Jnana Yoga | Vedasage

Jnana Yoga - The Path of Advaita Knowledge & Subjective Meditation

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Welcome to the Path of Jnana Yoga

The Goal of Advaita Vedanta

In Advaita Vedanta, the goal is to realise your true self or directly reveal the experiential knowledge that you are Brahman and have always been this sole reality. It is this direct knowledge that produces liberation, which is the result of being completely detached and free from the dream of samsara—the final goal behind all spiritual teachings. So long as one identifies as someone inside the dream where separation is perceived, their experience is false and ultimately unreal. This perception of duality is equivalent to bondage, therefore, one must utilize effort to disentangle from the dream in order to realize not only the truth of the dream but the truth of their own self.

The Methodology Behind Jnana Yoga

Following the path of jnana yoga is one such way to reveal the truth of the dream and the nature of oneself. This path alone can lead to the ultimate realization of one’s true self because it aims for one to be so deeply contemplative on the truths expounded by the Upanishads, that the self begins to be intuited directly. On this path, the knowledge about reality in its truth is first introduced to the seeker. If these conceptual truths of Advaita is correctly understood, then one begins to view their experiences differently, seeing them in a new light. If this new understanding is continuously applied to one’s daily experience, the understanding itself deepens, as this truth transitions from a conceptual understanding to an intuitive understanding, leaving behind rationality and logic. This means one must thoroughly understand the implications the vedantic truth has on one’s identity. They must deeply and continuously reflect or contemplate on this matter in every moment until it becomes concentration, which then turns into meditation—an unbroken stream.

This path consists of subjective meditation, where attention is turned inward and negates every aspect of an illusion, until the unbroken truth remains. Thus, the main methodology of jnana yoga includes contemplation on the vedantic teachings and subjective meditation. On this path, one will properly understand the truth of reality as it stands right now, and how to apply this knowledge to our experience so knowledge can be deepened until it becomes unbroken. We will also explain why subjective meditation is a required practice that aligns with this very truth. The result of this practice leads attention away from a projected illusion, and back to its real unchanging nature.

Contemplation of the vedantic truths and subjective meditation can lead to self-realization because it allows one to inwardly discriminate between what is real and what is not. It is only when one affirms the existence of unreal (objects), that duality is perpetuated. Consciousness in this case, is seemingly entangled in mithya (i.e. illusory knowledge), which sustains the perception of duality. As such, one succumbs to desires and thoughts, which gives rise to suffering, as attention constantly drifts in different directions. Through contemplating on the vedantic truths, one can begin to see the unreality behind such objects, or what they originally perceived as real, until it becomes more clear on what the truth of objects really is. This contemplation, if continuously applied, can eventually allow one to turn away from all objects, and expose the self, even while actions continue.

You only consider yourself to be the agent or jiva because you are attached to the unreal and perceive all of the changing phenomena such as the senses and thoughts which deceives one into believing that they are the entity experiencing them. This perception enables the experience to feel as if it is completely real. However, if there is no longer identification with any conceivable aspect of the illusion, you lose identification with the agent. All phenomena that was once perceived by the agent, which enabled the experience to be considered real, is now lost and known to be truly non-existent (literally).

You can only perceive yourself to be inside the dream if you identify as the false character, perceiving all of the different aspects of mithya, allowing oneself to perceive things that appear to be separate from oneself. This notion is what sustains the false identity of the dream character. However, by completely negating all of the diversity of perceptions enabled by mithya, or that which appears to be constantly changing, one becomes meditative and eventually loses their false identity. What remains is the pure actionless self. In this process, your identity begins to transition into this singular self, which is the substratum upon which everything, including the body, is conceived. During this process, the truth of what you and the dream actually are, is realized.

With the illusion completely negated, realization dawns in its full glory, without a trace of attachment to anything that is considered unreal, impermanent, imperfect, or subject to change. One now remains detached from the dream by being the very truth of it. How can we say there are even changes at this point when one is not entangled in the appearance of them? How can we say that there are many different objects when one alone exists? What was perceived as many distinct parts in which one was originally identified with, is now seen as an appearance in a unified whole. With awareness completely separated from mithya through inward discrimination, there is nothing left to identify with but Brahman. Self-knowledge has now completely taken over.

Where should you begin on this path?

There are many levels encompassing this path that an individual can engage in practice. However, the level you should first engage in depends on the purity of your mind, or in the case of jnana yoga, how identified you are with the false identity. If one is strongly identified with most aspects of mithya, where the mind is extremely externalized, or finds it difficult to be contemplative, they should start at the very beginning of this path. There are many ways in which a beginner can start to grasp the illusory nature of changing phenomena. However, if one is contemplative, and less identified with the illusion of changes, and prefers to seek something greater, this demonstrates weaker identification from mithya, and suggests purification of the mind. Such individuals should elevate towards higher themes, such as being concentrative in their actions.

What can you expect on this path?

At first, seekers are recommended to help loosen identification from the false self through self-improvement. This is a natural occurrence when understanding the truth of reality through the sravana phase. If one clearly understands that only one alone exists, and what is seen as many is just a reflection of this one singular self, then how will you act or react in this world? You naturally develop sattvic qualities, utilized at first through self-effort. Sattvic qualities are of goodness, positivity and peace. With the development of sattvic qualities, it helps keeps the mind still instead of being so deeply identified to its changing functions that perpetuates selfishness as one continues to indulge in desires that gratify themselves. On the path of jnana yoga, we will discuss ways in which we can purify the mind by viewing things in a different light—a view that is aligned to the truth of vedanta. This mental purity starts to break down the barriers of separation between oneself and others. You will begin to perform actions that are naturally selfless and pure, instead of acting out of selfish motives, as these type of actions only reinforces the false identity that commits actions to gratify itself since it interprets itself and all events to be real. Improving one’s qualities leads to acts of kindness, compassion and empathy which fosters connection with all beings. The more compassion one has, the more connected they are with this world and the more they see things as unified instead of separate. This compassion naturally makes the mind more still and purified, allowing one to embrace life with more acceptance, and surrendering more to its unfoldment whether good or bad proceeds from it.

As the seeker continues to embark down this path, actions become more dedicated to their inner self, as mental clarity fosters a connection with all, and starts to seek something greater, beyond the acts of righteousness and virtue. One begins to engage in contemplative actions to initially draw towards this inner self, into the realm of continuity. On the path of jnana yoga, we will go through preliminary practices as part of the manana phase, to transition attention towards stillness, such as deeply reflecting on the teachings of vedanta, and wholeheartedly absorbing conceptual knowledge that serves as pointers to awareness. This will all serve as deep inner analysis practices to ultimately help turn attention away from an illusion that appears to be constantly changing and has you hypnotized due to its alluring presence. These practices are meant to take attention beyond the body that performs good actions. We will also explain the four-fold qualifications as expounded by the main proponent of Advaita, Sri Adi Shankara, which can help keep the mind controlled and unperturbed when practiced. This will enhance concentration if practiced repeatedly. The more concentration cultivates through these methods, the more the seeker turns away from disturbances and the constant fluctuations of mithya. Agency also begins to diminish as concentration allows one to slowly forget about the agent who is performing the practice.

Deepening concentration allows one to be more meditative in their actions, which will be taught through subjective meditation, i.e. nididhyasana. This is deep meditative inquiry, which persists when attention begins to turn inward and away from the illusion, allowing it to negate all aspects of the mind until the self is finally exposed in samadhi.

The culmination of this path results in the seeker negating all aspects of mithya, and exposing satya (the truth). Agency is now completely given up, as one loses themselves in the current of samadhi that draws their attention towards the self (unbroken attention). One now identifies as the actionless self, experiencing only unity and non-separation.

As you can see, this path involves fructifying four main themes that leads to realization of one’s true self:

Mind Purification
Concentration
Meditation
Samadhi

In jnana yoga, these four themes revolve around the teachings of Vedanta or non-dual wisdom and subjective meditation. Through this methodology, one completely negates the illusion and reidentifies with their pure self, completely detached from mithya.

If one is no longer entangled in the illusions of mithya, then what else is there to hold on to? There is no longer the entrapment in the ongoing cycles that perpetuate samsara. Therefore, one loses the capacity to feel or act as if they are the entity who experiences being inside the world. Therefore, the individual ceases to exist as something real, and what remains is that which possesses no change, which is none other than the self or Brahman. The path of jnana yoga therefore leads one to remove identification from the dream and ultimately re-identify with Brahman. So long as there is identification with mithya, one will continue to perceive themselves as separate from others and therefore sustain the dream of samsara.

Completing the Sravana phase on this path

The sravana phase is typically only associated with jnana yoga. During this phase, we will explain the conceptual knowledge of Advaita so that you understand the truth of reality in its most accurate manner, as it is truly known through direct experience. After a brief but profound understanding of what reality truly is, you will be led to explore a multitude of concepts that will help expand the sravana phase. This involves embracing knowledge about relative truths that you may not already be aware of, either conceptually or experientially. You will learn many different concepts and subjects that will help expand your understanding of the nature of reality. This knowledge will ultimately support you when you begin practices. The conceptual knowledge offered during the sravana phase will get deeper as we provide advanced pointers to help you reflect on this knowledge during the manana phase. The most important part of this program however, is to apply this knowledge to your daily experience. In other words, your journey down this path will be accompanied by profound intellectual knowledge about reality and its truth. This knowledge will serve as the backbone of your practice, guiding you in the right direction and elevating your consciousness so that you can progress to more advanced themes such as subjective meditation, ultimately realizing the self.

So are you ready to transform and elevate your consciousness to new heights? There's no turning back now. Let's get to it!

SRAVANA - THE TRUTH OF REALITY:

Right now, it seems that your awareness originates from within the body. Attention, inseparable from awareness, appears to project outward, focusing on objects perceived as separate from yourself due to your identification with the body. You identify as the body because you experience all five senses—hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and seeing. This sensory experience leads you to perceive it as real, viewing yourself as the body that perceives everything from its own perspective. Consequently, you perceive separation because the senses allow you to feel, smell, see, hear, etc., only what is in close proximity. This perception leads you to believe in constructs such as time, space, and the distance between objects.

The experience described above is known as samsara, also referred to as bondage because it entails believing and identifying with something that isn’t really there. But how can we assert that nothing is truly there? After all, your current experience suggests otherwise.

If attention, inseparable from awareness itself, is redirected away from the senses and all phenomena embedded in the dream of samsara—such as objects, time, and space—then what occurs is the observation that what was perceived as separate becomes unified and inseparable from your awareness. This means that what is seen or observed merges with your awareness. The dualistic distinction between subject and object collapses into unity (non-duality). It becomes apparent that awareness is fundamentally all there is, and what appeared to be tangible things were only perceived as such due to the functions of the mind, such as the senses, which interpreted them as separate entities.

To grasp this conceptually, consider yourself as an object positioned in space. This object, with which you identify, appears physical and possesses attributes like shape, size, color, and texture. Now, shift your perspective to identifying with space itself. How would you then perceive the object and its qualities from this new standpoint? From the perspective of being space itself, it becomes challenging to assert that the object retains these distinct qualities. Moreover, how can we argue that the object is separate from you when it is space that forms the very essence of the object, and you are now identifying with that space as the real essence of yourself? In this shift, you are no longer the object with defined attributes; instead, you are the underlying substratum upon which the object is conceived and exists.

When attention is withdrawn, it does not imply identifying with space itself, as even space is a false construct that facilitates the perception of duality. Instead, attention is withdrawn from everything conceivable, leaving only awareness. This awareness is void of space, time, causation, tangibility, substance, attributes, qualities, and all other concepts that imply duality.

In essence, when we speak of awareness, we refer to being aware of awareness only, without focusing attention on illusions or distinct objects which awareness appears to be. Everything ceases to be perceived as "everything" in its entirety but rather as an "appearance of everything". This shift occurs because distinct objects and constructs are only considered true when awareness is entangled in its own illusion, perceiving the tangibility of objects through the mind's functions.

The complete withdrawal of attention leads to the cessation of all constructs and distinctions as concrete entities. Instead, there remains only the appearance of diverse images held within the unified field of awareness. This can be likened to a television screen displaying a variety of images, inseparable from them because the screen forms those very images.

It is here one realizes the truth of duality was actually formless awareness—nonduality.

However, because attention was focused on something false (an illusion), awareness sustained its own false projection and continued to be immersed in something it perceived as tangibly real—things with meaning—when in truth, it was merely an empty imagination. Only when attention is immersed in this imagination does it perceive all the intelligence embedded within it, such as perception through the senses, and concepts like time and space. However, this doesn’t imply the actual existence of time, space, or the senses. In reality, even now, these things are non-existent, similar to water in a mirage. Because you believe there is water, you desire it and perpetuate its supposed existence. This means your attention currently appears to project an illusion, and because it's immersed in it, it continues to perceive all associated knowledge.

Given that the truth of reality is formless awareness, even when discussing reality from a dualistic perspective, there are never actual objects possessing tangibility and substance. Essentially, awareness is simply aware of knowledge. What constitutes knowledge in this context? Here, awareness is aware of objective knowledge, or knowledge pertaining to something other than itself. This knowledge, in essence, is just information—it's immaterial, similar to data. When you interpret there to be an actual object, it's merely knowledge of an object, or data that describes the concept of an object with which you’ve now interpreted to be a real thing. Do you see the crucial difference here? An actual object signifies a real entity, whereas knowledge of an object denotes knowing something (data) that appears to be different than itself. This knowing is inherent in awareness, as awareness inherently knows or is aware (both synonymous terms). It either knows itself void of objective knowledge (self-realization) or knows itself as something else, which is samsara.

This implies that objects are not actual things but merely knowledge of something that you mistakenly perceive as actual things. However, knowledge of something does not imply that this something is substantial or possesses tangibility, because awareness is inherently formless. At no point do things actually exist as independent entities. They are only perceived as such due to ignorance, which is the experience awareness undergoes when it becomes immersed in its own empty imagination, entangled in the functions driven by the innate intelligence of the imagination.

From what I have presented so far, it appears that attention, which is always non-dual, seems to be focused on things that only appear to be dual. Therefore, we should refer to samsara as broken attention. Why is attention considered broken? Because instead of being fixed on its infinite, non-dual self, which is void of objective knowledge such as time, space, and objects, attention appears to wander from one point to another, affirming the existence of other things that are not truly present. This wandering of attention from one point to another can clearly be observed in your own experience within samsara. It is evident through the movement of thoughts and your continuous shift of attention from one object to the next, attributing meaning to various things, all of which perpetuate desires and your underlying drive to fulfill them as an individual entity. When attention consistently operates in this manner, it perpetuates the illusion.

To break away from the illusion is to redirect attention to its unbroken source which can be done via different methodologies. This entails transforming broken attention into unbroken attention. This process is known as spiritual growth, spanning many lifetimes, each essentially a series of recurring dreams in different forms. What appears as an infinite journey culminates in returning to unbroken attention, where everything converges into formless awareness. This does not mean that things transform into something else or revert to non-duality; it simply indicates that the truth of duality was non-duality all along, and what actually changes is perception. However, upon fixing this perception, it is realized that nothing truly changed, not even perception itself, since everything was always formless awareness. Hence, reality is always considered non-dual, even when ignorance appears to be present—a stubborn paradox.

Right now, all you have is your awareness, because awareness is all there is. While you perceive there to be things outside of your awareness, those things cannot exist as separate entities if you were not aware of them through awareness itself. This is similar to seeing objects with the eyes—the act of seeing only occurs within the eyes. How could the experience of seeing be separate or external to the eyes? Similarly, what you are aware of is only known through awareness itself. It is awareness that conceives, and this very conception takes place in awareness.

Moreover, what you perceive as time and space does not actually exist in any moment. There are only thoughts of time and space occurring within awareness. The fundamental thought of there being time and space leads you to believe in those concepts, but they exist only within the completely still and unbroken presence of awareness. They can never be separate from your awareness. When thoughts are entertained, they give rise to various sensations and a multitude of perceptions that reinforce the belief in time and space. However, if attention begins to turn away from these underlying notions, you will begin to realize that there was never any actual movement that inferred the existence of time and space. There was only the appearance of movement, much like a screen that displays the appearance of movement while remaining unchanged throughout, since the screen itself never moves!

As you can see, the conclusion is that what appears to be duality is, in truth, non-duality. Even now, there is only non-duality. The problem is that you don’t see it that way, and because of this misunderstanding, we need to work on removing ignorance or the false perception that you currently hold. By putting in spiritual efforts to resolve this deluded perception, you can gradually unveil the truth of what reality truly is. With this realization, you will know, as an unbroken experiential truth, that you were never the body, never the mind, nor anything that appeared to be different from formless awareness always contained in its own singularity.

So what do you think so far?

Is this hard to believe? You may not truly understand it just yet, as it is still only a conceptual understanding. The goal of this path is to deepen understanding to the extent that it transforms you and eventually enables direct experience. In other words, this conceptual understanding will evolve from being logical and rational to becoming completely direct and intuitive, sparking flashes of insight and transforming into experiential knowledge. While you now grasp the brutal and direct truth of reality, this understanding must be enhanced until it transcends any conceptual grasp. Stopping here would mean you're still viewing truth from the perspective of an individual. This means practice is essential! After all, you have not yet realized it fully, otherwise you wouldn’t be on this platform seeking to deepen your understanding of this knowledge.

As you click through each hyperlink, take the time to read each page carefully and absorb these truths deeply. This is not about superficial reading or skimming through words. It's about contemplating what is being conveyed and acknowledging its implications on your life and the world around you. Do not approach this for intellectual advancement or to boast to others. Learn sincerely and embrace this truth in your life. This is why practice is the most crucial aspect of the spiritual journey; without it, one remains trapped in the conditioned and deluded identity of a dream character.

These concepts will be ordered in a precise sequence and will guide you to deeper subject matter necessary to understand before embarking on the path. Click on each hyperlink and read them in ascending order. As you start each theme of the path, additional hyperlinks will appear along the way. Make sure to read through them all as you progress forward, and most importantly, absorb these truths and apply them to your life immediately. This practice will deepen your understanding and facilitate transformation.

Note: Not everyone will be able to bear the fruit of these teachings immediately. These themes constitute the entire journey for any individual, spanning countless lives in pursuit of perfecting each one. So, even though you may go through each theme on this platform, you will not immediately realize the full fruits of a specific theme, unless you are qualified. This is why it’s crucial to continue acknowledging and embracing each theme as a constant spiritual practice every day. By doing so, you pave the way for realization, whether in this life or in future ones. This requires humility and sincere devotion to the truth, to the extent that even if realization does not come in this life, you continue to practice diligently with the utmost faith. If you cannot accept this possibility, then you may not be a dedicated seeker and should reconsider whether this path is truly what you want to pursue.

The Sravana Phase Extended

Important: Read through each hyperlink

Congratulations, you’ve finished all the introductory conceptual knowledge that you truly need to know in order to fully embrace your path the right way. This completes your sravana phase, which is to understand the truth of reality, and to also understand what reality is not.

As also mentioned in the Choose your Path section, the overarching purpose of spiritual growth is to transform broken attention into unbroken attention. When attention is unbroken, it remains fixed on the self, which is inherently still and unchanging. On the other hand, broken attention is scattered elsewhere, focusing on aspects of identity that are not true to the self. So how do we redirect attention towards undivided focus? The key lies in purifying the mind, which currently disperses attention across many distractions, thereby perpetuating maya (illusion). As attention becomes increasingly still, untouched by false knowledge, it naturally concentrates. This concentrated attention leads to meditation, where eventually the meditator transcends the self and merges into samadhi, ultimately realizing the truth.

You can see how all paths incorporate these four themes: mind purification, concentration, meditation, and samadhi. These themes constitute the journey to realization and are implemented through various methodologies as explained by different paths.

Now that you grasp reality conceptually and understand the importance of completing these four themes for realization, you are prepared to embark on the journey along the path you have chosen.

The Beginning of Jnana Yoga:

The path of Jnana Yoga is unique among others. The reason for this is that seekers who follow this path are first introduced to a truth realized by sages, whose purified minds allow them to experience their true selves. This experience of being one's true self is itself Jnana, or knowledge—the innate understanding of the truth that comes from the direct experience of knowing who you truly are. The experience itself is the knowing. Therefore, we can say that both the knowledge of the true self and the experience of the true self are the same; they occur simultaneously while resting in your pure being. In other words, the knowing is the experience, and the experience is the knowing.

This knowledge is transmitted through language and expressed as intellectual knowledge for those who do not abide in the pure being of knowingness, where all is fundamentally known as one singular awareness. The awareness itself is Jnana. However, for those who experience separation—feeling themselves as distinct from something else—their experience is the opposite of Jnana. It is samsara, as they are attached to the identity of an individual that perceives things outside of itself. This is the actual experience of samsara, where subject-object duality is present, due to an intelligence that enables us to perceive reality that way.

For seekers on the path of Jnana Yoga, it is ideal to hear this truth from a realized being. A being who possesses Jnana and rests as their true self is no longer an individual; they naturally transmit the highest knowledge to those who do not yet possess Jnana but are instead caught in the alluring hypnotization of samsara, experiencing life as a limited individual. The more a realized Sage teaches about this non-dual reality and how it is the only truth—despite the constant changes in perceived actions—the more the seeker begins to grasp the essence of this knowledge. As the seeker absorbs this intellectual truth, their mind becomes increasingly purified, and the knowledge is seen as increasingly truthful, until it becomes an absolute truth (Jnana).

The seeker on the path of Jnana Yoga must, therefore, learn this truth. As they deepen their understanding and apply this knowledge in their experience through their actions, they naturally become more compassionate. This is because they begin to see a unified world, rather than a separate one. Experiencing the world as separate only perpetuates desires and selfish actions, as the person identifies themselves as an individual who seeks gratification from external objects—things perceived as separate from themselves. This leads to suffering, as desires come with expectations, and the ongoing pursuit of objects only ends in disappointment. Since nothing external can be held onto forever, it is ultimately transient and will inevitably disappear. Therefore, there is no point in clinging to such objects, as they cannot provide lasting or eternal happiness and completion.

As one truly understands non-dual wisdom, compassion naturally grows, and their actions exude selflessness. Embodying non-dual wisdom through actions further purifies the mind, leading the seeker to become more contemplative. Initially, their attention drifts among many distractions, which entertain or hypnotize them in the delusion of samsara. However, as their attention becomes more stable and still, they are less hypnotized by the ever-changing world. They begin to see stillness in movement, understanding that movement is merely an appearance on something that cannot truly be regarded as an object—only pure, unchanging existence.

When the mind is purified to this great extent, it enables one to direct their attention to an even deeper state of stillness, beyond the realms of morality, virtue, compassion, ethics, and so on. In this state, attention becomes highly stabilized, leading to profound concentration. It is here that one begins to perceive a power or presence that is indescribable, and this presence is the true self.

In this concentrative state, where attention no longer shifts easily, the seeker enters into unbroken meditation, remaining in a constant meditative state. Their presence of stillness remains at the forefront of experience, while the ongoing changes of the world appear in the background. As the seeker ventures deeper into this meditative space, they lose the sense of being a "meditator" and dissolve into non-dual samadhi. In this dimensionless center, there is no longer a separate self who meditates; instead, they reveal themselves as the eternal Self—Jnana.

The path of Jnana, therefore, takes an individual whose attention is constantly wandering and enables them to become more still through the application of non-dual wisdom. This process purifies the mind, allowing attention to become steadier, as the experience shifts from movement to stillness. On this path, we will explore various systems for purifying the mind, all explained through the lens of non-dual wisdom, as outlined in Theme 1, Phase 1. As part of this mind purification phase, we will also discuss practices that may initially seem intellectual, but if embodied, will help purify the mind. These practices are designed to guide you in acting differently in the world according to non-dual wisdom, with the aim of breaking the conditioning that causes you to live as though duality truly exists. We will also delve into investigative methods that guide contemplation and point to a non-dual reality, as described in Theme 1, Phase 2.

The next theme will help us deepen concentration by examining Shankara's Four-Fold Qualification, which aids in loosening attachment to distractions and fostering a deeper connection to stillness. It is this stillness that will guide us through subjective meditation, or nididhyasana, as explained in Theme 3. When this meditation becomes self-absorbed, the meditator loses the sense of being a separate meditator and enters into samadhi, merging with non-dual truth, as detailed in the final theme.

Before diving into these advanced themes, we will first explain the necessity of purifying the mind on this path and developing sattvic qualities, which greatly enhance one’s ability to perform deep meditative inquiry. Sattvic qualities are essential because a pure sattvic mind is none other than the self, due to the self-luminosity and the pure transparency of the mind, which enable it to recognize that it is truly Brahman—the pure subject. Therefore, we must cultivate sattvic qualities through learning and, eventually, contemplating non-dual wisdom on this path. Many people hear about the reality of non-duality and dismiss dualistic practices, seeing them as mere ignorance. However, not having realized the truth of non-dual reality simply means that you are still experiencing a dualistic reality. Consequently, you must initially practice in a dualistic manner in order to diminish duality and perceive the non-dual truth. In other words, it is through duality that we come to recognize non-duality. Without the illusion of duality, there would be no need for spiritual teachings or practices—everything, even teachings of non-dual wisdom, is ultimately dualistic. It is only when you directly experience the truth of non-duality that there is no longer a need to cling to any teachings, including those of Vedanta.

Furthermore, it is necessary to cultivate sattvic qualities and transform the mind, as this cultivation of purity itself constitutes spiritual growth. You have been led on a journey through many lifetimes to eventually understand an intellectual truth about this world. However, this journey must continue and deepen for you to realize it directly as an absolute experience. If you persist in focusing on a truth without actively applying it in your life to cultivate purity, you will not make the mind transparent. Instead, you will deceive yourself into believing you are Brahman, while continuing to suffer due to your attachment to the cycle of birth and death. In other words, when you die, because you are attached to the existence of the Jiva, your attention will travel to another plane via the subtle body. This dream body moves back and forth through various "physical" experiences (realms) because you have not detached your conscious awareness from the ongoing cycles of impressions and karma that keep you revolving through endless lives as an individual (ego). This only means you will have to revisit this non-dual wisdom again until you realize that purity of the mind is a necessity. Only when you experience the truth of Brahman will you be detached from this cycle and see it as an illusion. Until then, you remain grounded in the illusion, continuing to entertain the teachings of non-dual reality, while still being rooted in the illusion!

This means that many people only entertain this truth intellectually while continuing to justify their actions and desires, which cause harm to others. Because they are attached to the cycle of karma, they will experience both the good and bad results of such actions, as they still identify themselves as the doer, even if they "believe" they are not. They will experience both sides of karma because they are still attached to samsara. This attachment will not alleviate suffering; instead, they will continue to perceive pain and distress, and ultimately, will not be free. True freedom arises only when the objective world vanishes as a tangible reality—this is the true definition of moksha. This is why it is crucial to embody the traits of those who have realized the truth, all of which point to compassion, righteousness, and virtue—qualities that naturally arise when you see all things as one. Selfish actions are driven by the perception of separation, which is the opposite of self-realization—the direct, experiential recognition of a singular, unified awareness.

Without cultivating sattvic qualities, individuals will naturally gravitate toward Neo-Advaita (a modern interpretation of Advaita Vedanta that often emphasizes intellectual understanding over direct experience and requires little to no spiritual discipline) and fatalism, which will only degrade the mind and promote more suffering. They will merely entertain and obsess over a truth they have not directly experienced, and their awareness of this truth will be based on the teachings of enlightened sages, who spread this wisdom due to their purified minds and their own direct experience.

Contrary to popular belief and societal ignorance, Sage Patanjali, a revered figure in the history of yoga, does allude to non-dual reality in his teachings, particularly in the Yoga Sutras. While he does not explicitly frame his philosophy in terms of non-duality in the same way that some other spiritual traditions (like Advaita Vedanta) do, his teachings point towards the ultimate experience of oneness or unity with the divine, which aligns with the concept of non-duality. At first, his teachings may appear dualistic, but if practiced sincerely and consistently, they ultimately lead to the experience and understanding that there is only one reality—Brahman. This is the nature of all teachings, including those of Vedanta. Though non-dual teachings like Vedanta assert that there is only you, there still needs to be practice to embody this knowledge in your experience, leading to a direct realization of this truth. Therefore, all teachings initially operate in a dualistic manner, as they are practiced on the relative plane of reality, where non-dual reality appears as duality.

Patanjali compiled the Yoga Sutras, a foundational text on the philosophy and practice of yoga. His work provides a systematic approach to spiritual growth, focusing on the purification of the mind and the path to self-realization. He emphasizes the importance of discipline, mental clarity, and self-awareness in the process of transforming the mind. He outlines an eightfold path—the Eight Limbs of Yoga—that guide seekers through physical, mental, and spiritual practices to achieve inner peace. This path also helps develop the discriminative wisdom necessary to distinguish between truth and falsehood, ultimately leading to the realization of Brahman as the all-pervading reality, even while daily actions continue to unfold. This is the pinnacle of all spiritual efforts.

While many in the Advaita community believe that the path outlined in the Yoga Sutras does not align with Advaita Vedanta and should be dismissed, this is a misunderstanding. In order to realize the Self, purity of the mind is essential, and it is cultivated on any path a seeker follows. The result of repetitive practices, such as those in the Yoga Sutras, will ultimately lead to the same outcome as the contemplation of non-dual wisdom on the path of Jnana Yoga, since all paths serve to purify the mind until the truth of Advaita is revealed. In other words, as you purify the mind through non-dual wisdom, you will gradually embody the main essence of the Yamas and Niyamas (or the first two limbs of the sutras dealing with mind purification). They will naturally be embodied in your actions as purity begins to shine.

Given that you are following the path of Jnana Yoga, which is centered around the understanding of non-dual reality, we will frame all purification methods discussed here within the context of non-dual wisdom. We will explore some of the prominent limbs of yoga that aid in purification, such as the Yamas and Niyamas, BUT we will do so through the lens of non-duality.

We will also explain how to balance the chakras within the context of non-dual wisdom. The chakras are a topic that many in the Advaita community also choose to dismiss, often because they do not fully understand what the chakras actually are or how purifying them contributes to the realization of oneness, as Advaita proclaims. The chakras represent the mind and describe the different qualities of consciousness that are superimposed on the singular mind. They are simply concepts used to explain the panchamaya koshas, but in more thorough detail! Each chakra governs different aspects of life, such as security, creativity, personal power, love, communication, intuition, and spirituality. When these centers are balanced, prana becomes still, leading to the realization of oneness—a natural result of embodying non-dual wisdom. Ultimately, the truth of Advaita is the final outcome of all spiritual paths.

The concept of balancing the chakras or addressing their overactive or underactive nature refers to the integration of opposites, such as masculine and feminine energies, active and passive forces, or mind and body. In the chakra system, this balance helps transcend duality, allowing the seeker to realize the already existing non-dual truth—where the distinctions between opposites dissolve, revealing a unified reality. Being attracted to either side affirms the existence of a separate self engaging in particular qualities, even while studying non-dual texts! However, balancing these sides (which is a natural result of purifying the mind through the application of non-dual wisdom) enables one to gravitate toward the middle, no longer clinging to either side of duality (e.g., masculine/feminine, active/passive, etc.). This middle space is one of clarity, peace, and alignment with the true self, beyond the confines of dualistic thought. In other words, it is the space between thoughts. Only attracting or clinging to thoughts directs one's attention to the dualistic world of opposites.

We will also explain some practices that will initially seem intellectual. These practices will help work on dissolving the conditioning we perpetuate by identifying ourselves as the body operating through time and space. In understanding non-dual wisdom, we must align our actions with this wisdom and truly see ourselves as an actionless Self—one that neither moves nor thinks. By operating in this way, we gradually remove the deep-rooted conditioning that causes us to perceive ourselves as a body performing actions, confined to the laws of space and time, that appears to be existing and real.

Before we dive deep into these intellectual practices along with chakra balancing, we will first go through the Yamas and Niyamas, which are the first two limbs in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. We will explain how to embody these two limbs in your life while maintaining the conviction that there is only one singular non-dual reality, even as they are practiced. This is how they will differ from the traditional way the yoga sutras are taught. We will frame this firmly within the context of non-duality.

Therefore, as part of the first phase of the purification theme, we will discuss the following three categories:

The Yamas and Niyamas in light of non-dual wisdom
Balancing the chakras in light of non-dual wisdom
Intellectual practices to embody in light of non-dual wisdom (i.e. how to operate in the relative plane, given that reality is non-dual, in order to break the conditioning of perceiving a dualistic world).

While the first two categories are not traditionally part of the Jnana Yoga path, I will teach them in the context of non-dual wisdom, as they will help purify your mind. Purification is the longest part of the journey, and these methods will assist in this process to a great degree, so it’s better to mention them than leave them unsaid.

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THEME 1: PURIFYING THE MIND

Lesson: What does it mean to purify the mind?

Phase 1: Cultivating Sattvic Qualities

What are Yamas and Niyamas?

The Yamas and Niyamas are ethical guidelines in yoga, forming the first two limbs of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. They are some of the most prominent ways to help purify the mind. Without purification, one will continue to hold the samsara experience which is being entangled with the senses and body which perpetuates an experience of physicality. Through methods of purification, attention becomes disentangled from this phenomena and traverses inwardly to a more empty and truthful reality.

Yamas (Restraints: Outward Practices)

The Yamas are considered outward practices because they focus on how we interact with others and the external world. They are ethical guidelines for behavior that govern our relationships, actions, and conduct in society. Since they primarily address how we treat people, animals, the environment, and ourselves, they lay the foundation for a harmonious, compassionate, and non-destructive existence in the world.

The Five Yamas are:

Ahimsa: Non-violence, compassion
Satya: Truthfulness
Asteya: Non-stealing
Brahmacharya: Moderation or celibacy
Aparigraha: Non-attachment, non-greed

We will now discuss the Yamas in detail and explain how to practice them in light of non-dual wisdom.

Ahimsa (the first Yama) Explained:

Ahimsa, meaning non-violence or non-harming, involves acting with compassion towards all living beings, including oneself. Violations of ahimsa arise from emotional reactivity, lack of awareness, self-interest, cultural conditioning, or poor self-control. To achieve mental purity, we must address these tendencies and cultivate a more unified existence with others. It is unity that promotes oneness, while disparity breeds division. Compassionate actions are therefore essential for recognizing and embodying this unity. Maintaining control over thoughts, speech, and actions—especially in moments of anger or frustration—is crucial for avoiding harm to oneself and others. Practicing ahimsa is an essential lifestyle choice that encourages compassion and helps break the cycle of separation, which perpetuates anger and ignorance.

Ahimsa also extends beyond human interactions to include animals and all sentient beings. Our tendency to view animals as separate or inferior leads to widespread suffering, as seen in practices like factory farming and animal exploitation. Treating animals as equals—recognizing their innate desire for peace and happiness—encourages empathy and compassionate treatment. The cruelty involved in animal agriculture, from factory farms to slaughterhouses, contributes not only to environmental harm but also to human health issues, such as heart disease and cancer, caused by the consumption of animal products. Shifting towards a plant-based diet can promote both personal health and environmental well-being while cultivating compassion towards animals and reinforcing unity with all living beings.

Ahimsa is essentially the philosophy of seeing all as one. The more one practices this, the more actions naturally align with this understanding. As actions change, the mind also transforms, becoming less critical and judgmental, and increasingly attuned to the equality in all beings. The more one resists this unity, the more they perpetuate the illusion of separation, continuing to gratify desires that affirm a false self. Therefore, ahimsa becomes crucial for purifying the mind and is a natural consequence of a more purified mind, which is then qualified to engage in deeper practices like self-inquiry.

How to Practice Ahimsa in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

If there is only the self, then all the differences we perceive are actually one. The problem arises when we believe in the existence of “many” and, as a result, assign different values to different things. We might prefer one person over another or one animal over another. In truth, these differences are false, and we are perceiving them incorrectly. When viewed correctly through self-realization, it becomes clear that there is only one. The perception of many is merely a reflection that is not separate from the singular existence. If this is the case, how can we truly think, communicate, or act in a harmful manner towards others, when, in reality, we are simply reflecting on ourselves? Why should we get angry or react harshly when things don’t go our way? Why engage in actions that cause suffering to others when we are essentially harming ourselves?

Understand that harming others is ultimately harming oneself, as there is only you. What is reflected originates from you and is simply an appearance, not separate from you. Therefore, why act as though it is separate? If everything is one with you, why would you react in a harmful way? Begin to act in alignment with this truth. The more you do this, the more your mind will be purified, allowing you to perceive this as a direct reality rather than merely a conceptual belief.

Lesson: The most optimal diet for spirituality

Satya (the second Yama) Explained:

Satya, meaning truthfulness, involves being honest in thought, speech, and action. Dishonesty often arises from fear, self-interest, or insecurity, leading individuals to prioritize personal gain or self-preservation over truth. This behavior perpetuates the illusion of separation, binding one to the ego. To break this sense of separation, we must move beyond actions driven by self-interest, embracing greater truthfulness. By cultivating honesty in all aspects of our lives, we can deepen our connection with others, reducing the sense of division that separates us.

Dishonesty often stems from fear of judgment or the desire to protect oneself or others, but this only creates distance in relationships. Being truthful, even when uncomfortable, encourages inner peace and acceptance, allowing us to embrace situations as they are rather than resisting them. To increase truthfulness, you can start by understanding the motivations behind your dishonesty and increasing your self-awareness. Speak with kindness and compassion, as honesty delivered harshly can do more harm than good. In addition, clear, direct communication, consistency between words and actions, and taking accountability for mistakes all strengthen integrity and trust. By expressing yourself authentically, you not only build genuine relationships but also align with the principle of ahimsa, minimizing suffering and promoting compassionate truthfulness.

How to Practice Satya in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

If there is only one, and this one is considered the whole despite the appearance of many, then dishonesty and other forms of untruth contradict the understanding of oneness. All apparent actions and thoughts are interconnected, so harm to any aspect of existence ultimately affects the whole, and thus, affects yourself. Dishonesty creates division and conflict, undermining the fundamental principle of unity and wholeness inherent in non-dual awareness. Failing to align with this truth results in suffering because it is the false self that suffers, particularly when it perpetuates the need to keep itself secure, even if it means being dishonest. Thus, living in harmony with non-dual wisdom involves embracing truthfulness and transparency, recognizing that all actions reflect a unified reality.

From a non-dual perspective, authenticity in communication reflects the realization of interconnectedness. Being truthful means aligning your expressions with the understanding that there is only one. Therefore, truthfulness in a non-dual framework involves considering the well-being of others. We should strive to speak and act in ways that promote harmony and understanding, acknowledging that others are not separate from you. You should also ensure your intention behind speaking the truth is rooted in clarity and compassion, rather than personal gain or ego gratification. Embrace oneness by expressing yourself authentically and recognizing the shared essence of all beings, moving beyond individual ego and identity.

Asteya (the third Yama) Explained:

Asteya, meaning non-stealing, involves not taking what is not freely given and respecting others' resources and contributions. Dishonesty or theft often stems from selfishness, which arise from unresolved desires, a lack of awareness of interconnectedness, and conditioned behaviors that promote a sense of separation. Greed for material goods or personal gain drives people to take what doesn’t belong to them, seeking to satisfy a selfish desire with little regard for the suffering it causes others, all for a pleasure that is short lived. Everything, including material possessions, is subject to change and eventual loss. Since individuals themselves are constantly changing, the satisfaction derived from transient objects also fades, leaving them yearning for more. Recognizing this impermanence can help cultivate contentment and prevent a cycle of greed and disappointment.

Asteya also applies to intangible resources, like time. Wasting others' time, or being irresponsible with it, disrespects their priorities and commitments. Some may act out of ignorance, not realizing the impact of their actions on others or the broader harm they cause. In environments where unethical behavior is normalized, it becomes harder to adhere to asteya. To address this, one must challenge ingrained patterns of thought and behavior by gradually replacing old, negative habits with more mindful, positive actions. Recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings and embracing contentment helps avoid the negative consequences of stealing, whether physical or intangible, and aligns with a more compassionate, respectful way of living.

How to Practice Asteya in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

If all is truly one, then harming or taking from another is essentially harming or taking from oneself. This realization builds a deeper respect for all beings and resources. In non-dual awareness, compassion naturally arises, as perceiving yourself in others reduces the likelihood of exploiting or taking advantage of them—behaviors driven by the illusion of separation. Everything ultimately belongs to the whole, so by practicing non-stealing, you honor the interconnected nature of existence and maintain the harmony of the collective.

Embrace the understanding that everything you need is already within you or will come to you in its own time. This awareness can reduce the desire to take what is not rightfully yours and diminish overall desires as you become content with what you have. You should also recognize that material possessions and wealth are transient; this awareness can lessen the urge to possess or take things that are not yours. Constantly make choices that honor both yourself and others. Viewing others as extensions of yourself will encourage you to respect their possessions and boundaries.

Brahmacharya (the fourth Yama) Explained:

Brahmacharya, meaning moderation or self-control, extends beyond sexual energy, to include wise use of all one’s resources and avoiding excess in any area. Excessive indulgence reinforces the illusion of separation, as it focuses on things that are seen as separate and being consumed rather than the interconnectedness of all things. People struggle with brahmacharya due to strong desires and the lack of discipline to overcome impulses. The pressure of societal norms, where indulgence is often the standard, makes self-restraint even more challenging. When those around you prioritize fulfilling desires, it becomes difficult to maintain awareness and pursue higher goals, such as spiritual growth.

To practice self-control, education and awareness are key. By gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of moderation, one can develop the discipline needed to maintain balance. A practical starting point is moderating eating habits, such as through intermittent fasting, which helps manage consumption without forcefully suppressing food intake. This practice builds willpower, reduces cravings, and offers health benefits like autophagy, improved metabolic health, and enhanced brain function. Similarly, abstaining from sexual activities can help control desires that bind individuals to lower levels of reality. Practices like these support emotional health, stronger self-discipline, and spiritual growth, allowing one to focus on higher goals and progress on the spiritual path.

How to Practice Brahmacharya in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

If there is only the self, and the self is one, then pursuing desires for things perceived as separate from you reflects a delusion of believing in something that does not truly exist. Since we tend to seek joy in external objects, it is important to address and transcend the pleasure derived from them, as this pleasure is fleeting and leads to eventual disappointment. Understanding wholeness means recognizing that this completeness is within, not external. By aligning your actions with a sense of interconnectedness, you cultivate balance and harmony.

Align yourself with a higher purpose and channel your focus and energy towards goals that transcend materialistic desires. Use your energy to enhance collective well-being, reflecting your higher self and interconnected purpose. This interconnectedness is always present, waiting for you to become conscious of it. If you recognize the oneness in all things and embrace the understanding that you are not separate from anything, desires will diminish, revealing the true nature of the illusory world of objects.

Aparigraha (the fifth Yama) Explained:

Aparigraha, meaning non-possessiveness or non-greed, involves letting go of attachments to possessions and avoiding excessive accumulation. People often struggle with aparigraha due to material desires, societal pressures that encourage accumulation, fear of scarcity, emotional attachments to things, and ingrained habits. To counteract greed, actively practice giving away items you might typically keep, offering them as an act of generosity to bring others happiness. If you feel resistance to this, it may reflect a strong attachment to the ego or possessions, which can be overcome by cultivating empathy and compassion, loosening the grip of greed and strengthening the other yamas.

Reducing materialism is an essential part of practicing aparigraha. Focus your energy on relationships and meaningful experiences rather than accumulating possessions. When acquiring new items, work on releasing attachments to them, ensuring they don’t control your mind or create distress if lost. If you simplify your lifestyle by reducing possessions, it will lead to greater happiness and freedom from dependence on material things. Embracing minimalism allows you to focus on enduring aspects of life, like relationships and spiritual pursuits. Try to cultivate a mindset of abundance by appreciating what you have, recognizing that many people face more significant hardships. Gratitude for your current circumstances promotes a positive outlook and contributes to overall well-being.

How to Practice Aparigraha in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

If there is only a non-dual reality, then you should notice the illusion of ownership. Possession and attachment are based on the illusion of separation when you believe in the existence of objective objects that are always separate from you and not extensions of yourself. By practicing non-possessiveness, you align with the understanding that there is only one, and that all things that appear separate are transient and not truly permanent. They come and go, reflecting the impermanence of appearances within unified awareness.

One should reflect on the impermanent nature of experiences and possessions. This awareness breeds appreciation for the present moment and the fleeting nature of existence, enhancing gratitude. Instead of clinging to things that are constantly changing, focus on the present, which remains ever-full. Constantly embrace non-attachment by understanding that true contentment comes from within, not from external possessions, since those possessions aren’t really external! By prioritizing internal fulfillment and recognizing the transience of material wealth, you can reduce the compulsion to accumulate more.

You can also appreciate the diversity of forms and experiences as different expressions of the same essence. See the wonder in how life manifests in various ways, and this perspective will help you see the value in everything around you, building deeper gratitude but while relying less on other things.

Niyamas (Observances: Inward Practices)

The Niyamas are considered inward practices because they focus on personal discipline, self-reflection, and cultivating inner qualities that promote spiritual growth. While the Yamas deal with external behavior and how we interact with others, the Niyamas are concerned with our internal attitudes, mental states, and personal ethics. The Niyamas guide us to develop a positive and disciplined mindset, leading to self-purification, contentment, self-awareness, and devotion to a higher purpose.

The Fiive Niyamas are:

Saucha: Purity, cleanliness
Santosha: Contentment
Tapas: Discipline, self-effort
Svadhyaya: Self-study, introspection
Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender to a higher power

We will now discuss the Niyamas in detail and explain how to practice them in light of non-dual wisdom.

Saucha (the first Niyama) Explained:

Saucha, meaning purity or cleanliness, encompasses both physical cleanliness and mental purity. It involves maintaining cleanliness in one’s environment, body, and mind. People may neglect saucha due to a lack of awareness, cultural differences, busy lifestyles, resistance to change, economic constraints, or mental health issues. Many individuals do not fully understand the importance of cleanliness for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Body cleanliness is essential for spiritual growth as it clears the mind, fosters discipline, and creates a harmonious environment, while poor hygiene can lead to health issues, discomfort, and distraction, hindering spiritual practices.

Obstacles to maintaining cleanliness often include hectic schedules, cultural differences, and limited resources. In busy lives, people may neglect hygiene and environmental cleanliness due to a focus on immediate tasks. Overcoming this requires establishing routines, simplifying life, and prioritizing well-being. Cultural factors can also shape cleanliness practices, sometimes conflicting with spiritual growth, but open-mindedness and education can help align personal routines with spiritual goals. For those with limited resources or mental health challenges, starting small, setting achievable goals, and seeking support can make it easier to uphold saucha. By building a foundation of cleanliness, both physical and mental, individuals can support their overall well-being and spiritual progress.

How to Practice Saucha in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

Recognizing unity helps in understanding that physical cleanliness reflects and supports inner purity, as the external and internal are interconnected. While the physical body may seem external, it is closely tied to the mind. By maintaining physical cleanliness, one can support and promote mental clarity, as the body and mind are essentially one. Upholding cleanliness demonstrates respect for the interconnectedness of body, mind, and environment all at once.

Viewing cleanliness as a means of showing respect and compassion towards oneself and others helps recognize the shared nature of existence. By perceiving the self in everything, you can approach cleanliness with the understanding that each aspect supports a holistic sense of well-being. This perspective enhances mindfulness in actions, deepening awareness and aligning actions with a sense of unity. Since the body serves as a vehicle for self-knowledge, it is crucial to treat it like a temple. Failing to do so could lead to spiritual hindrances.

Santosha (the second Niyama) Explained:

Santosha, meaning contentment or satisfaction, involves cultivating inner peace and acceptance regardless of external circumstances. It can be challenging to achieve due to constant desires, social comparisons, and high expectations that overshadow the practice of appreciating what we already have. In a materialistic world, many people chase possessions like larger houses, fancier cars, or endless clothes, believing these acquisitions will bring lasting happiness. However, these possessions often offer only temporary fulfillment, creating a sense of superiority rather than genuine satisfaction. The constant pursuit of more prevents true contentment, as focus remains on acquiring rather than appreciating what is already present.

Breaking the cycle of comparison and desire is key to contentment. Societal expectations push us to compete with others, driving an ego-driven mindset that reinforces a sense of separation. To cultivate true contentment, you focus on appreciating the positive aspects of your life, regardless of external validation. Reflecting on what brings you personal joy, independent of societal standards, can help shift your mindset. You should avoid materialism and seek fulfillment in simple pleasures that contribute to personal growth. Embrace what genuinely fulfills you, without comparing yourself to others or relying on possessions for happiness.

How to Practice Santosha in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

One should understand that true contentment arises from recognizing the oneness of the present moment. If the present is all there is, then seeking fulfillment in the future or dwelling on the past only diverts you from what is inherently complete. True satisfaction does not come from external achievements or possessions, but from the acceptance of the present moment and the inherent unity within yourself. Recognize that contentment is found in acknowledging and embracing the completeness and unity that already exists within you, and is not something that can be held outside of you, since in truth there is no outside!

Whenever you experience discontentment, immediately recognize that both contentment and discontent are expressions of the same underlying reality. This understanding helps you embrace the present moment and release attachments to either extreme, seeing them as transient aspects of a unified whole. By maintaining a balanced perspective, you cultivate awareness that transcends external conditions and discover inner peace within yourself. Focus on the center, avoiding the extremes that cause the mind to waver, and thereby build a deeper, more stable sense of tranquility.

Tapas (the third Niyama) Explained:

Tapas, or self-discipline, involves consciously working to burn away desires through consistent spiritual practice and effort. It requires perseverance and a commitment to personal growth, transcending the immediate comforts of daily life. Without tapas, spiritual progress can stagnate, keeping us trapped in a reality that enables us to constantly crave materialism. Many resist tapas due to a preference for comfort, fear of failure, societal norms that prioritize ease, and an attachment to immediate gratification. To engage in tapas is to embrace discomfort and effort as necessary tools for spiritual development, challenging one's limits to reach higher levels of self-awareness.

To practice tapas, begin with small, achievable goals and gradually expand them. Start by creating a routine that includes dedicated time for spiritual practices, then progressively increase the intensity or duration. For example, when faced with desires, such as the urge to indulge in a favorite food, observe them without acting on them immediately. By creating distance between desire and action, you can develop stronger self-control and resist fleeting temptations. Over time, this process not only helps to transcend superficial desires but also deepens your connection with spiritual truths. Tapas is not about denying yourself pleasure, but about cultivating discipline and mindfulness in how you interact with your desires, which helps diminish pleasure!

How to Practice Tapas in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

If all is ultimately the single, pure self, and tapas is necessary to realize this truth, then practicing discipline should be seen as a natural expression of the interconnectedness of all things. Instead of viewing tapas as a struggle or imposed effort, engage in it with detachment from results or personal gain. Practice tapas with the understanding that, while effort is essential, it must be balanced with surrender to the flow of life and acceptance of the present moment. This surrender is a form of effort but without attachment. Therefore, perform disciplined actions with full awareness of the present moment. By surrendering personal desires and attachments, which arise from the ego and do not impact the true nature of Brahman, you stabilize your awareness of the pure self. This detachment enhances tapas and accelerates mental purity.

Svadhyaya (the fourth Niyama) Explained:

Svadhyaya, or self-study and self-reflection, involves examining oneself and engaging with spiritual texts to deepen self-awareness and insight. It requires confronting uncomfortable truths and examining one’s flaws, which can be challenging. Many resist this process because it requires time, effort, and a willingness to face the ego's defenses. The ego often avoids introspection to protect itself from its own perceived inadequacies, and people may feel that self-reflection is unnecessary, believing themselves to be already mature or enlightened. Overcoming this resistance involves humility and a consistent commitment to self-examination, as ongoing introspection is essential for spiritual growth. Without it, the ego remains unchecked, and spiritual progress may stagnate.

In today's fast-paced world, distractions and responsibilities can make it difficult to prioritize svadhyaya. People often avoid self-study due to fear of the changes it may bring or because they find comfort in their current beliefs and habits. They may view introspection as irrelevant or impractical, especially when immediate concerns seem more pressing. However, by establishing routines that prioritize self-reflection and seeking support from like-minded individuals, svadhyaya becomes a discipline that cultivates personal transformation and spiritual evolution. This practice encourages deeper self-awareness and helps overcome patterns that limit growth, ultimately leading to greater clarity and alignment with higher truths.

How to Practice Svadhyaya in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

If all is ultimately the self, recognize that actions, thoughts, and interactions are merely apparent phenomena, but in essence, they are expressions of the one true reality. Dig deeply into texts like the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, or Advaita Vedanta writings, which explore the nature of Brahman. Reflect on how these teachings relate to your own experiences. Integrate this knowledge by applying the insights gained to enhance your direct experience of oneness. Understanding these teachings is a tool for deeper self-realization and spiritual insight. The more you engage in this study, the more your mind will focus inward, allowing for profound self-analysis and inner investigation, which helps remove obstacles and resistances and deepens your spiritual practice.

Ishvara Pranidhana (the fifth Niyama) Explained:

Ishvara Pranidhana, or devotion and surrender to a higher power, involves dedicating one’s actions and thoughts to a divine presence or greater purpose. Resistance to this practice often arises from a strong ego, attachment to specific outcomes, lack of trust, and conflicting beliefs. Overcoming this resistance requires cultivating self-awareness, building trust, and giving up the need for control. True devotion means embracing life’s unfolding in its entirety, surrendering not only during difficult times but also during moments of joy. Clinging to good times reinforces attachment, and this tendency to hold on extends to both highs and lows, preventing true surrender. The ego’s desire to control pleasurable experiences makes letting go challenging, even when we recognize the deeper spiritual path.

To practice Ishvara Pranidhana, one must trust in a higher power and allow it to guide their life, releasing the compulsion to control outcomes. Resistance to greater truths blocks this power from entering, but by consciously letting go of control and the ego’s attachments, we open ourselves to a higher presence. Most people are unaware of this higher consciousness, allowing the ego to maintain limitations and contradictory beliefs. This ignorance prevents surrender, as they lack the faith to recognize something always present yet hidden. To embrace a reality beyond dualistic experiences, we must move toward a greater truth. Embodying the yamas and niyamas helps cultivate surrender and the release of control, ultimately leading to conscious liberation.

How to Practice Ishvara Pranidhana in Light of Non-Dual Wisdom:

Practicing Ishvara Pranidhana involves recognizing that surrender is not separate from the true self. The realization of your true self, Atman, is identical to Brahman, though it appears as an individual witness. Surrender acknowledges the Self's omnipresence and inherent unity. Therefore, one should let go of the illusion of control and understand that the sense of individual agency is part of the illusion of separateness. Surrender involves releasing this illusion and accepting that all actions and outcomes arise from a singular power from which you originated.

Learn to cultivate trust in the inherent wisdom and order of the Self, which naturally governs everything. This trust facilitates surrender to the natural flow of life and alignment with unified existence. One should act with the awareness that all actions are expressions of the same Self, shifting the focus from personal, ego-driven actions to embracing and flowing with divine will, which is governed by an impersonal higher power. By understanding and practicing these principles, surrender becomes an act of acknowledging and aligning with the ultimate reality of oneness, rather than merely yielding to an external force.

Concluding the Yamas and Niyamas:

Now that you understand the Yamas and Niyamas which are the first two limbs of the Yoga Sutras. Here is a version of all limbs combined and how they can be viewed in the context of non dual wisdom.

Lesson: Shankara’s Non dualistic Raja Yoga

The Chakras and its Relation to Non-Dual Wisdom:

In Advaita Vedanta, while the chakra system is not explicitly emphasized as a central framework for spiritual practice, the activation of chakras can be seen as a natural consequence of a purified mind. This purification, which is central to Advaita Vedanta's path of self-realization, is indeed necessary for realizing the non-dual self (Atman/Brahman).

In Advaita Vedanta, the core aim is to recognize the non-dual nature of the self. The path to this realization involves discerning the true nature of the self, which requires purification of the mind(Antahkarana). This purification occurs through the learning and contemplation of non dual wisdom which eventually leads to detachment and the ability to perform advanced meditative inquiry.

As the mind becomes purified through self-inquiry and meditation, it naturally opens to higher states of awareness, which can be understood as the activation or opening of the chakras. While the chakras are always in use since the experience of physicality cannot function without it, the opening or activation are just terms to describe the conscious attention one has with the chakra. When all the major chakras become balanced in relation to one another, it yields direct experience of Brahman. This is something that is not usually described explicitly in Advaita Vedanta, but it's a side effect of deepened awareness and spiritual growth. Purification of the mind allows for greater clarity, reducing the obstructions or ignorance (avidya) that cloud the understanding of the self. As the individual moves deeper into self-awareness, the subtle energies (prana) within the body also begin to flow more freely, often leading to the awakening of the chakras. The mind becomes more still, and as the individual experiences increasing clarity and purity of consciousness, they may perceive or experience a greater awakening of the subtle energy centers in the body, aligning them with higher levels of awareness.

In this sense, the activation of chakras can be viewed as a byproduct of deep spiritual practice, and is naturally part of the journey towards non-dual realization since in essence—its mind purification. The seven major chakras form an energy system that permeates the body and mind. These chakras are energetic centers that govern various aspects of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Each chakra can be seen as an energy center influencing specific aspects of our mind and behavior and a gateway leading us through the layers of our inner experience.

These seven chakras correspond to the panchamaya koshas, the five sheaths or layers of existence that cover the true self (Atman), which is widely taught in Vedanta. These layers are realized directly in one’s experience through spiritual practice, and is uncovered through the awakening of the chakras; which correspond to these many different layers.

The Seven Major Chakras and their relation to the PanchaMaya Koshas:

Muladhara (Root Chakra): Represents grounding and survival. It connects to the Annamaya Kosha (physical experience), where our basic survival needs and instincts are rooted. When attention is focused here, we begin with the physical body and physical sensations.
Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra): Represents emotion, creativity, and pleasure. This chakra relates to the Pranamaya Kosha (energy body), where our emotional energy and desires flow. It influences how we experience and express joy, connection, and sensuality.
Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra): Represents power, will, and self-confidence. It activates the Manomaya Kosha (mental body), shaping our thoughts, self-identity, and emotional responses. Here, attention focuses on the mind's capacity to shape our reality and assert our personal will.
Anahata (Heart Chakra): Represents love, compassion, and emotional balance. It aligns with the Manomaya Kosha as well but elevates it into emotional and relational intelligence. Attention to this chakra opens the heart and mind to empathy, healing, and deep connection with others.
Vishuddha (Throat Chakra): Represents communication, truth, and self-expression. This chakra corresponds to the Vijnanamaya Kosha (wisdom body), influencing intellectual clarity, discernment, and the ability to communicate one’s truth. When activated, it clears the path to deeper self-awareness and insight.
Ajna (Third Eye Chakra): Represents intuition, perception, and higher consciousness. This chakra governs the deeper mind and intuition, piercing through the Vijnanamaya Kosha, unlocking wisdom and insight. Attention here helps transcend the ego and refine our mental clarity.
Sahasrara (Crown Chakra): Represents oneness and bliss. It connects to the Anandamaya Kosha (bliss body), where the experience of oneness occurs. It is the final gateway to transcending all the layers/chakras of the mind.

In order to realize the non-dual self, one must pierce through each chakra (i.e. expose them consciously and work on balancing all) thereby transcending the attachments and limitations of each kosha. As attention moves through the deeper chakras (or koshas), it gradually dissolves the layers of ego and duality. By deeply engaging with each chakra’s energy and integrating its lessons, the seeker clears the path to the ultimate realization of the non-dual self, where all distinctions between subject and object, self and other, vanish into pure awareness.

While Tantra actively works with the chakras as a specific spiritual technique to purify and direct energy, Advaita Vedanta focuses on the direct realization of the self (Atman) through an initial intellectual understanding and meditation. The activation of chakras in Advaita Vedanta is more of a natural unfolding or side effect of the deeper self-realization that arises from purification of the mind.

In summary, while Advaita Vedanta does not explicitly teach the chakra system, the purification of the mind—a central aspect of Advaita practice—naturally leads to the opening and alignment of the chakras, as the individual moves toward the realization of their true non-dual nature. Since the chakras make up the mind, and there is only one mind, then it naturally awakens through spiritual practice no matter which path you follow. It is only differentiated since they are many different paths and systems that explain how to arrive at the same truth in different ways.

The Need to Balance Chakras that are either Overactive or Underactive:

Balancing the seven major chakras is crucial for experiencing non-dual wisdom because when a chakra is either overactive or underactive, it creates a sense of duality within us. An overactive chakra can lead to excessive energy, causing imbalances and creating attachment to extremes, while an underactive chakra results in stagnation or lack of movement, reinforcing a sense of separation.

Non-duality, however, is found in the middle ground—where there is balance and harmony. By bringing the chakras into alignment, we stop feeding the mind's tendency to latch onto dualities like excess and deficiency. This balance helps us move beyond the constant push and pull of desire and aversion, bringing us closer to stillness and inner equilibrium. When the chakras are balanced, we become less caught up in the fluctuations of life, allowing us to experience the interconnectedness of all things.

If the chakras remain imbalanced, they continue to reinforce the illusion of physicality, keeping us grounded in an ongoing cycle of experiencing physicality and attaching to material desires that paves the way for endless suffering. These imbalances keep us locked in the world of duality, because of the desires that keeps us glued to the lower realms. But as the mind purifies, balance in the chakras naturally emerges, leading to a clearer, more expansive view of reality and allowing us to experience more truthful states of consciousness (higher realms). We begin to experience life not through the lens of separation but as a unified whole. Balancing the chakras allows us to transcend the physical realm and its illusions, helping us to live in a way that aligns with our deeper, non-dual nature.

We will now review the seven major chakras and how to balance them in light of non-dual wisdom.

Introduction to the Muladhara Chakra:

When attention is focused on the Muladhara Chakra, the individual is primarily concerned with basic needs like food, shelter, safety, and survival. Their energy is directed solely towards these concerns, limiting their focus to mundane desires and instinctive drives. This creates a physical existence driven by survival and gratification, similar to animals, and prevents access to higher knowledge. This state is predominantly tamasic, marked by minimal ambition or motivation, as the person operates mainly from survival instincts.

The Muladhara Chakra influences the adrenal glands, which are crucial for stability and grounding. These glands regulate stress, metabolism, and energy levels, helping the body maintain balance in the physical world. If survival is the main focus, materialism becomes a major obstacle, while deficiencies in this chakra lead to fear and instability. Even individuals not fully centered in this chakra may face these challenges, highlighting the need to purify it in order to achieve balance and overcome obstacles.

How to Expedite the Balancing of Muladhara Chakra through Non-Dual Wisdom:

If Brahman is your inherent nature—eternal, unchanged, and perfect—then why stress over things that are transient and bound to change with time? Any perceived moment inevitably transforms into another moment, making it impossible for changes to remain static. Therefore, recognize that current hardships are temporary and will eventually transform into joy. Cultivate inner security and trust in the world, understanding that all material needs are inherently provided by this unified consciousness. Challenges are opportunities for growth, as growth cannot occur without something to grow from. This perspective can be supported through grounding and a deep understanding of the abundance inherent in Brahman, which encompasses all.

While engaging in activities, remind yourself that you are not separate from the earth or nature. Feel the connection between your body and the earth as an expression of the underlying unity of all things. This awareness helps cultivate a sense of stability and connectedness, which the muladhara chakra represents. Disconnection builds fear and perpetuates the belief in separation, which only intensifies these notions.

Use affirmations such as "I am secure and stable" or "My true nature is unchanging." Repeatedly affirm these statements until they become ingrained in your mind. When difficult situations arise, let these affirmations come to the forefront. Persist with this practice until these situations no longer seem detrimental and you develop indifference toward them. Continuously reflect on how your essential nature remains unaffected by external conditions or fears. This daily practice helps integrate a nondual understanding into your perception of stability and security.

By combining practical actions with nondual wisdom, you address the concerns of the muladhara chakra from a place of deep understanding and integration. This approach fosters a balanced and grounded state, enabling you to progress and move on to addressing the concerns of the next chakra.

Introduction to the Swadhisthana Chakra:

When attention is focused on the Svadhisthana Chakra, the individual is primarily concerned with emotions, relationships, sexuality, creativity, and personal desires. Their energy is directed towards these aspects, leaving less room for concerns like survival or stability. As the basic needs of the Muladhara Chakra are met, desires for sensual pleasure and emotional experiences come to the forefront. This chakra influences the capacity to enjoy and express desires related to pleasure, intimacy, and creativity, manifesting in experiences tied to sensory enjoyment and emotional depth. While this state is predominantly tamasic, it also includes rajas, driving the pursuit of sexual and creative desires.

The Svadhisthana Chakra governs sexual health and creativity, influencing the gonads, which are responsible for secreting sex hormones. In males, the testes produce sperm and testosterone, while in females, the ovaries produce eggs and hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These hormones regulate sexual function, libido, and fertility.

If one is primarily focused on emotional fulfillment, sexuality, and creativity, their greatest obstacles are likely to be sensory overindulgence. Deficiencies in this chakra however can lead to emotional overload or a lack of creativity. Even individuals not fully centered in this chakra may face these challenges and need to purify it to achieve balance and overcome obstacles.

How to Expedite the Balancing of Svadhisthana Chakra through Non-Dual Wisdom:

Recognize that your true nature, the awareness behind these sensual experiences, is not bound by any desire. This understanding helps you detach from the fluctuations of these experiences and brings balance, regardless of the type or intensity of the desires. Be more mindful of sensory experiences such as touch, taste, and smell. Practice being fully present during pleasurable experiences and being aware of them without giving in to them. By doing so, these pleasurable experiences begin to diminish as substantial sources of pleasure. This builds greater peace, allowing you to transcend pleasure and become more aware of an even deeper experience of bliss.

You should also bear in mind that sensory pleasures are not separate from your true nature but are experiences arising within awareness. This realization deepens your connection with the present moment. While you can enjoy life's pleasures, approach them with gratitude, viewing them as expressions of the divine play. Recognize all objects that many strive for as expressions of Brahman, seeing the divine in everything. This perspective encourages moderation by understanding that true fulfillment comes from alignment with Brahman, rather than from individual objects that seem separate from you. The more you practice this, the less distinct things become, and the more you perceive them as part of a unified whole.

Also recognize that emotions are transient and arise within the awareness of your true self. By accepting and releasing emotions without attachment, you align with the nondual understanding that you are the awareness in which these emotions appear and disappear. This perspective helps you avoid becoming overwhelmed by emotions and allows you to maintain a sense of control over feelings that arise independently of your will.

You can also engage in creative activities, recognizing that creativity and pleasure are expressions of the same underlying reality. Channel your creative expressions—whatever they may be—as ways to celebrate the divine play of Brahman, understanding that your expression is not separate from the whole.

Use affirmations such as "I embrace my creativity and sensuality" or "I am fluid and free in my emotional expression." Allow yourself to become one with these expressions in your thoughts. This helps you deeply contemplate these affirmations by recognizing that your true essence is the inner space in which creativity and emotions arise. Understand that these aspects of the self are part of the unified experience and do not truly define you.

You can also recognize that relationships and interactions are expressions of the same underlying unity. Approach relationships with a sense of unity and divine connection, practicing unconditional love and empathy, and viewing each interaction as an opportunity to express the essence of Brahman. The more you align with this understanding, the more fairly you treat others and serve without expecting anything in return. As you see greater equality among different beings and things, you become less judgmental and more compassionate and selfless.

Constantly recognize Brahman in all things, which is ultimately the practice of brahmacharya aimed at controlling desires and passions. Brahmacharya is not solely about lust but encompasses all desires that keep attention grounded in the reality of objects. By applying these nondual principles, you can purify and balance the svadhisthana chakra, thereby reducing sensory desires. As you practice controlling these desires, your awareness will elevate, allowing you to see reality in a new light and progress to the next chakra.

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Introduction to the Manipura Chakra:

When attention is focused on the Manipura Chakra, the individual is primarily concerned with personal power, confidence, willpower, and ambition. Their energy is directed towards achieving goals and gaining power or status, leaving little room for basic survival needs or sensory pleasures. As a result, their desires align with this drive, leading them to pursue power without accessing the higher wisdom associated with love. Immersed in their ambitions, they may often experience disappointment, as these pursuits are transient. This state is predominantly rajasic, marked by ambition and motivation, but often resulting in inner turmoil and suffering.

The Manipura Chakra influences the pancreas, which regulates metabolism and energy levels. The pancreas secretes insulin and glucagon to control blood sugar levels, supporting vitality and stable energy. This balance plays a crucial role in self-confidence, motivation, and personal empowerment.

If focused mainly on power or status, one’s obstacles are likely to include pride and perfectionism. Deficiencies in this chakra however can lead to self-doubt, fear of failure, and low self-esteem. Even individuals not fully centered in this chakra may experience these challenges, requiring purification to achieve balance and overcome these obstacles.

How to Expedite the Balancing of Manipura Chakra through Non-Dual Wisdom:

One should set goals and pursue ambitions with the understanding that they are part of the universal plan, aligning efforts with divine will rather than ego-driven desires. In other words, achieve things not for personal gratification, but as a means of fulfilling your role in the expression of Brahman. Every job you seek, possession you strive for, or status you achieve is ultimately an expression of divine will, and the belief that you personally achieved these things is an illusion. The more you accept this perspective, the less you will cling to desires, and the fewer hardships you will face if things don’t go as planned. Life unfolds naturally, like a flower blooming in a garden, so let it flow without attempting to control it intimately. Additionally, recognize that your true nature is not dependent on personal achievements or power, but is the awareness in which these experiences arise.

For those who have deficiencies in this chakra, can build self-confidence through self-awareness practices that acknowledge your inherent infinite power as an expression of Brahman. Use affirmations that reflect this deeper truth to reinforce your sense of inner strength. Approach challenges with the understanding that you are the source of all power, and view setbacks as opportunities for growth. Recognize that everything ultimately serves to help you gradually align with this truth.

One can practice setting boundaries and assertiveness from a place of non-attachment, recognizing that there is nothing to fear and that all is simply an expression of the one truth—Brahman. Why be hesitant to voice your truth or respect your self-worth? Such hesitation often stems from the mistaken belief in separation from others, leading to undervaluing oneself. Frequently, we assign specific values to others, reinforcing this sense of separation through our own judgments and notions, even though these beliefs are often only in our minds and not in others' perceptions. In other words, you create a narrative in your mind and assume others share it. Remember, everything is truly equal, and in essence, you are never separate from anything.

Introduction to the Anahata Chakra:

When attention is focused on the Anahata Chakra, the individual is primarily concerned with love, compassion, empathy, relationships, forgiveness, and emotional balance. Their energy is directed towards these aspects, leaving little room for concerns like wealth or power. Consequently, their desires align with love, leading them to experience higher knowledge through connection with themselves and others. This mode of existence is predominantly sattvic, fostering a deep emotional connection, but also includes rajas, as challenges and pursuits of pleasure arise through relational connections rather than materialism.

The Anahata Chakra influences the thymus gland, which secretes hormones like thymosin to regulate the immune system and support emotional health. The thymus plays a key role in managing stress and maintaining emotional balance, helping the body cope with emotional and physical stress.

If focused primarily on love and compassion, one’s obstacles may include codependency and over-generosity. Deficiencies in this chakra however can lead to emotional isolation. Even those not fully centered in this chakra may face similar challenges and need to purify it to achieve balance and overcome these issues.

How to Expedite the Balancing of Anahata Chakra through Non-Dual Wisdom:

Engaging in acts of kindness and service, and seeing all beings as expressions of universal love, allows for truly selfless acts without expecting anything in return. This perspective builds unconditional engagement and helps one to see themselves in others, treating everyone equally. Recognize that even if you cannot help everyone, they are ultimately cared for because their fundamental nature is one of permanent bliss.

Try to experience love and compassion as expressions of universal oneness, and cultivate a deep sense of empathy and connection with all beings, understanding that they are manifestations of the same divine essence. Practice forgiveness and compassion, recognizing that every interaction, whether positive or negative, reflects Brahman. All experiences are part of the divine play of Brahman, and releasing grievances will help you connect more deeply with this inner divinity. Cultivate self-love by acknowledging your own divinity and interconnectedness with all forms, and engage in practices that affirm your worth as equal to all parts of the whole.

If all is Brahman, then don’t let the world's atrocities and others' hardships bring you excessive sorrow. Approach these situations with empathy and kindness, offering help where you can, but also recognize the importance of stepping back when needed. Understand that the difficulties others face may serve a deeper purpose related to their own spiritual growth, which you may not fully comprehend.

If everything is eternal and free, there is no need to be overwhelmed by emotional obstacles. View all circumstances and situations as expressions of Brahman, knowing that everything is unfolding perfectly, even within imperfections. Also understand that growth and understanding of your true nature often require navigating through challenges. Embrace these obstacles as necessary for your development and persevere with the awareness that they are integral to the divine play.

Introduction to the Vishuddha Chakra:

When attention is focused on the Vishuddha Chakra, the individual is primarily concerned with communication, self-expression, truth, listening, and authenticity. Their energy is directed towards articulating their truth and aligning with their values, often prioritizing clear expression and inner clarity. This focus leaves little room for other concerns, as they are driven to communicate in various forms. Their perspective transcends the dualities of lower chakras, leading to experiences that resonate with a higher frequency of knowledge, though not necessarily transcendental truths. This mode of existence is predominantly sattvic, with rajas still present due to ongoing activity and attachment to the physical world.

The Vishuddha Chakra influences the thyroid gland, which plays a vital role in voice production, vocal expression, and metabolism. A healthy thyroid ensures the vocal cords function effectively, enabling clear communication, while also regulating energy levels.

If focused primarily on self-expression, obstacles may include over-communication. Deficiencies in this chakra however can lead to a fear of expression. Even those not fully centered in this chakra may face these challenges and need to purify it to achieve balance and overcome these issues.

How to Expedite the Balancing of Vishuddha Chakra through Non-Dual Wisdom:

One should communicate and express themselves with the understanding that all speech is a reflection of universal truth. Words and expressions unfold in constant motion across the sea of interconnectedness, enabling learning and growth to ultimately reveal one's true nature. How you react to what is expressed differentiates between those who are impure and those who are pure. Therefore, engage in honest and clear expression as a means of aligning with the ultimate reality of Brahman, which involves having no resistance towards anything. Use your voice to convey insights that reflect the oneness of all existence, contributing to the expression that allows wisdom to emerge.

Don’t hold back a truth out of fear of others. This reluctance arises from perceiving others as separate and fearing their judgment or negative energy. Such expressions, while showing impurity, serve as opportunities to uplift others and help them align their expressions with truth. In other words, revealing your own purity is a blessing. See all as one unified field expressing itself naturally, while you remain intertwined in this flow without mental resistance. Embrace the flow of consciousness without fear, recognizing that everything is part of a play unfolding with the ultimate goal of revealing true knowledge.

Listen with the recognition that all communication is a form of divine expression, and develop active listening skills, understanding that every conversation is an opportunity to connect with the universal truth underlying all expression. You never know what insights you might gain that could purify the mind and reveal higher knowledge. Such knowledge can appear suddenly or in a flash, often emerging in moments of silence that can be cultivated through listening. Even listening can be a form of silence if you remain calm and let the words flow through you, allowing them to work their magic at the right divine moment. Use affirmations like “I shall listen to this world as the sound of Brahman.” See every opportunity for listening as a means for upliftment, even while remaining silent. The more you flow through life in this way, the more life works through you to manifest its wonders.

Introduction to the Ajna Chakra:

When attention is focused on the Ajna Chakra, the individual is primarily concerned with intuition, perception, wisdom, mental clarity, and insight. Their energy is directed towards these higher aspects of existence, leaving little room for ego-driven desires. As a result, they experience heightened intuition and a profound sense of divine presence. This state is predominantly sattvic, with minimal rajas, though the ego may still linger in the background.

The Ajna Chakra influences the pineal gland, a small endocrine gland that produces melatonin, which regulates sleep-wake cycles and seasonal rhythms. Melatonin affects sleep quality and timing, which in turn impacts mental clarity and intuitive abilities. When the Ajna Chakra is activated, it influences the pineal gland’s function, promoting a calm and relaxed state conducive to spiritual awareness, akin to a state of waking sleep.

If focused on intuition and insight, obstacles may include paranoia or disconnection from reality. Deficiencies in this chakra however can lead to a lack of clarity and intuitive ability. Those not fully centered in this chakra may need to purify it to overcome these challenges and achieve balance.

How to Expedite the Balancing of Ajna Chakra through Non-Dual Wisdom:

Enhance intuition and insights by recognizing that true wisdom arises from understanding Brahman. As you move away from conventional and analytical thinking, begin to embrace knowledge revealed through inner silence. This intuition emerges as a knowing beyond linear thought processes. Understand that mental clarity and intuition are manifestations of unified consciousness, deepening your insight.

Also understand that blocks in intuition often arise from egoic interference, such as fears, doubts, or overthinking. Practice observing these thoughts without attachment, understanding that they are transient and not your true self. This helps in clearing mental clutter and allows your intuition to flow more freely. Similarly, many instances of paranoia or fear may arise if one clings to the ego and fails to embrace higher knowledge. Therefore, it is important to remain detached and flow with the inner peace that arises, fully embracing it to release the ego's fear of the unknown.

Trust and follow intuitive insights, viewing them as reflections of the deeper self and guidance from Brahman, leading you towards its essence. See all experiences as part of the unfolding of your own self, with the ultimate goal of uncovering the deepest intuition, where even the object of intuition merges with the self.

Use affirmations such as “I trust my intuition” or “My insight comes from my true self” to recognize that your intuitive insights are expressions of awareness, which is your true nature. The more you trust your intuition, the more you gain conviction in its truth, without needing to overthink or question it. This allows your intuition to deepen, understanding that your true self is what brings intuition into appearance. As this understanding deepens, it transcends mere comprehension, until you become the very essence of intuition itself.

Introduction to the Sahasrara Chakra:

When attention is focused on the Sahasrara Chakra, the individual is primarily concerned with the highest consciousness, enlightenment, connection to the divine, and universal oneness. Their energy is centered on transcending dualities and seeking self-realization, using the physical realm as a means to reveal the true self. This state of existence is pure sattva, free from rajas or tamas, if one fully experiences their connection to the divine.

The Sahasrara Chakra influences the pituitary gland, known as the "master gland" because it regulates the function of other endocrine glands through its secretion of various hormones. The pituitary’s central role in regulating key physiological processes mirrors the Sahasrara Chakra’s function as the foundational center for all other chakras, as they depend on it for existence.

If focused on spirituality and enlightenment, obstacles may include spiritual arrogance or escapism. Deficiencies in this chakra however can lead to a lack of spiritual purpose. Those not fully centered in this chakra may face similar challenges and need to purify it to achieve balance and overcome these issues.

How to Expedite the Balancing of Sahasrara Chakra through Non-Dual Wisdom:

You should see that all beings are manifestations of the same universal consciousness. If this is the case, then why should one feel superior to others, even if more spiritually mature? Such feelings only indicate that there is more work to be done. Remember that there is no true "higher" self compared to others; rather, all are expressions of the same fundamental reality. By deeply understanding that the sense of individuality and separation is an illusion, the need for comparison or superiority dissolves. Spiritual ego is rooted in the belief in separation, which non-dual wisdom challenges directly. Instead of viewing yourself as “more enlightened” due to your spiritual practices, see your consciousness as a wave in the ocean of universal consciousness, just like everyone else. This perspective helps dissolve the hierarchical view created by spiritual ego.

Non-dual wisdom teaches that the present moment is the ultimate reality and that all experiences are part of this moment. Instead of escaping, fully engage with the present moment and the lessons it offers. There is no escaping what you already are. Embrace the moment, no matter how it is perceived, because there is only this moment. By accepting and integrating all experiences, you move away from escapism and towards a more authentic engagement with life.

For those who lack purpose, recognize that your true purpose is not separate from Brahman. Align with the flow of life, and your purpose will naturally express unity. See meaning in all things and understand that it is not found in external achievements but in recognizing the inherent value and interconnectedness of all experiences. Every moment and action is an expression of the same divine essence. The more you accept life’s natural occurrences—even those that seem unbeneficial—the more you embrace the hidden meaning of purpose and become aware of the ultimate purpose to be revealed.

Truly Embodying the Knowledge of Advaita:

Now that you understand the kind of experience one has when non-dual wisdom is truly embodied, you can see what it’s like to live in alignment with the Yamas and Niyamas and to naturally embody the balancing of chakras. This means living in a way that aligns with the understanding that there is only one reality, rather than perpetuating a dualistic experience by succumbing to the natural processes of the physical body, which only strengthens the belief in a separate, physical world.

Intellectual Practices:

Let’s take it a step further during this phase of mind purification to describe how one should live if non-dual reality is truly understood. To embody the knowledge of Advaita, you must live in a way that gives up the deep rooted belief that you are a body moving through time and space. You must also let go of the idea that you are the one causing actions to persist. If you are the actionless Self, timeless and spaceless, then you must live according to this understanding. This is the only way to break free from the conditioning that perpetuates the illusion of a false self experiencing a dualistic world.

Lesson: Intellectual Practices to Embody Non-Dual Wisdom

Theme 1, Phase 2: Taking Attention Beyond Sattvic Qualities

Now that we’ve explored various ways to purify the mind, we will discuss some pointers to aid in stillness. These pointers should be used alongside your ongoing mind purification practices, as they will help direct your attention toward your non-dual state. This second phase of mind purification involves initial methods to help shift attention toward greater stillness and contemplation. By maintaining these pointers, you can assist in removing disturbances that you continue to entertain, enabling you to focus on something deeper and more truthful. This allows one to move beyond merely virtue and righteousness. These pointers will be referred to as investigation methods. When reading through, contemplate each line and see how they all point to something that cannot be explained. They all point to that which is truly indescribable. Try to see how your dual experience is, in reality, non-dual.

Investigative Methods

Locality Investigation

Sight:

When does seeing begin?
If you believe it arises behind your eyes, where exactly behind your eyes does it arise? Why don’t you feel as if it is arising behind it? But rather feel as if it is happening seamlessly and automatically without necessary use of the eyes?
- Furthermore, how do you know you are seeing through your eyes?
Where is the act of seeing actually observed?
Where do you actually see objects that appear to be separate from you? Do you see it at a distance, as if the actual seeing is done way over there? Or is the seeing done right here in this very moment? Do you feel as if the seeing is done at a distance away from you?
If the eye is seeing, then where is the actual seeing taking place? Is it inside the head? How can that be if the head is just made up of flesh? Where is the observation taking place? How can the animation of what appears to be, happen inside inanimate flesh?

Sound:

Where is sound perceived?
Does it feel as if it registers in the ears? Is it perceived away from you, as if it originates from a distance? If it comes from a distance, is it heard at a distance, or rather heard in this very specific moment right here in your center? Can it just be a lower sound giving you the illusion that its father away, verses a higher sound that’s giving you the illusion that it’s near? Don’t both sounds, irrespective of intensity, heard in your center?
Does sound originate from a specific place? If it is registered in your center, then how can it originate somewhere else?

Touch:

Can you move closer or farther from a sensation?
Where is the actual sensation felt, irrespective of how small or big the sensation may be? In other words, where is the experienced registered, and perceived even though it is picked up through various organs such as the hands or legs?
Where is the actual sensation felt? Pinpoint it and find out if it is actually felt in a specific extremity or part of the human body. Isn’t there an intelligence that knows the sensation and that intelligence remains the same irrespective of where the sensation seems to take place? Can it be the sensations, irrespective of where they appear to be or how they are felt, are truly the same and are known in the same center?

Taste:

Where is taste experienced? Ignore the experience of munching on something in your mouth, but where is the actual experience of taste coming from? Can it actually arise from eating something as inert as matter? Where is that taste being registered?
When you dream at night, you can taste but is there something in your mouth when this taste is being experienced? So pinpoint where exactly the experience of taste is perceived.

Smell:

Where is smell registered?
What is the actual experience of smelling?
Can something so immaterial and complex like smelling a specific scent actually be experienced by a material body made up of inert flesh?
Does the perception of smell occur within the same center as with all other sensations?

Furthermore…

Where do thoughts originate? Do they emerge from a specific place?
Where do emotions manifest?
Where is your identity located?
Where am I? Where does "me" exist within all of these experiences? Is this “me” separate from these experiences? Or are they all happening in this very same center?
Is there a difference between “you” and all of these other experiences? Or are they all contained in a singular experience that’s happening in one center?

Boundary Investigation

Can you pinpoint the exact boundary where you, the subject/perceiver, end and the object perceived begins? Where does the subject/object boundary lie?
Can you sense where “you” end and the content of your vision begins? Where is this boundary? Extend this inquiry to all the different senses.
What evidence exists that certain sensations belong to you and others to something external?
Where is the evidence of self and non-self in the visual field?

Subject Investigation

Can you find the location of a subject?
Where does it reside?
Does it shift position?
What constitutes its essence?
How substantial is it?
What observes this subject?
What defines your essence?
Is it possible to lack awareness?

Time Investigation

When do thoughts about the future or the past occur?
Think of the past or future. Notice exactly what you are experiencing as you do this—thoughts, images, perhaps imaginary sensations. When are you experiencing this “past” or “future”? Are you experiencing these imaginings now?
Find the point where this moment ends and the next begins, or the point where the present turns into the future.
All thoughts, sensations, feelings, etc., only happen in the present moment. The illusion of past and future arises because you only have thoughts about the past and future in the present moment, which reinforces the illusion of there actually being a past and future.

Substance Investigation

What is the space in which experience appears? What is it made of?
What is the space in which thought appears?
What is imagination made of?
Does imagination appear in a different space than thought?
Does imagination appear in a different space than the world?
What is a sensation in direct experience? What is a sensation made of? What is a sensation if we only feel it and don't think about it?
Are thoughts/emotions/sensations made of different "material"?
Does a sensation or thought have a density or solidity to it? Where is this information in your experience?
Do objects in your field of experience have a density or solidity to them? What makes you sure they are solid? How do you know without memory/thought?
Is there any sort of identity in any sensations?
What is the texture of a thought? What is it made of?
What is the difference between form and seeing?
What is the difference between sound and hearing?

Practical Application:

Direct Perception: Observe sensory experiences (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) as they happen in the moment, without adding any judgments or interpretations.

Sensory Awareness: Notice how sensory inputs appear and disappear, understanding they are part of your consciousness and not separate from it.

Explore Perception: Question if there’s a separate "perceiver" or if perception is just a unified process within your awareness.

Non-Dual Sensation: Reflect on how sensations and perceptions are not separate from the self or the world—they are part of the same experience.

Unity in Sensation: See how sensory experiences blend together and how the separation between observer and observed often fades.

Witness Sensory Experiences: Observe sensations without identifying with them, noting how they come and go but with a fixed self behind them.

Subject-Object Blending: Try to drop the distinction between yourself (the observer) and the sensory experiences (the observed). Notice when there is just the experience, without a separate "me."

Interdependence Reflection: Consider how sensory perceptions rely on each other and the context they arise in. Observe how ideas of self and other are temporary constructs.

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THEME 2: CONCENTRATION

Now that we’ve gone through sufficient purification by applying mind-purification methods, we eventually reach a point where we must cultivate stillness in our attention and strive to maintain it without wavering. Concentration involves focused attention on a single object or thought. This practice helps stabilize the mind and prepare it for deeper meditation. When the mind becomes still and starts turning away from the senses, it reaches a state of inner calmness with fewer disturbances and greater focus on one thing rather than being pulled in many directions. Advanced concentration is achieved by maintaining attention on a single point for a sustained duration without interruption. When attention falters, disturbances arise, bringing with them sensory sensations and the meanings attached to the external world, leading to endless distractions. Thus, concentration is essential for focusing on subtler aspects of experience and avoiding the constant fragmentation into dualistic phenomena with strong meanings. The state where the mind remains fixed on one point without deviation is known as one-pointedness.

The extent to which one's attention diverges from a particular thought or object indicates the purity of the mind. If you can maintain focus on that thought without deviation, it reflects strong concentration and suggests mastery over desires. Conversely, if attention frequently diverges, it indicates that desires are in control, highlighting a need for mastery over them. While desires can vary widely, the fundamental desire is to experience oneself as a separate identity, which perpetuates the perception of separation. As long as there is a desire to maintain this separate self, attention will remain outward, engaging with various objects and thus sustaining the duality of existence.

Turning inward through concentration exposes deeper parts of the mind, fostering contemplation and introspection. This process leads to greater inner peace and stillness, where suffering becomes less noticeable. By focusing on something more subtle and maintaining attention on a single point, concentration helps prevent diversion towards other distractions. Thus, concentration is a crucial practice for keeping attention steady and one-pointed.

Concentration in the context of Jnana Yoga:

When one is introduced to the truth of reality, which says there is only Brahman. They are taught that Brahman is timeless, spaceless, and is pure awareness without any content. It is therefore learned as undifferentiated consciousness that is dependent on itself and only itself since itself is all that exists. What appears to be other than itself is wrong and just a false understanding. The truth is that there exists only this pure singular awareness, and if one is deceived into believing otherwise, they are caught in samsara and therefore see things differently through the eyes of deception (ignorance).

So if Brahman is all there is, then why is it that you see something different? Furthermore, how can you align your practices truly with this understanding that reality is fundamentally pure consciousness (non-dual)? The only reason you see things differently is because you believe things to be that way. Furthermore, you cling to objects and the belief that those objects are separate from you, by placing your attention on them and believing that they are distinct things that exist ‘out there’, as if ‘out there’ is actually real. So if someone wants to come to the conclusion that this specific way of seeing things is false, then they would have to begin to see things and believe them in a completely opposite fashion. For this to actually work, you would need to stop placing your attention outward as if there is an outward expression, and rather hold onto awareness as the only reality. This itself is the vedantic way of concentration!

Concentration in the context of Jnana Yoga, is therefore being able to turn inward and hold onto formless awareness itself. It is not about holding onto any thought and object, because by holding onto a thought or object, or simply focusing your attention on a singular point, is objectifying Brahman, by making it seem that Brahman is an actual thing or object. How can you truly concentrate and eventually realize the real truth of Brahman, if Brahman is really formless and without any objectification? How can we really experience this truth of ourselves, if you continue to see Brahman as a thing? It only means you are making yourself the subject perceiving an object, which is still delusion—the very existence of the false jiva or individual.

To experience the truth of Brahman, is to rest as formlessness and see that there was never any such thing as projected objects or things. What was always there was solely just awareness and nothing else. Seeing this as something else is delusion (samsara). Everything else that was considered things was just a deception and not truly real. Therefore, the type of concentration that we must practice on this path is objectless concentration. You are not supposed to think or hold onto a specific object or thought with your awareness or attention but simply turn inward without conceiving anything. Conceiving of anything else is forming the existence of an illusory thing that doesn’t truly exist, and by perpetuating the existence of this “thing” means you’re perpetuating the illusion of maya which makes it seem that there are actual things!

When you are concentrating, it is Nirguna Dharana—formless concentration. You’re not holding onto anything! Your attention is focused and stabilized but not on anything at all. You can see how advanced this practice must be, because most people can only do this with an object or thought to keep attention firm, i.e. they need something to hold on to. But with concentration on the path of jnana, we must really understand the truth of reality which is non-dual and therefore align our practice to this fundamental understanding. By aligning our practice in such a precise way, it only means we must engage in formless or objectless concentration to keep the truth of Brahman alive.

Different Types of Concentration:

While concentration may seem straightforward, there are different types of concentration. One type is objectless concentration as mentioned before, which involves focusing away from any object or thought. The other type is concentration is on an object, where attention is directed toward a specific object or thought. Objectless concentration is more challenging, but it is the essence upon which Jnana Yoga is based. Since Advaita says you are the actionless self, you must still the mind and keep attention stabilized without placing it on anything that appears to be acting. Since all objects and anything conceivable falls within this field of movement, you are not focusing on the action, but rather focusing on the actionless, which is formless. This may first start of as a thought, but to really embrace the methodology of objectless concentration, there can be no thought or object or any type of objectification present for this concentration to be fully successful.

How to Enable Objectless Concentration:

In this section we will explain how to enable objectless concentration by becoming more qualified. Being qualified in this case is one who begins to possess or harness the four-fold qualifications as devised by Adi Shankara. These qualifications are qualities or disciplines a seeker must possess or develop in order to pursue the path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga) and attain liberation (Moksha).

The four-fold qualifications are:

Viveka – Discrimination between the real (Atman) and the unreal (illusory world of objects).
Vairagya – Dispassion or detachment from worldly desires and attachments.
Shatsampat – The six virtues:
- Shama (calmness of mind)
- Dama (self-control)
- Uparati (withdrawal from distractions)
- Titiksha (endurance/persistence)
- Shraddha (complete faith in the teachings)
- Samadhana (mental concentration)
Mumukshutva – Intense desire for liberation (Moksha).

Technically, these qualifications can also be considered part of the mind purification process. However, we will list them under the concentration theme, as their development enables concentration and helps one become more focused and still through repetitive practice.

It is important to note that these qualifications are not something you practice and then attain at a specific point in time. They are not fixed achievements. Rather, they naturally develop even as you read this message. They will continue to grow as you evolve through this life and future lives. The more you practice, the more your mind becomes purified. And as your mind becomes purified, you naturally develop these qualities, as they are a natural consequence of ongoing practice and spiritual evolution.

These fourfold qualifications, while each offering a unique perspective on how to inevitably lead to unbroken attention and reveal the Self through non-dual samadhi, all influence each other. In other words, if one grows, the others grow as well. Similarly, if one diminishes, the others diminish. They should be practiced repeatedly until they all develop sufficiently, allowing one to fully concentrate by letting go of the constant emergence of desires and distractions from the external world.

The more you cultivate these qualifications, the more you grow in equanimity and detachment, ultimately leading to the exposure of the Self. When the Self is exposed, you reach the complete height and pinnacle of these qualifications. These qualities should continue to develop until the Self is permanently revealed. However, we will now explain what these qualifications are in detail and how to develop them sufficiently to enable concentration, so that one can then enter into subjective meditation, the third theme.

Lesson: The Four Preliminary Qualifications

How to Remain in Concentration:

Repetitive practice of the fourfold qualifications as devised by Adi Shankara builds the ability to concentrate for longer periods without distraction. The more consistently you practice this, the fewer disturbances you will encounter. This is because the mind becomes purer and more accustomed to being internalized rather than externalized. If the mind remains constantly focused on external distractions, it will be difficult to avoid disturbances. Therefore, repeated practice is essential for overcoming this ingrained habit and is crucial for maintaining attention in a state of continuous focus. The more you practice, the more you will inwardly introspect, and see directly that the practices are working as you begin to transform and be less attached to actions.

If you struggle to maintain concentration, you need to work on purifying the mind by revisiting the purification phases. Desires must be weakened to a point where you can effectively concentrate by turning away from objects that perpetuate those desires. Developing proficiency in concentration requires addressing these desires and refining your ability to maintain focus.

Intuitive Wisdom Received through Concentration:

As concentration deepens, prana naturally follows where attention is directed. This is because prana is integral to the subtle body. As awareness turns inward and attention becomes more focused, prana penetrates deeper, revealing wisdom or information that you were previously unconscious of. Consequently, accessing subtler planes becomes more natural when attention moves away from the physical realm and body, where the senses create an illusion of separation and immersion in physical qualities and attributes.

Prana helps attention maintain focus on subtle planes without diverting outward to the physical realm. Thus, prana naturally supports concentration as attention is directed inward. When prana is concentrated in a specific plane (not yet the pure self)—indicated by the depth of one's attention and self-absorption—it reveals knowledge about that plane, since prana and knowledge are interconnected and prana serves as the foundation of wisdom. By focusing prana on a particular plane, hidden divine wisdom or knowledge can be unveiled, which would otherwise remain inaccessible if attention remained bound to the physical realm, where such insights are obscured.

Additionally, the amount of energy you harness and the degree of concentration you maintain in a particular plane will determine the extent of wisdom you receive. The greater the energy and focus, the deeper the fixation, leading to access to more profound and truthful knowledge. This enhanced fixation allows for the continuous revelation of insights without distraction, facilitating the retention of these discoveries. Ultimately, this knowledge is integrated into the outer dimension, enabling the seeker to effectively communicate their insights to others.

Prana enhances concentration by irresistibly drawing your attention to its energy, pulling you into a realm where knowledge is revealed instantly, bypassing the need for sensory input-like hearing or seeing. This knowledge arrives in a flash, akin to the experience of tasting a delicious mango without having to physically handle it. You grasp this knowledge intuitively, understanding the answers directly without a linear process of communication.

Thus, wisdom, powerful insights, and siddhis are natural occurrences when one's mind is becoming purified and accessing intelligence that was previously blocked due to attention being immersed in physicality. These are signs of mind purification and experiences that everyone will have if they are practicing correctly. If one does not access this wisdom through the help of prana, it simply means their attention is still focused on the physical plane, and their mind requires further purification, as they have not yet penetrated the deeper and more intelligent koshas.

With persistent practice in harnessing prana, your ability to concentrate will improve, even while engaging with the physical world. Your experiences will transform you, changing how you interact with and perceive your surroundings. This transformation will help you remain calmer in the face of disturbances and respond more thoughtfully compared to those who react from a place of deep ignorance.

Lesson: Different Types of Siddhis

When you harness prana, you can direct this energy to penetrate deeper planes using intention. This process involves employing your mental focus to guide the energy, much like using intention to achieve a specific task. Visualization can also aid this process; picture the energy moving deeper while simultaneously sensing it. Acknowledge the presence of the energy and direct it with your intention.

As energy interacts with these deeper planes, it facilitates purification and provides profound insights into traumas held in the external dimensions. This process does not follow a fixed timeline and varies according to the state of the mind. As purification progresses, you will observe changes and transformations in how these deep-seated qualities are expressed in the physical plane. Thus, continuous self-analysis and assessment are essential to sustain and integrate this inner knowledge throughout the journey.

When you direct energy into a deeper plane, you will begin to experience the qualities and attributes of that plane. Essentially, you will feel and perceive what the plane represents. The intensity of these experiences depends on your focus and the amount of prana you use to keep your attention fixed on that plane. As you concentrate on these qualities, they become more pronounced. The more you immerse yourself in the energy of that location, the more it amplifies the experience. The amount of energy you choose to harness or withdraw depends on your skill level. Thus, constant practice is crucial for mastering energy, as it teaches you how to direct it, determine how much to use, and manage your own absorption in the process.

The more focused you become, the more absorbed you are, leading to a diminished awareness of the physical body. As your concentration deepens, your attention remains fixed and undisturbed, achieving a higher level of stillness. When you penetrate deeper, it is possible to transcend the physical body and enter a specific plane. This often occurs when you experience intense pulsations from concentrated energy in that dimension. At this point, you move beyond the physical body's qualities and attributes, losing consciousness of it and entering the associated spiritual realm.

This represents an out-of-body experience, where your attention is directed into a different dimension. In these dimensions, physical senses such as hearing, seeing, and smelling are not needed, as perception operates independently of these physical organs. For instance, communication occurs telepathically: your questions appear as thoughts and are answered instantly within your mind. There is no potential for misinterpretation, as answers are conveyed directly through thought, eliminating any chance of miscommunication. In the spiritual realms, everything is interconnected, allowing knowledge to be accessed purely through thought.

Accessing these dimensions allows you to experience hidden realms of knowledge. Each realm offers insights into aspects that were not perceived while your attention was focused on the physical plane of existence, known as bhu-loka. Just as you gain understanding about physicality in bhu-loka through its qualities and attributes, you can also access knowledge about the subtle planes, each with its own distinct characteristics. This knowledge, being devoid of physicality, is more intuitive and is sensed inwardly as being more truthful and pure.

The qualities and attributes you experience while maintaining body-consciousness are only a fragment of their full vividness. When you are fully immersed and no longer conscious of your physical body, these attributes become much more pronounced. In the physical plane, these attributes are less expressed and more concealed. By exposing them to body-consciousness, you facilitate integration and can remove the impressions (samskaras) that drive desires outward toward the realm of physicality.

How different realms are perceived through an out-of-body experience held in different dimensions:

Satyaloka (Brahmaloka)
- Representation: The highest realm, associated with truth, supreme consciousness, and the abode of Brahma, the creator deity.
- Perception: This realm is experienced as a vacuum of bliss, with almost no sense of separation. While you do not become Brahma or the innate function of creation, you are one with the creative function, experiencing everything as part of yourself, and yourself as everything simultaneously. It is a pure vacuum of bliss, radiant with sparkling dazzles and infinite knowledge, where you understand all things at once. You are unified with infinite intelligence or the cosmic mind. Here, knowledge is not perceived linearly but forms the basis of all that can be conceived of in linear motion. Deep within this substratum exists a horizon that, if crossed, leads to turiya, or absolute truth. In turiya, you no longer feel the bliss of the pure vacuum but merely witness it, free from any separation or ego that would allow you to perceive something as distinct from yourself.
Tapaloka
- Representation: A realm of intuition and vivid insights about the highest intelligence, where many Sages reside to hold on to their most extreme subtle form.
- Perception: It is experienced as a state of profound inner bliss and spiritual radiance, as if the intelligent space around you is completely pure and free from contaminants. This realm is characterized by access to profound knowledge and wisdom. You can access the cosmic mind's knowledge while maintaining an extremely subtle form of self. With this knowledge, you understand things instantly and can experience anything conceivable without taking physical action. For example, you can experience the thrill of flying without actually flying; the experience feels vividly real and clear without the need to leap into the air. In this realm, every thought manifests instantly, bypassing linear time and motion. Time operates differently here—it slows down, as there is no need to traverse through it, but yet thoughts can be expressed rapidly fast through your own creation. Knowledge is accessed purely by thought, manifesting instantly to satisfy your desires. Thoughts succeed each other rapidly, allowing you to appear in any world instantly by willing it, as you generate thoughts from the cosmic mind itself.
Janaloka
- Representation: A realm of light associated with beings characterized by their high levels of wisdom.
- Perception: Perceived as a space of profound understanding and harmony, this realm offers a deeper connection to cosmic truths and divine intentions. It is experienced primarily as light, where you retain a transparent form and have extremely vivid sensory perceptions. You can smell, taste, and touch light in countless expressions, while still maintaining a more dualistic form compared to tapoloka. In this realm, you might feel as if you are roaming through space, causing time to operate differently, with your subjective experience moving from point A to point B at a slower pace. The space here is intensely filled with light and warmth, creating an environment you never want to leave. It is extremely peaceful and imbued with immense inner joy, while still being closely connected to the intelligence that shapes this realm and others.
Maharloka
- Representation: A higher realm of significant spiritual merit and beings who possess a lot of love and harmony with others.
- Perception: Experienced as a realm of profound love, tranquility, and connection with others and the environment, this realm offers a diversity of worlds that are much more vivid and beautiful than nighttime dreams. The air might smell like a million roses, and you can explore worlds that are extraordinarily heavenly. Here, there is a deep connection with all beings and the environment, characterized by love, compassion, and interconnectedness. The worlds available are infinite, shaped by your desires and intentions. Unlike the physical world, pain, disease, or illness do not exist here. Instead, you inhabit a realm of enhanced imagination, overflowing with bliss and beauty. While this realm is heavenly like Svar-loka, it is far more blissful and imbued with a higher level of intelligence that can be influenced through intention. Imagine any dream you’ve enjoyed as a blissful adventure and amplify it by 10,000—that’s how the dream world in these lokas manifests as your actual reality.
Svarloka
- Representation: The heavenly realm where beings experience pleasure, happiness, and reward for good deeds.
- Perception: Experienced as a paradise of sensory delights and enjoyment, this realm is characterized by beauty, luxury, and blissful experiences. It is often described as "heaven" in near-death experiences and represents a plane that surpasses physicality. While it may not have the extreme love of Mahar Loka, it is considered a heavenly paradise by those transitioning from the physical plane, with its beauty and majesty making it a place where no one wants to leave. Although there are some limitations to what one can experience, the realm is astral in nature, embodying serenity, warmth, peace, pleasure, and a profound sense of security, as if other beings and guides are watching over and taking care of you.
Bhuloka (Earthly Realm)
- Representation: The physical plane of existence to embody the “human experience” encompassing the material world and everyday life.
- Perception: Perceived as the realm of physical reality and duality, this loka encompasses the full range of human experiences and challenges, similar to those you encounter as a human being. Here, beings identify with the human body and experience a plane of physicality where pain, suffering, and trauma are prevalent. This realm is characterized by greater deception and enhanced perceptions of separation, leading to suffering. It lies between higher and lower realms, which allows for a broad spectrum of experiences, encompassing both lower and higher states of consciousness. It provides a valuable contrast for understanding higher states, as it juxtaposes good and bad experiences. In this plane, one can experience both heaven and hell; while some may encounter heavenly experiences, others may face significant suffering, reflecting the dual nature of this realm.

The lower lokas, while often described as hellish, do not consist of eternal fires as depicted in many religions. Instead, they are deceptive states of consciousness that obscure the truth of higher states. In these realms, it is more challenging to grasp higher truths, leading to increased suffering and pain because beings are unaware of more profound experiences and truths. You can get a sense of the qualities and attributes of these realms by focusing energy in your lower extremities for an extended period. The sensations are typically unpleasant compared to the more joyful qualities experienced when focusing on the heart, for example. This contrast provides insight into how these lower states must feel if you were actually living in them.

The perception you have in these different planes is not fixed by a single experience. Instead, experiences in each loka can manifest in infinite ways while still retaining the essence of each loka’s specific qualities and attributes. The duration you can remain in these dimensions depends on your level of concentration. Masterful individuals can remain in these realms indefinitely, while those who are newly exposed to them may lose the experience quickly and need to re-enter and practice in order to stay for longer periods.

In essence, the journey of life involves overcoming fundamental attachments and limitations associated with lower dimensions. By breaking through these dimensions through purification, one facilitates spiritual ascension and realizes higher states of consciousness that is more immaterial, signifying a more truthful knowing of the nature behind reality. To evolve and progress to the next major initiations, one must remain immersed in these higher states for an extended period to reduce karmic footprint and attachments that keep them tied to lower dimensions, where reality is more deceiving-enabling a perception of physicality, when in truth, there is never any substance behind it.

While many consider these out-of-body experiences to be a form of samadhi, they are not non-dual samadhi, which represents the pinnacle of spiritual maturity. Instead, these experiences are higher states of consciousness, often referred to as yogic samadhi, where consciousness is heightened to access extra-sensory states without the need of a physical body. Similar to being in the dream state without ever having to use the gross body. This is a natural occurrence before one exposes the self, since these are the subtle states that must be exposed and fully negated to reach the final and inner substratum, beyond all subtle states.

With consistent practice of concentration and the effective use of prana, your attention becomes more fixated and less prone to drifting, even wanting to be exposed to subtle planes. By harnessing this energy, you can stabilize awareness, rather than letting it wander, as it does when engaged with physicality. As your concentration deepens and you immerse yourself in the deeper planes of the mind, maintaining this focus becomes easier and requires less effort. Improved concentration allows you to sustain focus for longer periods and reduces the influence of the ego. Through ongoing practice, concentration enhances mental clarity and prepares you for the deeper states of meditation even while actions continue, no matter what plane is being experienced.

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THEME 3: MEDITATION

Introduction of Meditation

When one achieves intense focus, whether through objectless concentration or even concentration on an object (a more preliminary practice), the attention becomes as steady as a continuous stream of oil. This sustained, uninterrupted focus is known as absorption in meditation. In meditation, there is a continuous, self-sustaining flow of attention and awareness remaining unaffected by the mind's fluctuations. In other words, attention remains in an unbroken flow, undisturbed by any single thought or distraction. It maintains a persistent and continuous motion without splitting into separate or distinct perceptions.

Lessons:

Objective Meditation vs Subjective Meditation

As described in the previous lessons, objective meditation involves focusing on a specific object or thought while suppressing all other objects and thoughts until the single object or thought being focused on fades away. In this process, Brahman is objectified by turning it into a thought, and one immerses themselves completely in this singular thought appearance.

In contrast, subjective meditation seeks to negate all objects and thoughts, including those related to Brahman. During this process, subtler thoughts and knowledge are revealed and negated until Brahman is uncovered as the ultimate, unchanging source.

Subjective meditation aims to achieve jivanmukti, or liberation while retaining the physical body. This can only be accomplished through viveka, the spiritual discernment necessary to turn inward completely without requiring physical inactivity. Without viveka, meditation remains objective, where Brahman becomes an object of focus. In this scenario, the seeker might fall into laya, a state of dormancy or further objectification, or, if they possess sufficient spiritual merit, ascend through higher realms and voluntarily discard their bodies through mahasamadhi, attaining liberation in the more subtle realms before merging with the absolute truth (via process of Kramamukti).

Therefore, the path of Jnana Yoga, which involves turning attention inward through practices of subjective meditation through the support of the conceptual knowledge of non-dualism (Advaita) can be employed to achieve any type of mukti, as one who is in the far-end of spiritual ascension may reap any kind depending on what they want to redeem. However, Jnana Yoga is its own means to produce liberation while retaining form (Jivanmukti). Through this methodology, an individual can expose the self even while the appearance of actions continue. If the individual chooses to take attention to the subtle realms instead, they can reap liberation through the other method of Kramamukti (liberation in steps via the higher realms).

The Leap of Faith:

When you enter Brahmaloka or the highest plane, you become immersed in a vast sea of interconnectedness with only a slight trace of ego remaining to recognize this state. Deep beneath this chakra however lies a horizon that draws you closer the more you focus on it. As your attention becomes increasingly absorbed by this horizon, sharp intuitive flashes of knowledge emerge. This knowledge is not about the ego or its entertainments but about liberating yourself from it. You will experience profound insights revealing that as you approach this horizon, while your ego diminishes, leaving behind the formless substratum—Brahman, or the bottomless pit.

As you approach the horizon, you start to receive glimpses of what Brahman is like through direct knowledge. This is intuitive knowledge that guides you in making a critical decision: Will you turn back and maintain the ego, or will you dive into this singularity, letting go of everything, including your sense of being a separate self? Furthermore, since extreme amounts of bliss is felt, one tends to remain in this shrouded layer without the discipline to cross over.

Lessons:

Laya vs Liberation:

The leap of faith can be taken in three ways:

While the physical body is still alive but no longer conscious of its appearance (Laya)
After the death of all bodies (physical, subtle, and causal) (Kramamukti)
While the physical body is still alive and conscious of its appearance (Jivanmukti)

If the leap of faith is taken while the physical body is still alive and without awareness of its appearance, it will result in a form of laya, or temporary dissolution of the ego. This means the ego will eventually revive, and the individual will revert to the body or mind that has not yet permanently died, where the illusion of duality still exists. This occurs because the seeker has not eradicated all vasanas or the potential to revert to duality and has instead temporarily suppressed duality rather than permanently transforming it into non-duality (i.e., fully correcting one’s perception).

If the leap of faith is taken after the death of all bodies, it results in kramamukti, or liberation in stages. In this case, one eradicates all desires through the highest realm of Brahmaloka and eventually destroys the ego permanently upon crossing the horizon, thus plunging into absolute truth and never returning. This is typically achieved through mahasamadhi.

However, if one makes the leap of faith while still retaining the appearance of the body, by avoiding laya and remaining fully alert, they can abide in sahaj nirvikalpa samadhi, or turiya, while still holding the body’s appearance. This means they have fully realized the truth that Advaita Vedanta teaches: nonduality is already present and not necessarily something to be sought after bodily departure. In this instance, one effectively dissolves the mind or permanently removes the illusion of its existence. Note: This type of leap represents the pinnacle of subjective meditation.

Making the leap while still retaining the appearance of the body requires the power of viveka, the ability to turn inward even while outward appearances persist. This means you are not suppressing anything but are turning away from everything while it continues. Without viveka, meditation will result in laya, or temporary dissolution of the ego. Even through the highest plane Brahmaloka, viveka is naturally used to isolate oneself from the appearance, thereby merging into Brahman, though its done as a form of objective meditation at first in order to reach the highest loka.

Achieving mahasamadhi, which can be granted only by grace (Shaktipat), is another main route. This grace, given by the cosmic intelligence or shakti, serves as a spiritual reward for liberation. Essentially, all forms of liberation are manifestations of Shaktipat, since it is grace alone that enables liberation. However, you must make the necessary efforts to approach grace closely enough for it to guide you. Shaktipat is only bestowed upon those with purified minds, who are ready for that final push toward liberation.

Fear and Resistance:

Fear and resistance are present throughout the entire spiritual journey. However, the fear that arises when approaching the horizon to plunge into the depths of Brahman is the most profound. It is the fear of annihilating the ego and realizing through profound knowledge that it never truly existed. To reach and embody this realization, you must relinquish the ego to see that it was never real. Yet, most people resist letting go of the ego because it has been central to their existence in the illusion of perpetual dreams. It represents all we have known through lifetimes of ignorance.

So, how can one overcome this fear?

To understand how to overcome fear, we first need to understand its nature. Fear, stress, anxiety, and panic often arise when the ego diminishes because it completely dismantles our existing view of reality. It transforms us, revealing that what we once considered normal was, in fact, not. Our instinct is to cling to this old normalcy rather than embrace a more truthful reality. This resistance occurs because we prefer the comfort of the familiar over the unfamiliar, driven by ignorance or unconsciousness about these new states. Fear, panic, and anxiety also emerge when we begin to change our perceptions abruptly through intense practice, rather than through a gradual transition. This is why it’s important to integrate what you learn through these experiences and eventually go deeper at your pace while integration is continuously practiced.

Only by being absorbed in these deeper states long enough can we burn away the deeply rooted karma of mula avidya, thereby releasing the greatest fear: the fear of relinquishing the ego. If mula-avidya is not entirely eradicated, even upon transcending to higher realms, you will inevitably return to your respective realm or take on a new body. This is why it is essential to overcome the potential to dream and fully eliminate the illusion of separateness.

THEME 4: SAMADHI

As you can see from the above themes, we began with mind purification because attention was constantly trying to latch on to different things. It is often distracted by various things, such as objects or thoughts which enables the false perception of linearity. Because attention continually clings to different things, it reinforces the existence of the jiva, which perceives these things as separate from itself. This experience perpetuates samsara by affirming the illusion of time and space, allowing the perception of external objects to occur, albeit as an illusion. The mind purification phase helps attention become still, as described by the transparent mind, which begins to cling less and less and finds peace in its own stillness, where attention no longer wanders as much. This begins to remove the false perception one experiences.

The theme of concentration is when attention becomes firm and one-pointed, allowing it to stabilize without drifting as much as before, when one was constantly immersed in samsara. As concentration intensifies, attention becomes still and unbroken, perceiving itself as stillness, with the illusion of separation beginning to dissolve in deep meditation. This occurs as a result of a one-pointed mind, where attention turns inward, becoming self-absorbed. In other words, because attention is all you have, instead of being directed outward toward illusions that perpetuate the perception of externalities, it turns in on itself, away from these illusions, as if being drawn into its own singularity—which is its true nature void of a deception that makes you believe otherwise. It becomes unbroken, no longer shifting from one object or thought to another, allowing the perception of thoughts and linearity to cease altogether.

When awareness caves in on itself, with nowhere else to go, it has no choice but to plunge into samadhi, or complete self-absorption, marked by the loss of ego. One no longer feels like a doer or someone who exerts effort or will. Samadhi is synonymous with the true self since one reveals the actionless self. There is no longer the perception of thoughts, nor the illusion of separation as a real phenomenon. Only one unified awareness shines and remains, and this awareness is the real "you"—the only thing in existence, as this "you" is existence itself. The pure mind is revealed as the self, and we can no longer label it as a mind, since there was only ever the self!

Lessons:

As you can see, the most advanced theme is samadhi, as it represents the tail end of all spiritual efforts. When one is qualified to even approach this theme, it indicates that their mind is so purified that it becomes purely transparent, allowing them to perceive their true nature as the one and only Brahman (pure consciousness). Regardless of the type of samadhi—whether it is nirvikalpa samadhi without the presence of objects, or nirvikalpa samadhi in the presence of objects—any samadhi will not initially be 100% stabilized due to the vasanas that divert attention away from it and back to the impure mind that holds the existence of the jiva. Therefore, samadhi must be practiced repeatedly to remove these deeply rooted vasanas and to fully break the conditioning that has enabled you to experience maya for what seems like an eternity. When the deep-rooted conditioning of vasanas are dissolved, then samadhi as your natural self remains perpetually permanent (moksha). Attention is now fully self-absorbed and completely and utterly unbroken without any potentiality that exists to make it seem or appear otherwise. The objective world vanishes as only pure awareness shines in its own eternal and dimensionless center.

The only way to eliminate these deep-rooted vasanas while occupying a physical form is to sustain samadhi in the presence of objects. If this cannot be done during the appearance of the physical experience, then the only alternative is to willfully discard the physical body and travel to the subtle realms, merging with Brahman after all other bodies (subtle and causal) have been fully discarded.

For the Sage who knows their true nature and whose mind is greatly purified, they possess the ability to adopt either method, as they are already capable of accessing and reaping both through constant telepathic communication and the intuitive knowledge revealed in the deep field of inner intelligence before the grand finale. Therefore, no method is greater than the other. The idea of one method being superior is a belief held only by the ignorant—those who lack the power to master both. The Sage will redeem the reward of liberation on their own terms, though ultimately, it is Ishwara who calls them and leads them in the direction they are destined to tread.

The Ultimate Rewards to be Redeemed:

Plunging into Brahman while retaining form:

Since Brahman is the underlying truth of all deceptive states of consciousness, such as the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states, it can be accessed through any manifested state, without needing to discard a specific state, like the physical body. This means there is no need to die physically to access the non-dual substratum, as Brahman is the truth of all illusory states and can be accessed at any moment, regardless of the body, since it is the essence of all states. Advaita Vedanta speaks of this truth, the non-dual self, which you always possess but which remains hidden from your perception due to immersion in these deceptive states, creating the illusion of something separate. This implies that if you practice sadhanas diligently and purify the mind to a significant degree, the non-dual self you already have—since it is the essence of your being—can be realized even in the midst of the waking world (i.e., amidst the appearance of objects), if one chooses to attain liberation in this way. This liberation is known as Jivanmukti, or liberation with form.

Through subjective meditation, this liberation can be attained by repeatedly turning attention away from all thoughts and objects, withdrawing consciousness from the intelligence of maya (which includes the projected body), until awareness is fully isolated from the illusion and focused on the non-dual substratum. This can occur even while one still retains the appearance of maya and continues to inquire amidst active experiences. Over time, actions become actionless, and one directly perceives that moving action is merely an appearance, projected on the unchanging screen of awareness. It becomes clear that there was never a need to forcibly suppress actions, but only to redirect attention away from them, while they appear to continue.

When one withdraws attention from the physical body, they no longer experience the senses as something real. Instead, they inwardly sense the prana, or the energy that constitutes the appearance of the physical body. What once appeared to be a physical body is now recognized as energy, revealing the truth behind the illusion of physicality. Since the senses are not being actively engaged but still seem to function, they remain aware of this phenomenon, though they now perceive it as subtle occurrences that no longer concern them. This contrasts with one who is completely immersed and hypnotized by the senses, without engaging in any sadhana to shift their attention away from them. From this perspective, for the one who has entirely turned away from the senses, those senses are now known to be non-existent. They no longer perpetuate a physical experience, and what was once perceived as physical can now be understood as immaterial, like energy.

When attention is increasingly turned away from the energy, while still retaining the appearance of the physical body—though it can no longer be regarded as truly physical—the individual begins to perceive a more truthful reality. This reality becomes less about energy and more about intuition, accompanied by vivid insights into the immaterial mind. They enter realms where the sense of separation diminishes, bringing with it greater bliss and less ego, allowing them to perceive the interconnectedness of all realities.

One enters deeply self-absorbed worlds that are atomic in nature—so withdrawn and condensed into a point of immense power, allowing one to create worlds through thought alone. Whatever one desires, worlds manifest, for these are highly intelligent dimensions where thoughts shape realities. The fundamental nature of any reality, whether subtle or physical, is made up of thoughts driven by imagination, superimposed on pure awareness. In these highly intelligent, causal realms—since they are the source of other worlds—one can venture freely. However, if attention becomes absorbed in these thoughts, the individual finds themselves inside the worlds created by those thoughts, with the solidification of an ego that perceives itself as experiencing these realities. But if one holds onto this subtle, intelligent realm and withdraws attention from the thoughts that spontaneously create worlds, they can venture even deeper. By continuously practicing self-inquiry, one must keep turning attention away from anything conceivable. Failure to do so keeps attention locked in illusion. However, even within the deepest recesses of the mind, the illusion grants one the intelligence to understand maya and its multiplying creations.

When attention rests on a realm that cannot easily be described as thought, but rather as a state of blissful interconnectedness—like a pure vacuum—it suggests Brahmaloka, the abode of truth. While the Sage remains conscious of the body and the waking world, their mind is inwardly absorbed in Brahmaloka, where they receive sharp, vivid insights. In this realm, there exists a horizon, and if crossed, one enters the absolute while still retaining the appearance of the body. If one ventures close enough to the horizon, where the split or isolation between the self and the non-self can eventually occur, profound realizations arise about what lies beyond. These realizations happen while still retaining the ego—the perception of being an individual who knows a truth that transcends individuality. As one continues to hold onto their form while being inwardly elsewhere, the form doesn’t disappear but is instead perceived as illusory. The horizon represents the point where the plunge must happen, where the distinction between the self and the non-self dissolves through inner meditative discrimination. Initially, this crossing is terrifying, and one will not immediately cross over, especially if desires for something different still persist. To remove these deeply rooted desires that have sustained the notion of individuality—desires deeper than those for mundane objects—one must remain by the horizon for some time, until all desires are extinguished and the fear of going beyond is gone. This dissolving of desires is the cultivation of extreme dispassion, which can only occur through deep inquiry. Through this process, one works toward giving up the desire to experience the dream of maya as a separate self. The deepest levels of dispassion can only be cultivated by confronting the horizon of consciousness, which ultimately merges with the pure self.

The symptoms leading up to the exposure of absolute consciousness, or Brahman, are marked by sharp, hard-hitting insights like flashes of instant downloads into your being of a formless reality that exists beyond the illusion of maya. Pulsations reverberate through the very foundation of the false "self," which is merely an appearance. These pulsations cause the perception of a snapshot—or the specific "now" moment you're aware of in any given instant—to throb. This throbbing, or pulsating, breaks apart the snapshot from the next subsequent one, revealing that your true identity exists beyond these almost identical but distinct moments. In other words, the truth of who you are is the space between the snapshots (a thought appearance), a space that you were unable to grasp before, since your attention was fixed inside all of the unraveling snapshots. This fixation paved the way for the illusion of linear experiences to unfold within the appearance of a body you considered to be physical. You were deceived by the convincing illusion of successive snapshots, where each moment flowed seamlessly into the next, creating the illusion of a solid reality while you perceived yourself as a solid entity. In truth, this false sense of self is nothing more than a culmination of lifeless, inert snapshots, much like the distinct frames that make up the projection of an unfolding movie. All of this happens while you continue to hold the empty appearance of the physical body. However, as the experience unfolds, you no longer see the body as physical, but as an appearance that arises and dissolves continuously with each pulsation or throb. This suggests that the waking world itself is an illusion—a stubborn projection—perpetuated by the cycling of these fleeting, fragmented moments.

The more the snapshots flicker in and out of existence, the more you begin to truly realize that you are that which exists beyond the snapshots—as the gap between them. Even during this time, inquiry is still underway, as you continue to make the effort to turn inward. The more you turn inward, the faster these snapshots start to flicker. It is here that you must use every ounce of your remaining volition and the sharpest viveka to pierce through what seems like a tiny, dense hole in order to isolate awareness, or your very own attention, from the flickering snapshots. This tiny hole isn’t literally a hole, but rather a concept used to explain how razor-sharp your viveka must be to fully separate your awareness from the projecting snapshots. When you turn inward, you’ll see that it’s almost impossible to fully detach, but because it is possible to go all the way to the last, minute ounce of absorption left, you can fully isolate awareness from the projection. We refer to this as the tiny hole you must pass through in order to make the plunge into your eternal and formless self. If this occurs, the snapshots become fully isolated, and you enter pure observer mode, where you simply witness the projection of the empty physical world unfold, while all that is contained in your projected formless form does not touch you at all. It is here that you are thoughtless and non-separate from the appearance of diversity, but one with it, as there is only you—a formless reality that also constitutes the projection. It is you witnessing yourself purely as a witness, without attachment to the intelligence of the projection, which might otherwise allow you to experience something falsely. There are no longer any feelings of pain, anxiety, fear, stress, or any quality of consciousness that the mind can experience, since you no longer perceive them as such, but are simply aware of them, untouched by them. This is complete freedom as your own eternal self, where you hold only unbroken knowledge of who you are—and nothing more.

Because the appearance of a projection, with which you are non-separate, is all just you at once, the observer you hold yourself to be can be equated with self-knowledge. This is because you now realize who you truly are, as both the observer and this knowledge itself are one and the same as it is simply an inner knowing that is perpetually constant. This can only occur because you witness yourself while the projection continues to unfold, showing the appearance of many, but without perceiving them as separate entities. Everything is unified, much like a TV screen that is one with all the characters and objects in the movie being played on its screen. This means that when you identify as witness consciousness, or as the pure observer in a self-realized mode, the appearance of the projection itself gives you knowledge of who you are. You are able to compare your true self with that which you are not—the appearance of many. This comparison is what provides the self with steady and unbroken knowledge (again, both of which are synonymous). However, the more one remains as witness consciousness, the more the appearance begins to dissolve, as it can no longer be sustained. This is because attention is no longer immersed in the illusion that keeps it alive. It is a natural function of the appearance to dissolve as attention, now rooted in the pure observer, loses itself and becomes more self-absorbed. It no longer witnesses any appearance. In this case, the appearance dissolves as the pure observer merges with its own infinite nature of singularity, leaving no appearance to compare itself to. As a result, it loses knowledge of itself and remains forever lost in its own infinite and eternal self, with the appearance of maya forever dissolved and vanished. This is supreme moksha, i.e., turiyatita, or unknowable consciousness (nirguna), the absolute truth of reality.

Plunging into Brahman while discarding all forms:

Since Brahman is the ultimate truth and exists even in the absence of all bodies, such as the gross, subtle, and causal bodies, it can be accessed when one discards them all—i.e., when one willfully gives up all bodies through their death. The bodies, consisting of the physical, subtle, and causal aspects, are part of the illusion; therefore, if no bodies remain, what persists is the eternal truth, which cannot be classified as either subtle or physical, as it transcends physicality, subtlety, and even causality (hidden as potential). The Advaitic truth, however, is that the bodies need not be discarded because the truth of Brahman underlies them all and can be accessed without discarding them. Instead, they can be used as a means to realize the ever-present self. However, if one’s mind is sufficiently purified through repetitive sadhana, they can willfully relinquish the physical, subtle, and causal bodies at will and enter the absolute consciousness of Brahman without retaining the appearance of the waking world—or any appearance, for that matter—should they choose to attain liberation in this way. This form of liberation is known as Kramamukti, or liberation without form.

Through objective meditation, this liberation can be attained by repeatedly focusing attention on a very subtle objectification of Brahman, which can be described as an extremely subtle thought imposed on the mind. If attention is sustained on this subtle thought long enough without wavering, one can instantaneously travel or "teleport" out of the body to a highly subtle and intelligent realm. If one possesses the siddhi or power to relinquish attachment to the physical body, they can willfully give it up. Upon reaching this realm, they will encounter a truth that is subtler than what was initially perceived as physical reality—though still an illusion, it is one that must be transcended further by withdrawing deeper inward to remove it.

When the subtle world is experienced, and one is no longer conscious of the physical body during this experience, it signifies an out-of-body experience, where the individual completely loses full body-consciousness. In this state, they become aware of the presence of the intelligent subtle realms, accompanied by the Sages who inhabit these higher planes. In these realms, the Sage who enters the subtle world—while the physical body they once inhabited remains inactive—can redeem their ability to willfully sever or cut ties with the inactive body, as they possess the power to do so through the intelligence of the inner worlds. This is something an ignorant person cannot achieve, as they are unable to access these deep realms while retaining the physical body. Thus, while the ordinary person dies as a result of succumbing to fate, the Sage can choose to die on their own terms, at their own will. They can forcefully discard the pranic cord that remains subtly attached to the physical body by entering the higher realms, which dissolve the cord. This cord cannot be sustained in these elevated states, as attention, when directed there long enough, dissolves the connection, an effect that also occurs through sheer intention.

When attention is completely absorbed in the higher realms, one can retain the ego in this realm while relinquishing the experience of physicality, as they are now immersed in something more immaterial and blissful. With the dissolution of the pranic cord—the force that keeps one attached to the body and enables the physical experience—the subtle world becomes their primary realm of experience, which they may desire to remain in unless they overcome this desire and feel the urge to seek something deeper and more truthful, guiding them toward the absolute.

As attention is drawn deeper and more withdrawn while operating within the subtle world, the individual perceives a more truthful reality, which becomes more intelligent and less about energy, and more about intuition and vivid insights of the immaterial mind. They venture into realms where the sense of separation diminishes, accompanied by greater bliss and less ego, allowing them to see the interconnectedness of all realities.

One enters deeply self-absorbed worlds that are atomic in nature, so withdrawn and condensed into a point of immense power, allowing one to create worlds through thought alone. Whatever one desires, worlds are created, for they exist in a highly intelligent dimension where thoughts shape realities. The fundamental nature of any reality—whether subtle or physical—is simply composed of thoughts driven by imagination, superimposed on pure awareness. One can explore these highly intelligent, causal realms, as they are the source of all other worlds. However, if attention becomes absorbed in these thoughts, the individual finds themselves within the worlds they’ve created, with the solidification of an ego that perceives itself as experiencing these realities. But if one holds onto the intelligence of this subtle realm, they can venture even deeper by withdrawing attention from the thoughts that spontaneously generate worlds. By traveling deeper into these realms, one begins to reach the deepest recesses of the mind, where glimpses of the absolute truth (Brahman) arise. In these depths, the individual starts to relinquish the forms they once held onto, which allowed them to experience other subtle realms where greater separation was perceived. The deeper the journey, the less separation is perceived.

When attention rests on a realm that cannot be easily described as thought, but rather as a state of blissful interconnectedness—much like a pure vacuum—it suggests Brahmaloka, the abode of truth. In this realm, there exists a horizon, and if crossed, one enters the absolute. If one ventures close enough to the horizon, sharp and profound realizations much like instant flashes of download into your being arise about what lies beyond, all while still retaining the ego, or the perception of being an individual who knows a truth that transcends individuality. In this state, individuality is almost completely dissolved, as one no longer retains awareness of other forms. Only a trace of the body remains, which allows it to completely dissolve, marking the crossing over the horizon. One will not immediately cross over, as the experience can be terrifying if desires to experience something different still persist. Therefore, to remove these deeply rooted desires that have long sustained the notion of individuality (which are more fundamentally engrained than desires for mundane objects), one must remain seated by the horizon for some time, until all desires are extinguished and there is no longer fear of going beyond. This dissolving of desires is the cultivation of extreme dispassion, where one eventually relinquishes the desire to experience the dream of maya as a separate self. The deepest levels of dispassion can only be cultivated by confronting the horizon of consciousness, which merges with the pure self, which can also be equated with pure dispassion, though it loses its meaning.

Before merging with the absolute, one fully locks into the pure observer mode, witnessing the world of the causal body and fully embracing awareness of the potentiality of all that can exist. The knowledge of one’s true self is firmly established, but it gradually loses its significance when the appearance of potential fades, as it can no longer be sustained once awareness is completely detached from it. Since the potential no longer needs to be expressed—there is no knower who yearns to witness the expression—it sees no reason to survive. Witness consciousness is free from it, and as a result, the potential loses its strength to sustain its own appearance and dissolves. The pure observer, now absorbed in its own infinite nature, loses knowledge of itself, while the potential is permanently lost. This is supreme moksha, i.e., turiyatita, or unknowable consciousness (nirguna), the absolute truth of reality.

A Special Type of Liberation Not Disclosed:

Lesson: The Point of No Return

Since Brahman is the ultimate truth and is present even in the presence of all bodies—such as the gross, subtle, and causal bodies—and can also be accessed by relinquishing the presence of all bodies, it can likewise be accessed through the subtle world, even during dreaming. Just as the Kramamukti merges with Brahman after the death of all bodies through the causal world, and the Jivanmukti accesses Brahman in the waking world, one can merge with Brahman through the subtle world and automatically discard all bodies through this mergence. This form of liberation, though seldom discussed, can be accessed through dreaming if one’s mind is sufficiently purified through repetitive sadhana. How can this liberation not be possible if Brahman is the truth even in the presence of all different bodies, including the subtle body, which one retains while dreaming, in deep states of consciousness, or when the physical body is discarded (i.e., physical death)? To deny this would contradict the central message of Vedanta, which asserts that Brahman is always present, regardless of which bodies are perceived. The mergence through the subtle world is a real phenomenon, though it is only glimpsed as a reward by a very few sages, of which only an even rarer few will fully redeem. I will coin the term for this liberation as Suksma-Mukti.

Through dreaming, this liberation can be attained, but it comes only to a rare few who are sufficiently qualified for liberation. In truth, this liberation is available to anyone who has already achieved the reward of Jivanmukti or Kramamukti, provided they progress far enough to let go of the final desire to leave the play of maya behind. For those who can attain liberation while retaining form—or even through the causal world by giving up all forms—they will receive glimpses of this liberation in the dream world. They will have the absolute conviction that they can redeem it if they choose to, much like the certainty one has when realizing they are Brahman while still retaining the body in the appearance of the waking world.

When the Sage enters the dream world, assuming they have not yet attained Jivanmukti or Kramamukti, they will, at rare times, receive profound glimpses of liberation—an experience that cannot be considered a mere dimension, but rather the bottomless pit of infinite stillness, intuitively recognized as the point of no return. It is here that a horizon exists, and if crossed, one enters the absolute. If one ventures close enough to the horizon, sharp, hard-hitting realizations will arise about what lies beyond, all while still retaining the ego, or the perception of being an individual who is aware of a truth that transcends individuality. Individuality, in this context, is so dissolved that one becomes unconscious of other forms. Only a trace of the body remains, which allows it to completely dissolve away, marking the crossing over the horizon. However, one will not immediately cross over, as the experience can be terrifying if the desire to experience something different still exists.

Therefore, to remove these deep-rooted desires that have always sustained the notion of individuality (which are deeper than desires for mundane objects), one must remain seated by the horizon for some time, until all desires are extinguished and the fear of crossing over is gone. This dissolving of desires is the cultivation of extreme dispassion, where one eventually works on relinquishing the desire to experience a dream of maya as a separate self. The deepest levels of dispassion can only be cultivated by confronting the horizon of consciousness, which merges with the pure self.

When the most deeply rooted desire fades away, one fully accepts their fate and is drawn into the singularity of infinite stillness, becoming unknowable consciousness—forever lost in their own eternal nature, never again to experience a world that contradicts their truth. This is supreme moksha, i.e., turiyatita, or unknowable consciousness (nirguna), the absolute truth of reality.

The Three Liberations:

The three types of liberation can occur through different realms of existence: the physical world (jivanmukti), the causal world (kramamukti), and the subtle world (suksma-mukti).

∞ The End ∞

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