For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

Who or what is Kali? In what form does Shakti create this Universe? And how can I (a) interact with that and (b) BECOME that?
In perhaps one of our deepest discussions yet, we explore the ultimate nature of Reality: the mantric body of Shiva, i.e Shakti. Everything that you see around you is a mantra, a subtly vibrating phoneme that gives rise to thought structures in the mind which in turn produce language structures in speech which ultimate filters down into your subjective and intersubjective realities as you perceive it and negotiate it against others. Does that sound philosophical and obtuse? Necessarily it must! Because today we are discussing the subtlest and highest of Tantrik philosophies. In this lesson, we unveil the "Way of Shakti", a particularly subtle and exciting approach to spiritual practice. We contemplate verses 99 and 102 of the Vijnana-Bhairava Tantra.
May your contemplations of these two verses flower into the full bloom of Enlightenment, the attainment of your own innate Shiva-nature of Pure Consciousness.

Jai Maa Kaali!
OM Namah Shivay!

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Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
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In 10th CE Kashmir, there were a slew of Tantrik masters who wrote brilliant commentaries on principal texts in Tantra and in so doing developed a wholly unique, thrilling and sophisticated approach to spirituality. These masters wrote within the tradition of Shaivism, the spiritual philosophy centered around Shiva as the principal divinity. Naturally then, their approach came to be called "Kashmir Shaivism." While this is a broad and far reaching school with many technicalities and subtleties, I wanted to share with you one particularly striking feature of Kashmiri Shaivite meditation, namely, the Shambava Upaya (Way of Shiva) approach that attempts to seize every day moments of ordinary cognition as profound opportunities to recognise the deepest Truth of your own being. If you properly master this technique, the idea is that in each and every moment of your embodied existence, you will constantly be reawakened to the ever-fresh joy of rediscovering your essence nature as Lord Shiva himself.

If you'd like to come and have your question answered, LIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In this Buddha Purnima special, we celebrate the birth, death and enlightenment of one of the world's greatest spiritual teachers, Gautama the Buddha by having a Q&A discussion on various themes in Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and spiritual life in general. 

00:01:16 Is Buddha's Enlightenment and Sri Ramakrishna's Enlightenment the same?
00:07:46 Nagarjuna's "Nirvana = Samsara"
00:12:15 The Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu?
00:21:45 How is Advaita Vedanta different from Soliplism/Subjective Idealism?
00:34:51 Westopher's Firm Footing
00:50:30 Why Is There Suffering In The World?
01:09:25 Dzogchen and Tantrik Buddhism with Orion
01:45:50 What Is Bhuta Shuddhi, The Essence of Tantrik Puja? + Kundalini 
01:56:03 How Stay Motivated On The Path
02:03:29 "Let He Who Hath Ears Hear" (The Importance of Reviewing)

If you'd like to come and have your question answered, LIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

OM Tat Sat

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Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

On May 1st this year, the Ramakrishna Mission turns 125 since Swami Vivekananda established it in 1897, in Balaram Bose's house in Calcutta.
As an offering to my Guru, I say a few words about the central theme of this mission that to me represents the Highest Ideal of Spiritual Life: service to our brothers and sisters, not out of the delusion that we can "help" them or that they are in need of "our help", but out of the recognition of the innate divinity of the soul. As such, our service to others is really nothing but worship of the Divine as She appears to us in this or that person. Really, this is conversation about turning every moment of your life into spiritual practice. 

May this words serve you.
Jai Shri Ramakrishna!
Jai Maa Kaali!

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Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

When you surrender your life to the Divine Inspiration arising from deep within you, then, you no longer live your life. Your life lives you.

In this sangha Q&A discussion, we interview celebrity author and sister-disciple, Lissa Coffey (Parama) to talk about:
Why don't we do the things we know we want to do? What is holding us back? And what will happen when we surrender our life to our inspiration, that is, to our Svadharma, our Personal Mission?
In this moving discussion, we hear about Lissa Coffey's new project, the Bhagavad Gita Rock Opera, and how following her inspiration has created positive changes in her life and spiritual practice. Her testimony proves to us that if we surrender to the Divine, we will always be provided for and that our lives will be filled with genuine joy and ease-fulness. Then, we answer some questions on how to find motivation for spiritual practice, reincarnation, the obstacles to spiritual practice and many other important themes in spiritual life.

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

LIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

When people talk about freedom, they usually speak about the freedom to be a slave to their own impulses. The million year tyrant of our biology has kept us entangled in its own survival and reproduction motives, using us as pawns in a much larger game that we cannot win. Every now and then we wake up to this reality and ask if there are other motives by which we might live our lives, motives more meaningful and fulfilling than simply the dressed-up drives of sex and survival?

00:00:00 What is the Purpose of Life?
00:04:12 The Test of Truth (Don't Believe A Word I Say!)
00:06:15 What Do People Commonly Want Out of Practicing Yoga?
00:12:15 What Does A Mature Spiritual Desire Look Like?
00:15:05 What does "Dukkha" (Suffering) really mean?
00:17:59 The Danger of Immature Spiritual Practice (The Dragon of Biology)
00:28:40 Why Don't Pleasures Satisfy Us? (The Bondage of Kama, Artha and Dharma)
00:42:41 The Freedom Paradox: Common Conceptions of Freedom and Why They Don't Work vs The Spiritual Ideal of Freedom from Lust and Greed
00:59:12 The Peace that Passeth All Understanding (Ananda)
01:11:11 Freedom in Kant, the Christian Mystics and the Tarot
01:18:12 How To Achieve Freedom?
01:22:11 The Central Thrust of Indian Philosophy (Polytheism to Monotheism to Monism)
01:35:22 An Argument to Show You Your Freedom (You are God!)
01:46:34 If I Am God, Why Do I Incarnate and Forget?
01:53:34 Stanzas on Freedom (Nirvana Shatakam)

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

LIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Theodicy or "The Problem of Evil" is as follows: if God is omnipotent (all-powerful) AND omnibenevolent (all good), why is there suffering/evil in the world? 
Either this means God is not powerful enough to stop evil even if She wanted to OR it means God could stop it but won't and as such is not all "good" by human standards.
Today, we explore some ideas from Advaita Vedanta (Hindu Non-Duality) to offer a fresh perspectives on the Problem of Evil. Advaita argues that there is no such thing as "evil" in the world. What appears to be "evil" is simply a contracted state of love. How can this be?
Let's find out together!

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

00:00:00 Introduction: What Is Truth?
00:08:05 What is "Evil"?
00:14:00 Does the appearance of Evil imply the existence of Evil?
00:16:00 "Sociopath"/"Psychopath"/"Narcissist": Do These Words Mean Anything?
00:18:00 The Approach of Scientific Materialism to Evil and It's Drawbacks
00:22:00 Can We Study Evil "Objectively"? (A Methodological Point)
00:26:00 What Is Advaita Vedanta's view of Science?
00:29:00 Can Science help us face the "evil: in the world? (Hedonism and Humanism)
00:32:50 What is "God" according to Dualistic Religions?
00:36:00 If God is all-good and all-powerful, why is there Evil?
00:41:47 Why does God value "Free Will?" (The Story of the Fall)
00:46:19 Zoroastrianism and The Origins of Dualistic Religion
00:50:26 If there is Good, there has to be Evil, right? Here's the Problem!
00:55:55 Kali Worship: A New Way of Looking at God
01:00:45 How To Look Evil in the Eye With Love?/How To Overcome Guilt
01:03:50 Samkhya, Advaita and Buddhism: A Mature Approach to "Getting On With It"
01:08:19 The Story of Milarepa: A Tantrik Approach of Evil and Guilt
01:18:43 The Advaitic Approach to Evil (The Main Course for Tonight!!!)
01:29:50 The Ultimate Ethical Project of Spirituality: Cultivating Selfless-ness/ Pacifism?
01:32:00 Give Your Enemies a Sandwich! (The Wisdom of Bootsy Collins)
01:37:40 Kant on Evil: Can Anybody Will Evil in-and-of-itself?
01:44:17 The Bhagavad Gita on Evil
01:54:16 Closing Prayer

