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The Talk: A Young Person's Guide to Life's Big Questions

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Shawn Davis

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“Truth, including the very highest of spiritual and philosophical truths, can be known to us with ever-increasing depth and clarity. We can know truth, both in theory, as well as through direct experiential insight, by employing the Vedic tools of Yoga and meditation, all under the capable guidance of the Vedic scriptures, the authentic guru, and the power of our own sincerity and direct insight into the nature of the Absolute. This is the Vedic way of knowing. (p. 80)”

EnlightenmentYogaSanatana DharmaSelfrealizationThe Eternal Natural WayThe Vedic Way
Book:Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way
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“The eternal flow of Truth is a non-empirically-audible sonic reality that transcends the realm of human sensory purview or intellectual speculation, but that is nonetheless directly accessible to any sincere seeker who eventually reaches the stage of being a liberated yogi. Such transcendent Truth can only be known by purifying oneself through the practices of Yoga, meditation and devotional consciousness (bhakti) toward the Supreme Godhead, and reforming one's character to the point of dissolving illusory ego completely. It is this living, transcendent Truth that the perfected sages encounter in the yogically inspired state of non-mediated spiritual perception of the Absolute.”

MeditationYogaSanatana DharmaSelfrealizationThe Eternal Natural Way
Book:Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way
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“This transcendent realm of Truth can be compared to the overwhelming majesty and power of a mighty rushing river. That Truth is ever-dynamic, ever-fresh, unalterable, unstoppable, and alive with spiritual power. That river of Truth has the power to quench our thirst and our longing for the nectarean sweetness of Reality unlike anything else in existence. That river of Truth is the only sustenance our soul will ever need. When directly encountered by any liberated yogi, that mighty river of Truth is experienced in its dynamic form. When this very same yogi then reveals this transcendent Truth to others in the material world, however, this dynamic Truth now becomes concretized in the form of the Vedic scriptures (shastra).”

TruthYogaSanatana DharmaSelfrealizationThe Eternal Natural WayGodconsciousnessShastra
Book:Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way
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“The teachings of 1) the Upanishads, coupled with 2) the Bhagavad Gita and 3) the Brahma Sutras, form the scriptural foundation of Vedanta, which constitutes the highest philosophical teachings of Sanatana Dharma. The term "Vedanta" is composed of two Sanskrit words. "Veda" means knowledge, and "anta" means the end, or culmination. Thus, Vedanta represents the "Culmination of all Knowledge". Of the 108 volumes of the Upanishads, several are extremely esoteric, while some are more easily understandable by modern readers. In either case, the only way to fully understand the teachings of both the Upanishads and any other sacred work of the Vedic literature is to study these works under the expert guidance of an authentic and self-realized guru (spiritual master). It is impossible to understand the inner spiritual essence of the Vedic scriptures without the grace of an authorized guru.”

VedantaSanatana DharmaThe Eternal Natural WayThe Vedic WayThe Guru Disciple Tradition
Author:Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
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“The Bhagavad Gita presents us with a unitary system of Yoga, one clear and systematic path, wherein all four Yoga techniques of jnana, karma, bhakti and classical ashtanga are - together – all considered crucial for spiritual realization. These four supposedly different paths, in actuality, represent four aspects of one, unified, integral Yoga system. They are akin to the four sides of a square. If one of the sides of the square is missing, then the very structural integrity and being of the square is itself compromised. Indeed, it no longer is logically qualified as a "square" at all. Similarly, the complete and authentic path of Yoga spirituality must include all these four components of Yoga in order to be fully appreciated. It is true that these four Yogas are linked by their common emphasis on devotional meditation upon, and the ultimate loving absorption of our awareness in, the Absolute. However, it is also inarguably clear that Krishna considers bhakti-yoga, or the discipline of focused devotional consciousness, to be not merely one component of these four branches of Yoga, but as the very essence and goal of all Yoga practice itself. Unlike the other aspects of the Yoga path, bhakti (devotional meditation) is distinguished by the fact that it is not only a means (upaya) for knowing God, but it is simultaneously also the goal (artha) of all human existence. As the means, bhakti designates devotional meditation; as the goal, bhakti means devotional consciousness. At no time does one abandon the practice of bhakti, even upon achieving liberation. Rather, devotional consciousness focused with one-pointed awareness upon the Absolute represents the very goal of the entire Yoga system.”

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Book:Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way
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“We do not have a soul. Rather we are soul. Our soul is our innermost identity and synonymous with the most intimate level of "I" that we know to be the core of our personhood. Both God (Brahman) and soul (Atman) are of the nature of pure sentient consciousness. Thus, being spiritual, they both transcend matter itself, as well as all the limitations necessarily associated with matter.”

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Book:Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way
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“God, or Brahman, is the source of all. In the state of illusion, the soul (Atman) sees itself as an exploiter of matter (Jagat), and lives in an unnatural state of illusory separation from God. Thus, the soul psychologically finds himself in a unnatural, unnecessary and discomforting state of self-imposed conflict (virodha) and adversity with God, with other living beings, and with the material world around him. Such an unnatural state is the source of all our suffering. However, in the most ideal of circumstances, God, soul and materiality all exist in harmonious balance, drawn to one another through a metaphysical bond of love, and a unity of transcendent purpose - Atman and Jagat serving Brahman, and Brahman giving Atman and Jagat their sense of purpose and operating as the ontological source and sustaining principle of their very being [...] When we live in such a state of natural balance, we are then living in accordance with Dharma. We are then living our lives naturally and in perfection. (p. 115)”

VedantaBrahmanAtmanSanatana DharmaThe Eternal Natural WayIllusory Separation From God
Book:Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way
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