Swami Vivekananda’s Message for India

“This is the land from whence, like the tidal waves, spirituality and philosophy have again and again rushed out and deluged the world, and this is the land from whence once more such tides must proceed in order to bring life and vigour into the decaying races of mankind. It is the same India which has withstood the shocks of centuries, of hundreds of foreign invasions, of hundreds of upheavals of manners and customs. It is the same land which stands firmer than any rock in the world, with its undying vigour, indestructible life. Its life is of the same nature as the soul, without beginning and without end, immortal; and we are the children of such a country.” – Swami Vivekananda. Read more about his work and wisdom.

An Enlightened Mother’s Lullaby (Reconciling with the Age of AI)

The story of Queen MadAlasA (Brahmanda Purana) is a lofty though inspirational example of a parent’s role in the life of a child. Her enlightening lullaby to her children produced four sages. Such conscious parenting may seem like a story best left in books but even a casual observer of some of today’s modern parenting can see that we are due for some changes. The age of technology and impending AI revolution calls for a different perspective on education. Can we figure out solutions in time that will avoid us becoming slaves to technology?

Taittiriya Upanishad: Rishi Bhrigu’s Meditation

The Upanishads “are the production of the highest human wisdom” claimed German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.
The Bhrigu Valli, part of the Taittiriya Upanishad is an important text especially for yoga and meditation practitioners since it describes the transformation from the gross to the subtle and the experiential understanding reached in yoga, of the ultimate knowledge.

The Wisdom of the Sages (Mooji)

“..we know in these times, the lives of Sri Ramana Maharshi or Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj or Papaji, they pointed out the truth in the most direct way, an ancient wisdom that had also sprouted here in India but remained dormant until the great sage Adi Shankara revived interest in the path of Advaita—the non-dual path to Self-realisation. These great masters continue to shine the light and grace of this perfect understanding, and many many beings have thus come into the light for themselves.” Read more of the transcript of an excerpt of Mooji’s talk at satsang in Rishikesh in March 2016.

What is Dharma?

Dharma is perhaps the most important term in the culture and spiritual philosophy of India but also perhaps the most difficult to understand. It is roughly understood as the law that upholds or the law of life. This explanation by Swami Krishnananda (Divine Life Society) illuminates its real meaning.

Pointings from the Kena Upanishad

The famous Danish physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Laureate Niels Bohr said, “I go into the Upanishads to ask questions.” Bohr as well as other physicists like Erwin Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg were avid readers of the Vedic texts and observed that their experiments in quantum physics were consistent with what they had read in the Vedas. The 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer was so impressed by the Upanishads that he called them “the production of the highest human wisdom”.
The Kena Upanishad begins with enquiry into the Self and contains the most profound wisdom and direct pointings towards Brahman, the Absolute.

Meaning of Diwali

The ‘light’ has always been associated in Indian culture with wisdom and joy, with our higher Self – such references can be found in the Upanishads, ancient mantras and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to name a few.
Shruti Bakshi delves into the meaning of Diwali – from the traditions associated with the five days of Diwali, to the deeper spiritual significance – in the very first LWP Digest released at this auspicious time of Diwali.