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Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

LIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

What is for a human to literally be God? It seems counter-intuitive! 
One can of course study the life of the great Avataras like Buddha, Jesus and Ramakrishna and see a remarkable similarity. All the stories are almost replayed, almost word for word. But even then the mind has room to say "well, they are just stories, maybe they were intentionally crafted to mirror Avatars of the past to gain credibility. I mean after all, wouldn't everyone like to claim their Guru as the Avatara of the Age?"
The mind is powerless to comprehend. But for some reason, this heart feels what it feels!

Now the interesting thing is that when young Narendranath (later Swami Vivekananda) met Ramakrishna, he didn't care at all whether he was an Avatara or not. He had heard such implications but it was enough for young Naren that before him was a genuinely spiritual man with a deep love for God and a powerful penchant for teaching spirituality. He was ready to learn from such a man once he felt the depth of feeling and wisdom housed in that slender frame. Ramakrishna was a Guru for Vivekananda at first. But then, as time went on and Naren saw more and more of Ramakrishna, he begin to feel intuitions that of course waged war with his keen, rational, Western-trained intellect. He doubted Ramakrishna up to the very last moment, when Ramakrishna was about to die from throat cancer. Vivekananda thought "is this really the Avatara of the modern age? If he can affirm it now, even amidst all this pain, I might accept it". It was jut a thought but on cue Ramakrishna said "do you doubt it even now, my boy? The one who was here as Rama and the one who was here as Krishna is now here as Ramakrishna. But not according to your Vedanta!"
That last response is very important to me because it expresses that there are many ways of looking at a phenomenon like Ramakrishna and that all these ways are legit. Each must come to an understanding according to their own predispositions. 

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Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

LIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Nataraja, the Dancing Shiva is among the most riveting and mysterious symbols in South Asian spirituality. What does it mean? Who is Shiva and why is he dancing? In this lecture, we explore the subtlest and most sublime esoteric teachings of the Tantrik tradition of Shaivism, teachinga that are given life and expression in this symbol of the Dancing Shiva that has captured the hearts and imaginations many! 
To hear this teaching even once can radically alter the way we see ourselves, others and the world such that we live a joyously and fearlessly, relishing each moment in life, even grief, as the Divine Play of Shiva!
May this teaching trigger in you a recognition of what you already are at your esence nature!

Jai Shiva Shambho! Jai Maheshwara!

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Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

LIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

A lecture exploring the mythology, symbology and philosophy of Shiva, the Benign God of Yoga. 

The New Moon is a very significant time for yogis. Yoga is about diving deep into the essence of one's being and coming face to face with primordial fears like the fear of death, only to overcome them. The New Moon is the darkest night of the month and as such offers a profound opportunity to look fear in the face and smile. The New Moon is a time for introspection and spiritual practice and these nights are sacred to Shiva, the Formless Aspect of the Divine, personified as the Yogi Par Excellence! Every New Moon night then is called "Shiva Ratri", a Night of Shiva because it is an auspicious time to do what Shiva does best - spiritual practice!
But of all the New Moons in the year one is particularly important. And that is the New Moon of the Vedic month of Maaga: Maha Shivaratri, The Great Night of Shiva!
What makes it "Great"? Certain astrological considerations make this night the most auspicious night for spiritual practice of any kind!

And so:

The best way to celebrate Shiva Ratri is just to practice your practices. Whatever spiritual work you do is trebled in meaning because of the various astrological considerations of the day. But even better than this is to feed the homeless for the homeless are all Shiva incarnate and the wandering mendicants of the world are particularly dear to this benign God of Yoga.

Almost everything that we love about Yoga comes from the tradition of Shaiva Tantra. The mantras, the symbolic depictions of the various deities (which are all just patterns of Awareness, the Awareness-Bliss Absolute that you are!), the sacred hand gestures, the yoga postures, the initiation tradition of lineage based education etc...
all of this is what is being celebrated on this auspicious New Moon!

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Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM