April 26-27, 2008
THE
NATURE OF THE SOUL
The Upanishads &
Bhagavad Gita
Explore
the core relationship
of your individual soul with universal spirit through the intellectual
yet
emotionally moving instrument of two revered yogic scriptures: the
Bhagavad
Gita and the Upanishads. Realized by enlightened masters, and revered
by
students for centuries, the spiritual
insights conveyed in these inspired writings serve as clear mirrors of
our consciousness, accurately
reflecting subtle yet powerful truths about the spiritual path - from
the beginning, through the middle stages, and to the end.
When our hearts are
touched by
wise, deeply felt teachings, our understanding of life is illuminated.
As
a result, we can experientially connect-the-dots in our lives, and more
clearly grasp the real truths of the journey we are on. With a more
penetrating vision of the true nature of reality we are more able to
recognize
and choose what nurtures and sustains
us on the path. This leads to a happier more creative and fulfilling
existence, one that is of
service to others while bringing us the greatest joy. The seminar also
includes asana, relaxation, meditation,
journaling and dialogue.
Our topics will include
dharma
- our life's purpose; pravritti and nivritti - the two core directions
in
life; duhkha - the misery of the dark night of the soul; vishada - the
role of sorrow in awakening; vidya - the wisdom of the Self; buddhi
yoga -
the wisdom of intuition; atman - the soul of the Self; koshas - the
layers
of the Self; karma yoga - the way
of compassionate action; bhakti - devotion to the One in all; vairagya
- renunciation of attachments;
and maya - the worldly realm of illusion.
Recommended Texts:
Bhagavad
Gita - A New Translation
by Stephen Mitchell (Harmony
Book, Random House)
The
Upanishads with commentary by Alistair Shearer |
September
27-28, 2008
ORIGINS
OF CONSCIOUSNESS
The
Yoga Sutras & Samkhya Metaphysics
Considered by all yogis to be
an authentic view of the path and a detailed map of consciousness, Yoga
and
Samkhya are a complimentary pair of philosophies, long esteemed in the
Indian spiritual tradition. Samkhya
describes the origin of consciousness, and the stages soul goes through
as it becomes more and more
identified and imbedded in matter. Yoga, on the other hand, delineates
the
stages and practices by which the
soul can extricate itself from its bondage to matter. The interplay
between the origin of suffering -
ignorance of our true nature as spirit - and the release from suffering
-
awakening to our true nature as Divine - brings these two extraordinary
philosophies together, enabling us to understand the source of
ourselves,
and the hidden purpose behind the
various transformational practices of yoga - to return us to our true
Self.
In this program you will
be
enticed and encouraged to take yourself on a journey through the realms
of
consciousness and matter. Guided by the insights of the ancient rishis,
as
expounded in their writings, you will be able to verify with your own
intuition
and insight the validity of each
teaching. The integration of these stunning philosophies, grounded in
our own real world knowledge, opens a
window for us to breathe in and savor the unlimited potential of our
expanding universal spirit.
Our topics will include:
tattvas - the condensates of matter; pranas - the various life
energies; gunas - the
timeless interplay of the energies
of reality; the six darshans - the stages of life; the historical roots
of yoga; the nature of
time and space; the core purpose and nature of yoga itself;
reincarnation
and the cycles of rebirth; samsara
- the realm of earthly existence; samskaras - the karmic scars; kleshas
- root afflictions that cloud
consciousness; the wheel of karma - universal laws of cause and effect;
the
four aims of life; and moksha -
the joyful liberation of the spirit.
Recommended Texts:
The
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
translated
by Alistair Shearer (Bell
Tower, Random House)
Yoga–The
Ultimate Spiritual Path
by
Swami Rajarshi Muni (Llewellyn)
|
