Wisdom of the Masters

A selection of verses taken from various texts from the works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.  Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, (flourished c. 500), probably a Syrian monk who, known only by his pseudonym, wrote a series of Greek treatises and letters for the purpose of uniting Neoplatonic philosophy with Christian theology and mystical experience.  In the early sixth century, a series of writings of a mystical nature, known as the Corpus Areopagiticum or Corpus Dionysiacum was ascribed to the Areopagite. They have long been recognized as pseudepigrapha, and their author is now called "Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite". The author pseudepigraphically identifies himself in the corpus as "Dionysius", portraying himself as Dionysius the Areopagite, the Athenian convert of Paul the Apostle mentioned in Acts 17:34  According to Pseudo-Dionysius, God is better characterized and approached by negations than by affirmations. All names and theological representations must be negated. According to pseudo-Dionysius, when all names are negated, "divine silence, darkness, and unknowing" will follow.  The Dionysian corpus was absorbed into Greek and Eastern Christian theologies and also influenced mystics in the Western church, such as Meister Eckhart. Thomas Aquinas was among those who wrote commentaries on the works. There remains for the Christian reader no theologian or scholar quite as enigmatic as Pseudo-Dionysius. 🔆 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@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Neem Karoli Baba or Neeb Karori Baba (c. 1900 -1973), known to his followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and a devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. Baba was a lifelong adept of bhakti yoga, and encouraged service to others (seva) as the highest form of unconditional devotion to God. In the book Miracle of Love, compiled by Ram Dass, a devotee named Anjani shares the following account:  "There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many. He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India, appearing and disappearing through the years. His non-Indian devotees of recent years knew him as Neem Karoli Baba, but mostly as “Maharajji”. Just as he said, he was "nobody". He gave no discourses; the briefest, simplest stories were his teachings. Usually, he sat or lay on a wooden bench wrapped in a plaid blanket while a few devotees sat around him. Visitors came and went; they were given food, a few words, a nod, a pat on the head or back, and they were sent away. Sometimes he sat in silence, absorbed in another world to which we could not follow, but bliss and peace poured down on us. Who he was was no more than the experience of him, the nectar of his presence, the totality of his absence, enveloping us now like his plaid blanket." 🔆 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@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Wei Wu Wei, a 20th-century Taoist philosopher and writer, discusses non-duality, the limitations of understanding, the nature of reality, and the hindrance of self-regard. He explores the concept of being oneself and emphasizes intuitive apprehension. The podcast highlights lived reactions like laughter, tears, bliss, and universal benediction.

Former Carmelite nun, Bernadette Roberts, discusses the nature of no-self and the journey towards trust in the unknown. She explores inner stillness, divine transformation, and the revelation of eternal life beyond consciousness. Roberts delves into the depths of divine communication and selflessness, emphasizing the surrender of self-control for the experience of divine love.

Baba Hari Dass (1923 - 2018) was an Indian yoga master, silent monk, and commentator of Indian scriptural traditions of dharma and moksha. He was classically trained in the Ashtanga of Patanjali (also known as Rāja yoga), as well as Kriya yoga, Ayurveda, Samkhya, Tantra, Vedanta, and Sanskrit.  Baba Hari Dass took a vow of silence in 1952, which he upheld through this life. Although he did not speak, he was able to communicate in several languages through writing. His literary output included scriptural commentaries to Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Bhagavad Gita, Samkhya Karika, and Vedanta, yoga training materials, and a range of others writings. Upon his arrival in North America in early 1971, Baba Hari Dass and his teachings inspired the creation of several yoga centers and retreat programs in the United States in Santa Cruz County, California, and in Canada at Salt Spring Island and in Toronto. 🔆 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@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Indian sage Sri H. W. L. Poonja discusses inner peace, stillness, and embracing the unknown truth. He explores emptiness, freedom, and the mind in satsang, emphasizing the importance of embracing truth and silence to find inner peace.

A reading for meditation of the Kaccānagottasutta taken from Samyutta Nikaya (SN 12.15).  In this sutta, Venerable Kaccānagotta asks the Buddha about right view, and the Buddha answers that right view arises when one sees the origin and cessation of the world. The main theme of the text is the avoidance of the extremes "existence"  and "non-existence" with respect to the world, and instead seeing the world in terms of the Middle Way which is illustrated by the twelve links of dependent origination. The one with right-view understands this. This translation is an amalgam of Walshe, Bodhi, Thanissaro, and Sujato.  A Sanskrit and Chinese (Saṃyuktāgama 301; also a partial quotation in SĀ 262) parallel text is also extant. Although there is considerable agreement across versions, the Sanskrit and Chinese texts are more or less identical to each other and both slightly different from the Pāli version. The text is cited in Sanskrit in works by Nāgārjuna and his commentators. 🔆 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@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This is  a selection of key pointers from Nisargadatta taken from the texts "I am That" and "The Nisargadatta Gita" - intended as a guided meditation. Original text of "I am That" edited and compiled by Maurice Frydman. The Nisargadatta Gita edited by Pradeep Apte. 🔆 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@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

"Wu Hsin" (meaning No Mind)  was a fictitious character created by Roy Melvyn to create and structure a series of pith teachings and pointers to the Absolute, based on key non-duality teachings. Despite the controversy around the "deceit" in publishing these works as words from an  "authentic" Chinese Master, I have chosen to upload these readings as they are some of the clearest pointers I have read. Please be aware of the context as to how they were created. In essence, we are all really imaginary "persons" anyway!  Roy Melvyn (1947-apparently died in 2017? -TBC ) was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Eastern European immigrant parents. It wasn't until the 1980s that his interest in spirituality and religion began to blossom and his investigations into the Western religions began.  By the late 90s, he was writing about the more mystical aspects of Eastern meditative pursuits, exploring the writings of Dogen, Jiddu Krishnamurti, both Shunryu and D. T. Suzuki and Ramana Maharshi among others.  These pointers were taken from the book: "Solving Yourself". 🔆 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@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

The Root Verses on the Six Bardos are some of the most famous sections of The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo (Bardo Tödrol Chenmo), a treasure text revealed by the fourteenth century tertön Karma Lingpa. This text offers instructions on each of the six intermediate states (bardo) and helps us to live a better life while preparing for death and beyond.  The Bardo Thodol , is a text from a larger corpus of teachings, the Profound Dharma of Self-Liberation through the Intention of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones. It is the best-known work of Nyingma literature, known in the West as the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  Translated by Adam Pearcey 🔆 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@gmail.com with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.