Wisdom of the Masters

This is a selection of key pointers from Siddharameshwar . Siddharameshwar Maharaj is one of the greatest unknown saints of the age who attained the highest abode of Eternal peace. He was born in August 1888 in the small village of Pathri, in the district Sholapur of India. From 1925 until 1936, he taught many disciples and helped dozens attain Self-realisation. His teachings were further spread a...

This is a guided meditation focusing on the breath and the first jhana based on the methods and teachings of Ajahn Lee. Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.  Ajahn Lee (1907–1961) is regarded as one of the greatest teachers and meditation masters of the Thai Forest Tradition of the 20th century. Among the forest monks, he devised the most comprehensive meditation instructions, and composed the m...

A reading of two Saint Kabir poems intended for contemplation and meditation. Translated by Robert Bly.  Though little is known of the life of the 15th-century Indian mystic and poet Kabir, it is believed he was born in or near Benares. He grew up in a family of Muslim weavers before becoming a disciple of the Hindu ascetic Ramananda. Kabir is considered both a Sufi and Brahmin saint. His poe...

This is a re-reading of various key pointers on self-liberation from Sri Ramana Maharshi with no music.  These selections from Bhagavan have come from numerous texts and were sourced from this website: https://www.inner-quest.org 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal u...

Bendōwa is Dogen's earliest known writing in Japanese and one of his most important and influential works. The whole text of the Bendowa is held in high esteem as being Dogen’s best and most comprehensible explanation of his understanding of Zen and the Dharma.  Jijuyū zanmai can be translated loosely as "samādhi of self-fulfillment and enjoyment" or literally as the "samādhi of receiving and...

This is an excerpt from the teaching "Descending with the View from Above" from Guru Rinpoche/Padmasambhava  taken from the book "Treasures from Juniper Ridge" - translated by Erik Kunsang and Marcia Schmidt. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email addre...

Selected verses and teachings taken from The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart - translated by Maurice Walshe  Johannes Eckhart was one of the greatest of Christian mystics. He was born at Hochheim in Thüringen, Germany, in 1260 and died c.1327. He entered the Dominican order when he was 15. Later he became a distinguished professor and taught at different universities. His direct an...

This is a guided 20-minute Yoga Nidra to help you sleep and relax. It contains the Schumann Resonance as a background sound as well as a deep meditation bell. The Schumann Resonance signal operates by being resonantly absorbed by brain systems and altering the serotonin/melatonin balance. Studies have shown people experience benefits like enhanced sleep, learning/memory, body rejuvenation, balance...

This is a reading of the SUPPLEMENT to Reality in Forty Verses for meditation. Translated by Prof. K. Swaminathan This supplement consisting of a second forty verses was added to the original "Reality in Forty Verses". So indifferent to authorship was Bhagavan that he did not write all those supplementary verses himself. When he came upon a suitable one he used it - mostly translations from Sanskr...

Hakuin Ekaku  (January 19, 1686 – January 18, 1769)  is undeniably one of the most important of all Zen masters.   He came into the Rinzai school of Zen and revitalized it during a period when its very survival was in question, focusing practice back on the basics of zazen and koan study.  He was the quintessential Zen master of the people, who extended his teaching far be...

These poems/stanzas of profound pointings written by Ilie Cioara have been formatted for the purpose of a guided meditation. Excerpts taken from the book by Cioara, "The Moment is Eternity" - translated by Petrica Verdes and with thanks to Petricia for gifting all of Ilie's books to me and permission to read/share them here.  Ilie Cioara (1916 - 2004) was an enlightened mystic who did not bel...

Ātma-bodha (Sanskrit: आत्मबोध) is a short Sanskrit text attributed to Adi Shankara of Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. The text in sixty-eight verses describes the path to Self-knowledge or the awareness of Atman. The Vedanta tradition states that the text was written by Shankara for his disciple, Sanandana, also known as Padmapāda. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit fr...

This sublime and profound teaching on the nature of reality by the great master, Longchenpa is taken from the Finding Rest in Illusion trilogy - commentary . It is suitable for those practitioners who have a in-depth understanding and insight into Dzogchen's concepts and paradigm.  Longchenpa, also known as Longchen Rabjam , ‘Infinite, Vast Expanse of Space’, or Drimé Özer (1308-1364), was on...

Marguerite Porete (13th century – 1 June 1310) was a French-speaking mystic and the author of The Mirror of Simple Souls, a work of Christian mysticism dealing with the workings of agape (divine love). She was burnt at the stake for heresy in Paris in 1310 after a lengthy trial, refusing to remove her book from circulation or recant her views. It was reported in a chronicle that the crowd was move...

Selected teachings of Ma's taken from various sources.   Anandamayi Ma ( 30 April 1896 – 27 August 1982) was a Bengali Saint, described by Sivananda Saraswati (of the Divine Life Society) as "the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced." Precognition, faith healing and miracles were attributed to her by her followers. Paramahansa Yogananda translates the Sanskrit epithet Anandam...

This text of 40 Verses was written by Bhagavan at the request of Muruganar, who wanted a concise synopsis of Ramana’s teaching, and wanted 40 verses to fit a classical Hindu poetic form. Ramana wrote the verses as they came to him, and Muruganar arranged them in a particular order.  Translated by Arthur Osborne 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would...

Master Hsu Yun or Xuyun  (Chinese: 虚云; - name meaning "Empty Cloud) born 5 September 1840 – 13 October 1959  was a renowned Chinese Chan Buddhist master and one of the most influential Buddhist teachers of the 19th and 20th centuries. According to Richard Hunn, Master Hsu is "Universally regarded as the most outstanding Buddhist of the Chinese order in the modern era."   When Xuyu...

Edith Stein (also known as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross or Saint Edith Stein - 12 October 1891 – 9 August 1942) was a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a Discalced Carmelite nun. When the Nazis conquered Holland, Teresa was arrested, and, with her sister Rose, was sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Teresa died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz in 19...

A selection of poems from Cold Mountain - Hanshan - taken from "The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain", Bill Porter (Red Pine), trans.  The poet Hanshan, a name meaning “Cold Mountain,” ranks as one of the most eccentric and mysterious figures of Chinese literature. He is said to have lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), dwelling in a cave or hut in Tiantai Mountain near modern-day Taizhou...

These "pointers" from Longchenpa on the natural state of Freedom have been formatted for guided meditation purposes.  Excerpts taken from the text "A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission." Translated by Richard Barron. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using t...

This is a powerful teaching given by Venerable Sāriputta to the great lay disciple Anāthapiṇḍika as he lay dying, and in severe pain. Upon a request to visit him, Venerable Sāriputta provides a profound teaching, rarely offered to lay people, on non-attachment and non-grasping.  It is taken from the  Majjhima-nikāya: 143 - Translated by Bhante Sujato Art: Adam Shaw -" Fire of Bliss" 🔆 T...

Julian of Norwich (1342-c 1416) was the most important English mystic of the 14th century. She wrote the best known surviving book in the English language written by a mystic, Revelations of Divine Love. The book is the first written in English by a woman.  Her spirituality is strongly Trinitarian and basically Neoplatonic. Through the Passion, Julian was led to  visions of the Trinity a...

This is a reading for meditation of the teaching given by Mipham Rinpoche entitled - "The Essence of Wakefulness"  - taken from the text Perfect Clarity. Translated by Eric Pema Kunsang. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: vivekahermitage@gm...

Reading of the chapter titled: "When Conventional Truths Collapse" from the text Reading the Mind.  Upasika Kee Nanayon or Kor Khao-suan-luang was a realized female practitioner from Thailand. She was mostly self-taught, reading the Pali canon and other Buddhist literature. She considered the Buddha's Dhamma as her primary teacher. Her dhamma talks and poetry were widely circulated. As word o...

This is reading of a selection of Ma's poems for meditation and contemplation. Sri Brahmajna Ma (21 February 1880 – 5 November 1934) was an Indian advaitin saint from East Bengal. What little is known about her reveals her as an illumined soul who was established in non-dual realization. Like Ramana Maharshi, she had no guru, but attained enlightenment through her own efforts at self-inquiry. Art...