Being a Spiritual Seeker in a Material World
Monthly Meetings in 2025 with Ravi Ravindra
Each searcher periodically wonders why I have been created on this small planet earth in the vast universe and only for a few decades. What is my responsibility during my transient existence in the material world. All the sages call us to be free of our usual occupation with me-my-mine and to cultivate a quality of being that will relate us more and more with the mysterious Divine forces of Truth, Love, Consciousness, Delight and sense of Unity and Service.
Each of the sages, ancient ones as well as the modern ones, express their insights and instructions uniquely and emphasize some different aspects. Our wish and effort in the context of the Monthly Meetings is to explore how we can apply their teachings in our contemporary context and actually try to practice them in daily life. We will take some recommendations or instructions of the great classical spiritual teachers Krishna, Buddha, Christ and Patañjali. Also, we will take some suggestions from the modern teachers Jeanne de Salzmann and J. Krishnamurti.
There will be eleven Monthly Meetings which will be held on zoom during the last Sunday of the month, from January through November 2025. We will explore the following remarks of the sages:
January: “Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.”
― Rumi
February: “Unless you leave yourself behind, you cannot be a follower of mine.”
--Christ in Matthew 16:24
March: "Submitting all your actions to me, struggle without agitation."
-Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita 3:30
April: "As long as I am, love is not."
--J. Krishnamurti
May: "Yoga is for cultivating samadhi and for weakening the hindrances."
--Patañjali in Yoga Sutras 2:2
June: “Ego is a good servant but a bad master.”
—Jeanne de Salzmann
July: “In this very body you can discover all the demons and all the gods.”
―The Buddha in Dhammapada
August: “Steadfast in yoga, the knower of truth realizes ‘Truly I do nothing at all.’”
--Krishna in Bhagavad Gita 5:8
September: "Your body is not only yours."
--Jeanne de Salzmann in HWM
October: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
--Christ in John 14:15
November: Summary of the Essential Insights
Recommended Readings:
The Yoga of the Christ by Ravi Ravindra [Also published as The Gospel of John in the Light of Indian Mysticism]
The Bhagavad Gita: A Guide to Navigating the Battle of Life by Ravi Ravindra [Shambhala Publications; also published by Jaico Press in India].
The Wisdom of Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras by Ravi Ravindra [Also published by the Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar].
The Dhammapada: Sayings of the Buddha [Any publication of this great text will do].
Heart Without Measure: Gurdjieff Work with Madame de Salzmann by Ravi Ravindra.
Krishnamurti: Two Birds on One Tree by Ravi Ravindra [Also published in India by Pilgrim Press]
Blessed by Mysterious Grace: The Journey of a Pilgrim by Ravi Ravindra.
Centered Self Without Being Self-Centered: Remembering Krishnamurti [Also published by the Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar].
Please contact https://www.journeyswith.in/ravi-mm-lp4
Abrahamic and Indian Spiritual Teachings
Abrahamic and Indian Spiritual Teachings: Similarities and Differences
A zoom talk by Ravi Ravindra
Sunday 11th May – 6pm UK Time
There are many similarities among the Abrahamic and Indian spiritual teachings, such as the idea that the whole manifested universe is brought about by the highest level of consciousness with a call for each being to undertake its appropriate practices to enhance its quality in order to ultimately connect with the Source. The most significant difference is that unlike the Abrahamic traditions, where there is a myth of creation and each level in the created universe is unique, in the Indian traditions there is a myth of emanation and every level in the manifested universe has a particle of the Highest Reality, Brahman , within it. This one difference results in many consequences such as the emphasis on the oneness of everything or on the uniqueness of each being; freedom from individuality or everlasting individuality even after death; cremation or burial.
In this presentation we will explore the cultural consequences of both the differences and the similarities in the major traditions and how we need to deal with them in a global culture.
Ravi’s search has led him to the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, Jiddu Krishnamurti, yoga, Zen, and into a deep immersion in the mystical teachings of the classical Indian and Christian traditions..
Open to All
Please register HERE
_____________________________
If you wish to become a member of the Theosophical Society in England and Wales, Visit here or email office@theosoc.org.uk
The Journey of a Pilgrim
Four Webinars by Ravi Ravindra
Theosophical Society in America
Saturdays, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. CT
June 7 – 28 (4 classes)
Throughout human history, a few serious searchers have been drawn to the journey of radical inner transformation. Some are motivated by a sense of wonder about their true nature: “Who am I?” Others experience fear: “When I die, is that the end?”
Each searcher is a pilgrim on a journey, and this journey consists of many stages. There is a shift from “I have a question” to “I am in question.” As pilgrims embark on serious self-inquiry, they must address common dangers. Along the way, the seeker is occasionally blessed by a strong vision of Mysterious Presence beyond description. The Mystery remains and the searcher no longer denies It; the Mystery nourishes pilgrims and encourages them to continue.
A seeker sooner or later realizes that the goal of the search – “Enlightenment,” for example – is constructed by the mind and driven by a wish for attainment. Interests shift from an imagined destination to the joy of the journey itself. Connecting with a group of fellow searchers is a rich part of that journey.
This course is intended to assist our individual searches in practical ways. We will look at the teachings of the great sages and then wrestle with them, exchanging our insights, doubts, and difficulties with our fellow pilgrims.
Course Topics
- The pilgrim’s questions and motivations
- Stages of the journey, the shifts that follow
- Pitfalls and blessings on the path
- Balancing spiritual and material energies
Suggested Preparation
Write briefly about your thoughts and feelings regarding these questions:
- What or who am I?
- Why have I been created?
- What can assist my search?
Recommended Reading
Books by Ravi Ravindra:
- Blessed by Mysterious Grace: The Journey of a Pilgrim
- The Yoga of the Christ
- The Bhagavad Gita: A Guide to Navigating the Battle of Life
- The Wisdom of Patañjali's Yoga Sutras
Registrants will receive on-demand access to recording(s) that can be viewed for two weeks following the conclusion of the program. Late registrants will receive recording links to all missed sessions.
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-journey-of-a-pilgrim-tickets-1292868096279?aff=oddtdtcreator
Workshop
A Hindu Meets a Christian on a Spiritual Journey (Talk)
Join this public talk with Ravi Ravindra at the Karuna Sanctuary. In this friendly encounter between two searchers coming from different religious backgrounds, we will explore what a Christian finds engaging in certain ideas and practices emphasized by the Hindu ages. Similarly, what does the Hindu searcher find engaging and helpful in the teachings of the Christian sages and not so much emphasized in their own culture.
Saturday October 18, 2025
4:30 AM - 6:30 AM (120 min)
Karuna Center for Yoga & Healing Arts
25 Main Street - 3rd Floor, Northampton, MA 01060
413-535-9180
info@karunayoga.com
Karuna Center for Yoga & Healing Arts
25 Main Street - 3rd Floor, Northampton, MA 01060
413-535-9180
info@karunayoga.com
Workshop
Practice of Yoga for Freedom from the Self
Join Ravi Ravindra on October 18th for these workshops. In all spiritual teachings, the strong suggestion is that in order to be blessed by the mysterious spiritual energy coming from the Divine Source I need to be free of my attachment to me-me-me. This gets expressed in several different ways such as 'leaving your self behind', 'freedom from my fears and desires, 'dying to my attachments', 'dying to my ego-self', etc. In the Yoga Sutras the great sage Patañjali says: "Yoga is for cultivating samadhi and for weakening the hindrances...Samadhi is the state when the self is not, when there is awareness only of the object of meditation" [Yoga Sutras 2:2,3:3]. In this workshop we will explore in detail how the practice of Yoga can lead to freedom from our ego-self.
Saturday October 18, 2025
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM (150 min)
Karuna Center for Yoga & Healing Arts
25 Main Street - 3rd Floor, Northampton, MA 01060
413-535-9180
info@karunayoga.com
Workshop
Practice of Yoga for Freedom from the Self
Join Ravi Ravindra on October 18th for these workshops. In all spiritual teachings, the strong suggestion is that in order to be blessed by the mysterious spiritual energy coming from the Divine Source I need to be free of my attachment to me-me-me. This gets expressed in several different ways such as 'leaving your self behind', 'freedom from my fears and desires, 'dying to my attachments', 'dying to my ego-self', etc. In the Yoga Sutras the great sage Patañjali says: "Yoga is for cultivating samadhi and for weakening the hindrances...Samadhi is the state when the self is not, when there is awareness only of the object of meditation" [Yoga Sutras 2:2,3:3]. In this workshop we will explore in detail how the practice of Yoga can lead to freedom from our ego-self.
Saturday October 18, 2025
11:00 PM - 1:30 AM (150 min)
Karuna Center for Yoga & Healing Arts
25 Main Street - 3rd Floor, Northampton, MA 01060
413-535-9180
info@karunayoga.com