Wisdom of the Masters

A reading of the timeless teaching of Naropa's - "The Summary of Mahamudra". English version by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and Erik Pema Kunsang N?rop? (1016-1100) was an Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. As an Indian Mahasiddha, Naropa's instructions inform Vajrayana, particularly his six yogas of Naropa relevant to the completion stage of anuttarayogatantra. He was also one of the gatekeepers of Vikramashila monastery which is located in Bihar. Mah?mudr? (Sanskrit: ?????????, Tibetan: ????????) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". Music: David Parsons - 'Abode of Shiva'

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Evelyn Underhill (6 December 1875 ? 15 June 1941) was an English Anglo-Catholic poet and novelist as well as a pacifist and mystic. An only child, she described her early mystical insights as "abrupt experiences of the peaceful, undifferentiated plane of reality?like the 'still desert' of the mystic?in which there was no multiplicity nor need of explanation". The meaning of these experiences became a lifelong quest for understanding and integration and inspired in her much writing and contemplation. This reading is a short selection of pointings taken from the text, 'Mysticism'.

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These few selections of Rumi poems are from the newly translated text "Gold" - Rumi. Translated by Haleh Liza Gafori. The book can be purchased here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Rumi/dp/1... Jal?l ad-D?n Muhammad R?m? (30 September 1207 ? 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century Persian poet, faqih, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic originally from Greater Khorasan in Greater Iran. Rumi's influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions. Music: Abeer Nehmeh & Mehdi Aminian - Aramaic & Sufi Dialogue

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Best to listen to this meditation with headphones ? ? ? This is a selection of key pointers from Nisargadatta formatted for guided meditation, taken from the texts, 'I am That' - translated by Maurice Frydman. Nisargadatta Maharaj (17 April 1897 ? 8 September 1981), born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli, was an Indian guru of nondualism, belonging to the Inchagiri Sampradaya, a lineage of teachers from the Navnath Sampradaya and Lingayat Shaivism

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This reading is from chapter 3 and 4 of the teachings found in the text, The Secret of the Golden Flower, and explains in detail the method of 'turning the light around'. Translated by Thomas Clearly. According to Cleary, this text is is a lay manual of Buddhist and Taoist methods for clarifying the mind. A distillation of the inner psychoactive elements in ancient spiritual classics, it describes a natural way to mental freedom practiced in China for many centuries. The golden flower symbolizes the quintessence of the paths of Buddhism and Taoism. Gold stands for light, the light of the mind itself; the flower represents the blossoming, or opening up, of the light of the mind. Thus the expression is emblematic of the basic awakening of the real self and its hidden potential. The text was written by means of the spirit-writing (fuji) technique, through two groups, in 1688 and 1692. After publication of the translation by Richard Wilhelm, with commentary by Carl Gustav Jung, it became modernly popularized among Westerners as a Chinese "religious classic", and is read in psychological circles for analytical and transpersonal psychology considerations of Taoist meditations.

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This is a guided Yoga Nidra meditation to induce deep relaxation and rejuvenation and to assist with deepening conscious Awareness in the pre-sleep and deep sleep states, with gentle rain sounds to help you relax and let go. Yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, like the "going-to-sleep" stage, typically induced by a guided meditation. Yoga Nidra is a powerful meditation technique, and one of the easiest yoga practices to develop and maintain. While the practitioner rests comfortably in savasana (corpse pose) this systematic meditation takes you deep into body/mind relaxation, leaving you with a sense of wholeness, relaxation, clarity and wellness. Yoga Nidra results in conscious awareness of the deep sleep state. It is among the deepest possible states of relaxation while still maintaining full consciousness.

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Selected excerpts from the text "Notes on Spiritual Discources" - taken by Nitya Tripta. For PDF and hard copy versions of the 3 Volume teaching see this website of Greg Goodes: https://greg-goode.com/article/notes-on-spiritual-discourses-of-shri-atmananda/ ?r? Atmananda (8 December 1883 ? 14 May 1959), also referred as Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, was an Indian sage, guru, and philosopher. He has been described by scholars as a "neo-Hindu". His teachings have become a foundation for a spiritual method called the Direct Path.

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This is a reading of a chapter on 'The Art of Letting Go' taken from the text: "Keeping the Breath in Mind by Ajahn Lee. Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Phra Suddhidhammaransi Gambhiramedhacarya (1907?1961), commonly known as Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo, was a meditation teacher in the Thai Forest Tradition of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya order of Theravada Buddhism. He was born in the Ubon Ratchathani Province of Isan and was a student of Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta. Ajahn Lee is regarded as one of the greatest teachers and meditation masters of the Thai Forest Tradition of the 20th century. Among the forest monks, he devised the most comprehensive meditation instructions, and composed the most detailed map of the jh?nas. He was one of the first teachers to bring the teachings of the Forest Tradition to the mainstream of Thai society. He never spoke of his own meditative attainments.

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These extracts from Krishnamurti's talks on meditation have been taken from various sources and are intended for contemplation. Jiddu Krishnamurti (12 May 1895 ? 17 February 1986) was an Indian philosopher, speaker and writer. In his early life he was groomed to be the new World Teacher but later rejected this mantle and withdrew from the Theosophy organization behind it. He stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasised that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.

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A selection of pointers read from the text, 'Selfless Self: Talks with Shri Ramakant Maharaj'.Ramakant Maharaj was a direct disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and spent 19 years with him. From 1962, he visited Nisargadatta Maharaj and listened to his lectures regularly, until his master's Mahasamadhi in 1981. During the last decade or so at his ashram in Nashik, Ramakant Maharaj introduced devotees from around the world to the ultimate Truth. Shri Ramakant Maharaj attained Mahasamadhi 31 August 2018.

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This reading is a synthesis of the teachings found in the text, The Secret of the Golden Flower, translated by Thomas Clearly. According to Cleary, this text is is a lay manual of Buddhist and Taoist methods for clarifying the mind. A distillation of the inner psycho active elements in ancient spiritual classics, it describes a natural way to mental freedom practiced in China for many centuries. The golden flower symbolizes the quintessence of the paths of Buddhism and Taoism. Gold stands for light, the light of the mind itself; the flower represents the blossoming, or opening up, of the light of the mind. Thus the expression is emblematic of the basic awakening of the real self and its hidden potential.

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A selction of verses taken from Vivekchudamani on the Supreme Self. The Vivekachudamani (lit.?'Crest-jewel of discernment') is a philosophical treatise within the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara of the eighth century. These verses were translated into Tamil prose by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi while he was still living in Virupaksha Cave. It is a very free translation, even the order of the paragraphs being changed to some extent.

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Selection of verses from Longchenpa's heartfelt parting advice to his students, exhorting them to vigorously engage the path to liberation while they are still able. It is said these are Longchenpa's final words prior to his death. Translated by Herbert V. Guenther. Longchenpa (1308-1364) stands at the center of the Nyingma tradition. Acknowledged by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism as one of Tibet's greatest masters, he wrote works that cover every aspect of the Buddhist path. His writings, in clear and luminous language, have the power to awaken our innermost knowing and inspire us to act on the knowledge we already have. ? These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: [email protected] with PayPal or using this direct link: ??????????????????https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage??????????????????

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Selected excerpts from the text "Notes on Spiritual Discources" - taken by Nitya Tripta. ?r? Atmananda (8 December 1883 ? 14 May 1959), also referred as Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, was an Indian sage, guru, and philosopher. He has been described by scholars as a "neo-Hindu". His teachings have become a foundation for a spiritual method called the Direct Path.

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Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (born 1943) is a bhik?u?? in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is an author, teacher and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. She is best known for having spent twelve years living in a remote cave in the Himalayas, three of those years in strict meditation retreat. On 16 February 2008, Tenzin Palmo received the title of Jetsunma (reverend lady) in recognition of her spiritual achievements as a nun and her efforts in promoting the status of female practitioners in Tibetan Buddhism by the head of the Drukpa Lineage, the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa. In November 2023, Tenzin Palmo was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.

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A reading for meditation of the Upajjha??hana Sutta  (AN 5:57) ~ Subjects for Contemplation - Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Upajjhatthana Sutta ("Subjects for Contemplation") focuses on the five remembrances, or five facts, regarding life's fragility and our true inheritance. The discourse advises that these facts are to be reflected upon often by all. Contemplation of these facts leads to the abandonment of destructive attachments and actions and to the cultivation of factors necessary for Awakening. The first three remembrances are the very insights that led Gautama Buddha to renounce his royal household status and become an ascetic after experiencing strong feelings of spiritual urgency (sa?vega).

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This is a guided meditation taken from Dr Nida Chenagtsang?s 'Weapon of Light' series - a pithy synthesis of Ati Yoga (Dzogchen) instructions. The teachings focus on how to naturally and easefully access the natural state of mind in both the meditative state and daily life and to liberate the afflictive emotions. For more about Dr Nida and his work and teachings see here: ??https://www.drnida.com/??

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is a guided meditation taken from Dr Nida Chenagtsang?s 'Weapon of Light' series - a pithy synthesis of Ati Yoga (Dzogchen) instructions. The teachings focus on how to naturally and easefully access the natural state of mind in both the meditative state and daily life and to liberate the afflictive emotions. For more about Dr Nida and his work and teachings see here: ?https://www.drnida.com/?

? These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: [email protected] with PayPal or using this direct link: ??????????????https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage??????????????

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is a guided meditation taken from Dr Nida Chenagtsang?s 'Weapon of Light' series - a pithy synthesis of Ati Yoga (Dzogchen) instructions. The teachings focus on how to naturally and easefully access the natural state of mind in both the meditative state and daily life and to liberate the afflictive emotions. For more about Dr Nida and his work and teachings see here: https://www.drnida.com/

? These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: [email protected] with PayPal or using this direct link: ?????????????https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage?????????????

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is a reading of selected pointers for meditation taken from the book "This" by Papaji. Formatted as a guided meditation. Sri H. W. L. Poonja (1910 -1997) was born in Lucknow, India, known as "Poonjaji" or "Papaji", was an Indian sage who taught Self-enquiry as advocated by Ramana Maharshi. Music: David Parsons - "Inward Journey" https://www.discogs.com/artist/308912-David-Parsons

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is a reading of excerpts from the text, 'Virtue and Reality' by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (3 December 1946 ? 13 April 2023) was a Tibetan Buddhist lama in the Gelug school. He was one of the most internationally renowned masters of Tibetan Buddhism, working and teaching ceaselessly on almost every continent. He was the spiritual director and cofounder of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international network of Buddhist projects, including monasteries in six countries and meditation centers in over thirty; health and nutrition clinics, and clinics specializing in the treatment of leprosy and polio; as well as hospices, schools, publishing activities, and prison outreach projects worldwide.

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Anandamayi Ma ( 30 April 1896 ? 27 August 1982) was a Bengali Saint, described by Sivananda Saraswati (of the Divine Life Society) as "the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced." Precognition, faith healing and miracles were attributed to her by her followers. Paramahansa Yogananda translates the Sanskrit epithet Anandamayi - as "Joy-permeated" in English. This name was given to her by her devotees in the 1920s to describe her perpetual state of divine joy.

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is a reading for meditation of "Sermon 2" (a Christmas Sermon) from 'The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart.' Translated by Maurice Walshe Johannes Eckhart was one of the greatest of Christian mystics. He was born at Hochheim in Thüringen, Germany, in 1260 and died c.1327. He entered the Dominican order when he was 15. Later he became a distinguished professor and taught at different universities. His direct and accessible teachings of a person's closeness to God inspired many people and he became well known throughout Europe. He was later summoned to an inquisition for heretical teachings, at which he vigorously defended himself.

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is a selection of key pointers from Nisargadatta formatted for guided meditation, taken from the texts, 'Seeds of Consciousness' and 'Nothing is Everything'. Nisargadatta Maharaj (17 April 1897 ? 8 September 1981), born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli, was an Indian guru of nondualism, belonging to the Inchagiri Sampradaya, a lineage of teachers from the Navnath Sampradaya and Lingayat Shaivism.

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

These excerpts for meditation have been taken from the text "The Sun My Heart" by Thich Nhat Hanh. Thích Nh?t H?nh (1926 - 2022) was a Vietnamese Thi?n/Chan Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, historically recognized as the main inspiration for engaged Buddhism. Known as the "father of mindfulness", Nh?t H?nh was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism.

Music - "Flying" from the album "Flying", composed by Peder B. Helland. Stream/download: https://pederbhelland.lnk.to/flyingYA With thanks to Peder for the kind use of his music for my readings/recordings.

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William Samuel (1924-1996) was born in Alabama to a Jewish father and Christian mother. Samuel taught and wrote from his home at Mountain Brook, Alabama, for over 40 years. He was a spiritual teacher who taught and lectured on the subject of metaphysics based upon the Absolute, or as referred to today, non-duality. Samuel never sought to be well known or venerated himself, and did not embrace the idea of being called a "teacher". However, he has been widely recognized by many as a genuine true Master. Samuel also preferred not to be labeled, categorized or assigned to any religion, particular study, nor tied to any spiritual teaching. William Samuel was the first American student to meet and sit with Ramana Maharshi, and recounts the meeting in a short anecdote: ?Some years ago I was honored to be the first American student of a renowned teacher in India. For fourteen days a group of us sat at the feet of this "Master," during which time he spoke not one word?not so much as a grunt?until the final day when he bade us farewell and assured us we had learned much. And to my surprise, I had. It took months before the seeds of those silent days began to sprout one by one, revealing that there are indeed many things for which the uptight, recondite babble of books and teachers is more hindrance than a help.?

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

A reading for meditation of excerpts taken from the text "All Else is Bondage". Terence James Stannus Gray (14 September 1895 ? 5 January 1986), better known by the pen name Wei Wu Wei, was a 20th-century Taoist philosopher, writer, Egyptologist and theatre producer. Gray was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk, England on 14 September 1895, into a well-established Anglo-Irish family. He was educated at numerous prestigious institutions including Eton and Oxford University. After he left his theatrical career, his thoughts turned towards philosophy and metaphysics. This led to a period of travel throughout Asia, including time spent at Ramana Maharshi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai, India. Between the years 1958 and 1974 a series of eight books appeared attributed to the mysterious 'Wei Wu Wei'. These works draw on a variety of sources, including Taoism, specifically the texts attributed to Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, Buddhism, especially The Heart, Diamond and Lankavatara Sutras, and Chan Buddhism as taught by Hui Neng, Huang Po, Hui Hai, etc., as well as the teachings of Padmasambhava and Sri Ramana Maharshi, among others.

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? May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is a selection of key pointers from Siddharameshwar taken from the website Inner Quest. You can find more of his teachings here: https://www.inner-quest.org/Siddharam... Siddharameshwar Maharaj is one of the greatest unknown saints of the age who attained the highest abode of Eternal peace. He was born in August 1888 in the small village of Pathri, in the district Sholapur of India. From 1925 until 1936, he taught many disciples and helped dozens attain Self-realisation. His teachings were further spread around the globe by his most revered disciples, such as Nisargadatta Maharaj, and others.

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A selection of profound, direct pointers for meditation by Master Hongzhi Zhengjue. Excerpts taken from the text: "Cultivating the Empty Field The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" - translated by Taigen Dan Leighton. Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091?1157) was one of the most accomplished Chan masters of the Song dynasty who authored or compiled several influential texts. Hongzhi's conception of silent illumination is of particular importance to the Chinese Caodong Chan and Japanese S?t? Zen schools. Hongzhi's distinctive teachings are well illustrated in the poetic practice instructions he left behind and are beautiful lyrical celebrations of our Buddha Nature and of all existence. However, they are not merely celebrations, but practice instructions and descriptions of meditative experience. Music by Swami Madhuram Puri. With thanks to Swami for his kind offering of his exquisite music for this channel. For more of his wonderful music, please see here: www.timeforpeace.bandcamp.com

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Vimala Thakar (1921- 2009) was born in Bilaspur District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. She was a great spiritually enlightened revolutionary and activist; mystic, and a notable Indian figure of the 20th Century who boldly forged a radically independent approach to spirituality and the search for truth. In 1958, Thakar attended talks given by, and met with, the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. This meeting was to change her life. Freed from all religious tradition, she brought the timeless wisdom of the East to the modern egalitarian West without the baggage of religious terminology, endeavoring to awaken people through deep inquiry. Fiercely independent, beholden only to her own burning passion for liberation, she crisscrossed the world for many years, travelling to 35 countries through the sixties, seventies and eighties, exhorting all who would listen to wake up to what she would term the ?totality of Life.?

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The Heart S?tra is a key sutra in Mah?y?na Buddhism. Its Sanskrit title, Prajñ?p?ramit?h?daya, can be translated as "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom". The sutra famously states, "Form is empty" (??nyat?). It is a condensed exposé on the Buddhist Mahayana teaching of the Two Truths doctrine, which says that ultimately all phenomena are sunyata, empty of an unchanging essence. This emptiness is a 'characteristic' of all phenomena, and not a transcendent reality, but also "empty" of an essence of its own. Specifically, it is a response to Sarvastivada teachings that "phenomena" or its constituents are real. Music by Maok - Inner Reflections and Infinite Forgiveness

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This chapter on "The Method of Developing Bhavana" was taken from the text "Atulo" from the notes and memory of Phra Choa Khun Bodhinandamuni (Somsak Pajhdito), Wat Burapharam, Surin. Translated from the original Thai book "Atulo" by Bhikkhu Khemasanto (Douglas Johnson). ** A note on the word ????? The word "Heart" is not a totally satisfactory rendering of the Pali word "Citta" but it does accord with much of the same meanings and senses as used in English. For those who prefer, the word "Mind" may also be used as a translation for the word "Citta". ** A note on the word ??????? The Pali dictionary suggests that ?bh?van?? refers to 'mental development' (lit. 'calling into existence, producing') in what in English is generally referred to 'meditation'. The Theravada School of Buddhism distinguishes two types of bh?van?: (1) development of tranquillity (samatha-bh?van?), i.e. concentration (sam?dhi), and (2) development of insight (vipassan?-bh?van?), i.e. wisdom (paññ?). Ajahn Dune Atulo (1888-1983) ordained at the age of 22 and after becoming disillusioned with his life as an uneducated town monk, he left to study in Ubon Ratchathani, where he befriended Ajahn Singh Khantiyagamo and reordained in the Dhammayut sect where he became a disciple of Ajahn Mun. After wandering for 19 years through the forests and mountains of Thailand and Cambodia, Ajahn Dune received an order from his ecclesiastical superiors to head a combined study and practice monastery in Surin. It was thus that he took over the abbotship of Wat Burapha, in the middle of the town, in 1934. There he remained until his death in 1983.

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These profound practice teachings on meditation and realising the Self, as taught by Sri Ramana, were taken from various sources/texts. Ramana Maharshi ( 1879 -1950) was an Indian sage and jivanmukta (liberated being). He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is mostly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. He was born in Tiruchuli, Tamil Nadu, India. In 1895, an attraction to the sacred hill Arunachala and the 63 Nayanmars was aroused in him and in 1896, at the age of 16, he had a "death-experience" where he became aware of a "current" or "force" which he recognized as his true "I" or "Self".

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These excerpts for meditation have been taken from the text "The Sun My Heart" by Thich Nhat Hanh. Thích Nh?t H?nh (1926 - 2022) was a Vietnamese Thi?n/Chan Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, historically recognized as the main inspiration for engaged Buddhism. Known as the "father of mindfulness", Nh?t H?nh was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism Music: The Great Bell Chant - Thich Nhat Hanh & Thay Phap Niem

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Shyama Charan Lahiri (30 September 1828 ? 26 September 1895), best known as Lahiri Mahasaya, was an Indian yogi and guru who founded the Kriya Yoga school. He was a disciple of Mahavatar Babaji. According to the book America's Alternative Religions by Timothy Miller, Lahiri Mahasaya's life was described in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi as a demonstration of the spiritual attainment that could be achieved by a householder "living fully in the world."

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Mazu Daoyi (709?88) is one of the most eminent of the ancient Chinese Zen masters. Two of the traditionally acknowledged major schools of Zen trace their lineage through this renowned Zen ancient. He was an influential abbot of Chan Buddhism during the Tang dynasty. The earliest recorded use of the term "Chan school" is from his Extensive Records. Master Ma's teaching style of "strange words and extraordinary actions" became paradigmatic Zen lore. In the Transmission of the Lamp, compiled in 1004, Mazu is described as follows: "His appearance was remarkable. He strode along like a bull and glared about him like a tiger. If he stretched out his tongue, it reached up over his nose; on the soles of his feet were imprinted two circular marks."

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A selection of key points for prayer and meditation from St Teresa of Avila's teachings. Excerpts taken from numerous sources, including: "The Way of Perfection", "Collected Works" and "Interior Castle." St Teresa of Ávila (March 28, 1515 ? October 4, 1582) was a prominent Carmelite nun and Spanish mystic. St Teresa had many mystical experiences she tried to reflect in poems. She took an active role in the Carmelite order and was later canonised a saint by the Roman Catholic church.

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A reading for meditation on some key pointers of the Thoughtfree State by Annamalai Swami's ~taken from various texts. Annamalai Swami (1906?1995) was a direct disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi who realized the Self after practicing Self-enquiry for decades. This experience gave him first-hand knowledge of how to perform Self-enquiry successfully, making his advice especially valuable to seekers. His teachings are delivered in plain, direct language.

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These excerpts for meditation have been taken from the text, "Self-Liberation through seeing with Naked Awareness" by Padmasambhava. Translated by John Reynolds. A text belonging to the same cycle as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, this instruction on the method of self-liberation presents the essence of Dzogchen, The Great Perfection, regarded in Tibet as the highest and most esoteric teaching of the Buddha. Teaching the attainment of Buddhahood in a single lifetime, this text was written and concealed by Guru Padmasambhava in the eighth century and rediscovered six centuries later by Karma Lingpa.

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A clear and powerful teaching given by Upasika Kee Nanayon - taken from the book "An Unentangled Knowing" - translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Upasika Kee Nanayon or Kor Khao-suan-luang was a realized female practitioner from Thailand. She was mostly self-taught, reading the Pali canon and other Buddhist literature. She considered the Buddha's Dhamma as her primary teacher. Her dhamma talks and poetry were widely circulated. As word of her spread, she became one of the most popular meditation teachers in Thailand. This, and many of her talks, have been translated into English by Thanissaro Bhikkhu who sees her as "arguably the foremost woman Dhamma teacher in twentieth-century Thailand."

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Ry?kan Taigu ???? (1758?1831) was a quiet and unconventional S?t? Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ry?kan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life. He renounced the world at an early age to train at nearby S?t? Zen temple K?sh?-ji, refusing to meet with or accept charity from his family. These selected excerpts and poems by Ryokan have been taken from the text "Great Fool" translated by Ryuichi Abé & Peter Haskel. Music track: "Voices of the Land" by Swami Madhuram Puri

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Bede Griffiths (17 December 1906 ? 13 May 1993), born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known by the end of his life as Swami Dayananda ("bliss of compassion"), was a British-born Catholic priest and Benedictine monk who lived in ashrams in South India and became a noted yogi. Griffiths was a part of the Christian Ashram Movement. In 1968, Fr. Bede Griffiths immersed himself in the study of Indian thought, attempting to relate it to Christian theology. He went on pilgrimage and studied Hinduism. Under Fr. Bede?s guidance Shantivanam Ashram in South India became a center of contemplative life, of inculturation, and of inter religious dialogue. He contributed greatly to the development of Indian Christian Theology. In 1973 he published Vedanta and the Christian Faith. These reflections from Bede's writings have been taken from numerous sources.

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The Anattalakkha?a Sutta (Pali) or An?tmalak?a?a S?tra (Sanskrit), is traditionally recorded as the second discourse delivered by Gautama Buddha. The title translates to the "Not-Self Characteristic Discourse", but is also known as the Pañcavaggiya Sutta (Pali) or Pañcavarg?ya S?tra (Skt.), meaning the "Group of Five" Discourse. In this discourse, the Buddha analyzes the constituents of a person's body and mind (khandha) and demonstrates that they are each impermanent (anicca), subject to suffering (dukkha) and thus unfit for identification with a "self" (attan). Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

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A reading of selected excerpts from the Record of Linji. The Linji lu (Record of Linji) has been an essential text of Chinese and Japanese Zen Buddhism for nearly a thousand years. A compilation of sermons, statements, and acts attributed to the great Chinese Zen master Linji Yixuan (d. 866), it serves as both an authoritative statement of Zen?s basic standpoint and a central source of material for Zen koan practice. Zen practitioners cherish it for its unusual simplicity, directness, and ability to inspire. Linji Yixuan ( died 866 CE) was the founder of the Linji school of Chán Buddhism during Tang dynasty China.

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This is a guided meditation on the power of listening as an effective means of entering into a meditative state. It encourages a gentle letting go of our reactivity to the sense world, and to the thoughts, concepts and the labels we attach to conditioned phenomena; and to finally recognise and rest into the continuity of Awareness as the background silence. It was spoken spontaneously by Jayasara.

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Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882 ?1927) was an Indian professor of musicology, singer, exponent of the saraswati vina, poet, philosopher, and pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. He initially came to the West as a representative of several traditions of classical Indian music, and established an order of Sufism (the Sufi Order) in London in 1914. By the time of his death in 1927, centers had been established throughout Europe and North America, and multiple volumes of his teachings had been published. Inayat Khan's teaching emphasized the oneness of God (tawhid) and the underlying harmony of the revelations communicated by the prophets of all the world's great religions. His discourses treated such varied subjects as religion, art, music, ethics, philosophy, psychology, and health and healing.

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This is a selection of some key teachings of Abhinavagupta extracted from various sources and texts. Abhinavagupta (c. 950 ? 1016 CE?) was a philosopher, mystic and aesthetician from Kashmir. He was also considered an influential musician, poet, dramatist, exegete, theologian, and logician ? a polymathic personality who exercised strong influences on Indian culture. Abhinavagupta was born in a Brahmin family of scholars and mystics and studied all the schools of philosophy and art of his time under the guidance of as many as fifteen (or more) teachers and gurus.? In his long life he completed over 35 works, the largest and most famous of which is Tantr?loka, an encyclopedic treatise on all the philosophical and practical aspects of Kaula and Trika (known today as Kashmir Shaivism).

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Sri Sarada Devi (22 December 1853 ? 21 July 1920), was a nineteenth-century Hindu mystic and saint. She was the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Sarada Devi is also reverentially addressed as the Holy Mother (Sri Sri Maa) by the followers of the Sri Ramakrishna monastic order. The Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission situated at Dakshineshwar is based on the ideals and life of Sarada Devi. She played an important and central role in the growth of the Ramakrishna Movement. Sri Ramakrishna looked upon Sarada Devi as a special manifestation of Divine Mother of the universe and their marital relationship was purely spiritual. Those who associated with her were overwhelmed by her unconditional love and selfless service. All were her children irrespective of nationality, religious affiliation, or social position. No one was ever turned away. She accepted all.

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This is a reading of Chapter 1 of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras - Samadhi - translated by Alistair Shearer. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga. The Yoga Sutras was compiled in the early centuries CE, by the sage Patanjali in India who synthesized and organized knowledge about yoga from much older traditions. The Yoga Sutras is best known for its reference to ashtanga, eight elements of practice culminating in samadhi, and also incorporate action yoga (Kriya yoga). The Yoga Sutras are a composite of various traditions. The Yoga Sutras built on Samkhya notions of purusha and prakriti, and is often seen as complementary to it. It is also closely related to Buddhism, incorporating some of its terminology such as the levels of sam?dhi which resemble the Buddhist jhanas.

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These profound teachings from Longchenpa have been formatted for guided meditation purposes. Excerpts taken from the text "A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission." Translated by Richard Barron. Longchen Rabjam (1308-1363), is a great luminary of Tibetan Buddhism. He was highly skilled in all aspects of scholarship from an early age and excelled throughout his life in the practice and accomplishment of the Dharma. Regarded as a great Dzogchen master, Longchenpa had many pure visions where he was given direct instructions from Guru Padmasambhava and is recognised as an emanation of Vimalamitra. Longchenpa's prolific writings have made him one of Tibet's most renowned and precious teacher.

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