Spiritual Talk given on July 2, 2017 by Swami Vedarupananda at the Santa Barbara Vedanta Temple.  In his talk, "What is Enlightenment," Sw. Vedarupananda explains that the goal of the Vedantic spiritual aspirant is to seek enlightenment, which is best defined as knowledge of the Self or Self Realization.  Using helpful metaphorical stories throughout his talk, Swami teaches us how to achieve our goal with both intuitional knowledge and direct experience.

What is Enlightenment - Swami Vedarupananda

Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions. Vedanta is the philosophical foundation of Hinduism; but while Hinduism includes aspects of Indian culture, Vedanta is universal in its application and is equally relevant to all countries, all cultures, and all religious backgrounds.

A closer look at the word “Vedanta” is revealing: “Vedanta” is a combination of two words: “Veda” which means “knowledge” and “anta” which means “the end of” or “the goal of.” In this context the goal of knowledge isn’t intellectual—the limited knowledge we acquire by reading books. “Knowledge” here means the knowledge of God as well as the knowledge of our own divine nature. Vedanta, then, is the search for Self-knowledge as well as the search for God.

What do we mean when we say God? According to Vedanta, God is infinite existence, infinite consciousness, and infinite bliss. The term for this impersonal, transcendent reality is Brahman, the divine ground of being. Yet Vedanta also maintains that God can be personal as well, assuming human form in every age.

Most importantly, God dwells within our own hearts as the divine Self or Atman. The Atman is never born nor will it ever die. Neither stained by our failings nor affected by the fluctuations of the body or mind, the Atman is not subject to our grief or despair or disease or ignorance. Pure, perfect, free from limitations, the Atman, Vedanta declares, is one with Brahman. The greatest temple of God lies within the human heart.

Vedanta further asserts that the goal of human life is to realize and manifest our divinity. Not only is this possible, it is inevitable. Our real nature is divine; God-realization is our birthright. Sooner or later, we will all manifest our divinity—either in this or in future lives—for the greatest truth of our existence is our own divine nature.

Finally, Vedanta affirms that all religions teach the same basic truths about God, the world, and our relationship to one another. Thousands of years ago the Rig Veda declared: “Truth is one, sages call it by various names.” The world’s religions offer varying approaches to God, each one true and valid, each religion offering the world a unique and irreplaceable path to God-realization. The conflicting messages we find among religions are due more to doctrine and dogma than to the reality of spiritual experience. While dissimilarities exist in the external observances of the world religions, the internals bear remarkable similarities.

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

"Language is Maya" talk by Pravrajika Vidyaprana

Language Is Maya

Swami Sarvadevananda talks on 'Fundamentals of Spiritual Life'

Fundamentals Of Spiritual Life

Who is Mother Kali? Why is She drawing so much interest nowadays? 

In this talk, Swami Mahayogananda explores Mother Kali through Her eminent and devout worshiper Sri Ramakrishna.

Delivered on November 22, 2020, at the Hollywood Temple.

Sri Ramakrishna And Kali

'Mystical Interface of Life' - Talk by Swami Satyamayananda

Mystical Interface Of Life

Swami Mahayogananda weaves together the covid pandemic, the World's Parliament of Religions, and Swami Vivekananda's response to political unrest in this talk delivered on September 13, 2020.

What is Enlightenment - Swami Vedarupananda

Download our free app to listen on your phone