think you will really enjoy this video "Finding God Without Faith – A Personal Reflection – Based on Advaita Vedanta" What is your opinion on this video?