Yoga Wisdom with Acharya das

This is the sixth and final talk in a series on well-being, emphasizing that materialistic approaches to addressing wellbeing only provide temporary relief from unhappiness or suffering, rather than permanent solutions. True well-being requires incorporating spiritual solutions, as attempts to address well-being without spirituality are fundamentally flawed. The speaker explained that in dharmic t...

This is the questions and answers that followed the previous talk, both from Glebe, Sydney and Thirroul which is south of Sydney. Chapters 00:00:15 Language, Consciousness, and Spiritual Identity ‎ 00:01:56 Three Pillars of Spiritual Practice ‎ 00:03:29 Confronting Spiritual Reality and Finding Hope ‎ 00:06:49 Global Interconnectedness and Finding Peace ‎ 00:08:54 The Serenity Prayer as Spiritual...

In a powerful and thought-provoking talk delivered in Sydney, Australia, Acharya das explores the dramatic transformation of human consciousness in the modern age and asks a confronting question: Why, despite unprecedented technological advancement and material comfort, are so many people experiencing anxiety, emptiness, and hopelessness? Drawing on alarming statistics surrounding depression, ment...

This talk is the fifth installment in a wellness series that takes a distinctly yogic approach to understanding life's challenges and spiritual development. Acharya das discusses the concept of "false shelter" (durashraya in Sanskrit) - the tendency to place unlimited trust in things that cannot provide genuine protection or happiness. He uses examples ranging from relationships and...

This is the Q&A from after the talk sponsored by the Hindu Council of Australia in cooperation with the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga. The question was whether there is a distinction between Dharma and Sanatana Dharma? Acharya das concludes this Q&A session with the clarification that Sanatana Dharma is eternal and represents the soul's nature fully expressed in the spiritua...

This talk is from an event sponsored by the Hindu Council of Australia in cooperation with the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga. The question was whether there is a distinction between Dharma and Sanatana Dharma? Acharya das explained that while Dharma has conventional definitions including customary religious observance, prescribed conduct, duty, religion, and good works, it has a deeper...

In this compelling fourth lecture of the series, Acharya das reframes well-being through the lens of timeless wisdom, drawing from sources like the Bhagavad Gita to reveal a powerful three-dimensional model: body, mind, and the often-overlooked spiritual self. With precision and clarity, the talk exposes a universal truth—no amount of success, relationships, or material gain can resolve the subtle...

This is the 3rd talk in a Series on Wellness dealing with Trauma from a spiritual perspective. The two core premises presented in the discussion to help with a spiritual perspective is the Dharmic traditions understood that all pain and suffering will be somehow rooted in ignorance, and secondly, material existence and spiritual life as operating under completely different paradigms based upon the...

This is a talk on personal agency and spiritual well-being as Part 2 of a continuing series on Wellbeing. Personal agency is defined as "the individual's capacity to act intentionally, to make autonomous choices, and to influence their own circumstances and environment." But how free is our decision making process? And how autonomous are we in a world driven by Social Media and AI? U...

Over the past 3yrs media reports have described Burnout as "the silent epidemic," "the silent killer," and "the silent epidemic stealing your energy and joy." A significant root cause of burnout is a lack of purpose, stating that when people feel their work/life output is not connected to any higher purpose or sense of direction, depression quickly follows. Then there...

This is quite a long talk, on a very fascinating topic, delivered by Acharya das in the Philippines. It is a comprehensive look into the question of spiritual identity, God-realization, and the resultant experience of the awakening of transcendental and ecstatic love for God which naturally arises from that. Acharya das outlines three essential questions for self-realization: What is my essence? (...

This is a Q&A session from the Soul Searchers Retreat. Acharya das delivers a comprehensive discussion on spiritual life versus material life, emphasizing the fundamental distinction between material consciousness (identifying with the physical body) and spiritual consciousness (recognizing oneself as an eternal spiritual being). He explains that material life is founded on the belief that &qu...

Acharya das delivers a comprehensive talk on spiritual life and self-evaluation from the perspective of ancient Vedic traditions and yoga systems. This is the first of 2 talks at the annual New Year’s Soul Searchers Retreat in New Zealand. Acharya das explores a custom many people adopt around the idea of wanting to do better in the new year, often by making New Year’s resolutions. Doing better be...

This the second of 2 talks at the annual New Year’s Soul Searchers Retreat in New Zealand. Acharya das explores a custom many people adopt around the idea of wanting to do better in the new year, often by making new year’s resolutions. Doing better begins with an examination of how we did the previous year and where to from here. And specifically, how we did spiritually and how to live a more spir...

In this talk, Acharya das explores the concept of Christmas from a yogic perspective. He begins by examining what Christmas means in contemporary society versus its original spiritual significance. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus (Yeshua), known as Christ or Messiah, which means "the anointed one" and Acharya das discusses how yogis from the Vedic tradition would view and celebra...

In this final lecture of the "Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita" series, Acharya das explores the concept of "the yoga of love" or bhakti yoga. He explains that bhakti yoga represents both a spiritual practice and the ultimate goal of all yoga practices. In considering this subject it is important to distinguish between material conceptions of love, which are often self-centered, and...

Exploring the concept of yoga in the Bhagavad Gita, emphasizing that yoga extends far beyond the common understanding of just physical postures (asanas). He explains that the word "yoga" appears over 100 times in the Bhagavad Gita's 700 verses, highlighting its central importance to the text. The fundamental meaning of yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj," which mea...

This is the Q&A portion of the preceding talk on Developing a Meditation Habit - Your Key to a Spiritual Awakening. Acharya das explores the nature of spiritual existence and consciousness, focusing on the concept that humans are spiritual beings inhabiting physical bodies. He discusses near-death experiences as evidence of consciousness existing beyond the physical brain, emphasizing that spi...

Acharya das explores the concept of spiritual awakening through meditation, particularly focusing on the use of transcendental sound. He explains that spiritual awakening begins with recognizing that we are eternal spiritual beings temporarily occupying physical bodies, rather than identifying solely with our physical forms and minds. Because of this bodily misidentification, most people live in a...

In this talk at an event in Melbourne, Australia, Acharya das explores the concepts of peace, balance, and inner fulfillment in modern society. The Bhagavad Gita's asserts that happiness cannot exist without peace. Most people’s experience is not a life of peace. Consumerism, social media, and self-centeredness have contributed to widespread mental health issues and disconnection from our spir...

This is the Q&A portion from the talk “Finding Meaning and Purpose with Regular Meditation” delivered in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

From a spiritual perspective, the main driver of purposelessness is the absence of spiritual identity. We are eternal spiritual beings temporarily residing in physical bodies, but most people mistakenly identify themselves as their body or mind and therefore with the desires of the body and mind. This misidentification, therefore, leads to seeking happiness through bodily experiences or mental exp...

This is a talk from the Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita series, exploring the possibility of knowing God from the Vedic perspective. Knowing God is indeed possible but requires a transformation of consciousness. Material consciousness is characterized by self-centeredness, whereas spiritual consciousness is a state of manifesting selflessness. In the quest to know God, one must recognize the limitatio...

This is Q&A interaction with the audience from the previous talk where Acharya Das explores profound spiritual concepts from Vedic philosophy, focusing on meditation, reincarnation, self-realization, and the nature of consciousness. He emphasizes the transformative power of Kirtan meditation as a daily practice that can lead to spiritual awakening. He addresses questions about the soul's j...

Namaste. This talk explores the experience of spiritual awakening through kirtan meditation, presented from a Vedic perspective. Acharya das discusses how humanity is largely asleep to their true spiritual nature, mistakenly identifying with temporary material bodies rather than recognizing themselves as eternal spiritual beings. He explains that people continually seek happiness in material exist...