For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

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!Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo 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 Greed00:59:12 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/yogawithnishLIVE lectures happen every Monday at 7pm PST on Zoom. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there:Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo 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/yogawithnish00:00:00 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 Drawbacks00:22:00 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 Religion00:50:26 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 God01:00:45 How To Look Evil in the Eye With Love?/How To Overcome Guilt01:03:50 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 Guilt01:18:43 The Advaitic Approach to Evil (The Main Course for Tonight!!!)01:29:50 The Ultimate Ethical Project of Spirituality: Cultivating Selfless-ness/ Pacifism?Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo 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/yogawithnishLIVE 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/7028380815To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMWhat 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 theiSupport the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo 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/yogawithnishLIVE 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/7028380815To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMA 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!Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo 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/yogawithnishLIVE 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/7028380815To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMNataraja, 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!Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In what might be one of our most philosophically rigorous discussions yet, we explore the four main orientations to life: Scientific Materialism, Dualistic Religion, Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta (Non-Duality). In this "compare and contrast" style lecture, we attempt to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of each school of thought with the view that they are all incredible paths appropriate for different times suiting different dispositions.  “Truth is One, though sages call it differently. (Rig Veda 1:164:46)And, sometimes it is only through studying the context in which a school of thought emerges and through studying its opposition, that we can truly come to understand it.   Chapter Markers:00:00:00 Introduction: How Does Indian Philosophy Work?00:04:30 Meet The Players On The Stage: The Four Streams of Thought00:09:50 What is "Advaita Vedanta" (Hindu Non-Duality)?00:19:03 History of Scientific Materialism (Charvaka)00:27:00 Galen's "Hard Problem of Matter" and Chalmer's "Hard Problem of Consciousness"00:31:07 Promissory Materialism and the Benefits of Science  00:35:30 The Drawbacks of Scientific Materialism  00:47:37 The Mystics of Science00:52:00 Dualistic Religion: What is God?  00:57:00 The Benefits of Dualistic Religion01:06:00 Dualistic Hinduism: Shaivism vs Vaishnavism  01:08:53 The Drawbacks of Dualistic Religion: "The Problem of Evil" (Theodicy) 01:17:11 Another Drawback of Dualistic Religion: "Time Based Liberation can END"  01:19:29 Buddhism01:27:35 Madhyamika Buddhism of Nagarjuna: "Samsara = Nirvana"  01:35:35 The Logical Problem of Buddhism01:38:20 The Advaitic Solution01:46:33 How To Deal With The Evil in the World? (Political Action)01:50:00 How To Cultivate Unconditional Love  01:54:45 Is This A Dream? (An Experiment to Show Non-Duality)02:02:30 What Happens After Non-Dual Awakening?Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Happy Valentine's Day!Have you ever wondered: why are some relationships more fulfilling than others?What can we do to improve our romantic relationships?Do romantic relationships even have a place in spiritual life? And how is a relationship, which requires two things to relate to one another, compatible with Advaita Vedanta (Non-Duality) that posits only one thing?In this lecture we answer all these questions as well as explore a few models of conscious relationships in Indian spirituality.May this be an offering to Laxmi, Goddess of Beauty and Abundance!OM SHREEM LAXMIYAI DEVYAI NAMAHA  ||For more videos, guided meditations and instruction, access to our lecture library, and to support this work, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishLIVE 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/7028380815To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo 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 and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishThese lectures happen Live every Monday at 7pm PST. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMToday is Swami Vivekananda's (Swamiji's) birthday. This year, because we follow the Vedic moon calendar, the auspicious date is the 25th of January. By the Gregorian Calendar the great hero was born on the 12th of January 1863. He gave his first address to the West at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago on the 11th of September 1893, opening with the prophetic words: "my sisters and brothers of America..."We are all here together because of his work. He is the great Messenger of the Spiritual Heritage of India, the torch bearer and representative par excellence of the ancient tradition of Yoga, the forerunner of Vedanta here in the West.And so with immense delight I offer to you now this  lecture celebrating Vivekananda's life and legacy.Of course,One lecture is not enough to achieve even the faintest sketch of this cyclonic life lived according to the highest of spiritual ideals. In this lecture, we scratch the surface of Vivekananda's core message: work as worship. We analyse the highest ideal of Karma Yoga as an expression of the paths of Bhakti (devotion), Jnana (knowledge) and Raja (meditation). The idea in this lecture, if God permits, is to convey a sense of how we may turn every action in our life into a spiritual practice, even the most mundane ones. How can we truly serve those around us? "May I be born again and again, and suffer thousands of miseries, so that I may worship the only God that exists, the only God I believe in, the sum total of all souls. For my own part I will be incarnated two hundred times, if that is necessary to do what I have undertaken amongst my people.''-SwamijiMay these words be as so many offerings of flowers at your feet.May each and every breath of ours be given for the service of humanity!Jai Swamiji Maharaj-ji Ki Jay!00:00:00 Introduction: The Vedantic Humanism of Swami Vivekananda00:05:31 Worldly Duties vs Spiritual Practice: Resolving the Dilemma 00:19:11 Perfection in Karma Yoga as defined by Swamiji00:21:17 Paramahansa Ramakrishna, Avatar of the Modern Age00:34:29 How Swamiji Learned This Profound Secret of Work as Worship00:37:23 How Can The Absolute Be Both Transcendent AND Immanent?00:54:00 Why Does This Realization Bring Joy? (Ananda)00:59:40 You = The Absolute. But How? (Atma-Anatma Viveka)Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo 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 and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishThese lectures happen Live every Monday at 7pm PST. It is open to the public. Use this link and I will see you there: https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMMere belief is not enough. For the spiritual life to be meaningful, one must experience directly for oneself the Truth of the scripture and manifest in their lives the highest ideals of spiritual life. Before we take our deep dive into the four gospels of Christianity with a Vedantic lens, we clarify a few concepts:Soul = Sakshi/Pramataa/Atman = WitnessGood vs Bad = not moral claims but claims about fulfilment and happiness Apathea = a divine dispassion for worldly life Agape = an all-consuming unconditional love that turns the world into the Kingdom of Heaven OM Shantih Shantih Shantih00:00:00 Walking the Talk and Defining "Communion"00:07:15 Hypocrisy in the Church00:10:50 "A Saint Who Is Sad is A Sad Saint"00:13:04 Christianity is NOT about Moralizing! (Defining "Good" and "Bad")00:18:33 Belief vs Experience 00:29:16 Zoroastrianism and Christian Morality (With an aside on low vs high Christology)00:57:07 What's Wrong With the "World"? (And the Definition of "Truth")01:12:46 Lust and Greed are Antithetical to Christianity 01:17:55 What Is A "Soul"?01:25:45 True Love: The Love of the Soul01:34:59 How To Overcome Lust and Greed and Live as a Soul (Practical Takeaways)Support the showLectures 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/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM