SRV Associations - Teachings

Articles

The Four Yogas

Nectar of Advaitic Instruction

India's Advaita Vedanta — Integrator of Paths, Faiths, and Philosophies — The Importance of Indian Philosophy and Practice to all Religious Traditions

Vedanta & Tantra, Two Great Streams

Classes

Raja Yoga email class

An indepth study of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is currently underway. The primary text for students is Swami Vivekananda's Raja Yoga lectures (available through SRV). In each lesson, Babaji uses, additionally, the authoritative commentaries by Vedavyas, Shankaracharya, and other Indian commentators, as well as his own direct experience. Students are encouraged to submit questions and comments, which are duly answered in the next lesson. To sign up for this class click the link:

This study is also made available to prison inmates and others who do not have access to the internet. Please spread the word about this beneficial and transformative study.

Divine Mother Scripture Study

At the SRV ashram on the Big Island of Hawaii, Babaji teaches from the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam each Sunday he is in residence. Powerful teachings from the Universal Mother, as also from saints and sages of India's sacred past, are encountered in this rare study that naturally combines authentic Tantra (which includes Advaita/nondualism), Vedanta, Samkhya, and Yoga. Babaji creates "storyboards" to graphically illustrate the teachings in the chapters covered each week.

Visitors to the Big Island are welcome and encouraged to attend these classes. Contact the SRV office for a current schedule of Babaji's Hawaii classes:

Vivekachudamani, The Crest Jewel of Discrimination

by Adishankaracharya

The Crest Jewel of Discrimination is a foundational text for the students of Vedanta and is certainly an important work for anyone treading the path of Self-Realization. It contains essential teachings about the qualifications for spiritual life and the crucial knowledge that enables one to discern the Self from the not-Self. Further, it is replete with verses extolling the nature of the Atman/Self and the bliss of Self-Realization.

Babaji currently teaches from this scripture at the SRV centers in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco during his mainland visits 4 times a year. Visitors and new students alike are welcome to attend. Copies of this scripture are available at our centers for purchase. Click here to see Babaji's mainland teaching schedule.

Children's Classes

Holy Mother's School currently offers a young children's class (4 - 7 year olds) and an older children's class (8 and older). Children meet for classes 4 times a year when assistant teacher, Annapurna Sarada, is present. Older children also receive meditation instruction and practice with Babaji during each visit.
Our Purpose: To support the innate spirituality of young children and to expand this awareness with philosophical and practical conceptual tools through story-telling, drama, art, music, ritual, meditation, service, and other activities. The Self-Awareness and philosophical tools the children gain from this over time is invaluable throughout their lives. A sound spiritual-philosophical perspective conducive to inner peace and stability is desperately needed in our young people before they enter adolescence, which is so difficult in our contemporary society.
Principles: Throughout each class, certain principles are consistently expressed:

There is one ultimate Divine Reality who appears in myriad divine forms to suit the temperament and needs of all beings.
All religions are pathways emanating from that one Truth.
The entire universe is pervaded by this one Divine Reality.
The Soul of all beings is one with this Divine Reality and is therefore eternally pure and free.
"I am not the body. I am pure Spirit/Soul." Birth, growth, disease, and death belong only to material objects, but the Soul is distinct from those.

Class Structure: Classes include some or all of the following: sacred ritual, meditation, story, drama, "philosophical-experiential lab," arts and crafts, sanctified food.
class

Philosophical labs: These "labs" are very creative and much enjoyed by the children. They are based upon the many metaphors found in the Vedic scriptures that express the freedom and ever-pure nature of the Soul, the relationship between the individual Soul and the Supreme Soul, how Divine Reality is both formless and with form, that all beings share the same Divine Nature, and many more. Crystals, water, clay, fire — all these are used to explain in a tangible manner these subtle truths.

For more information, please contact Annapurna: