How NOT to Study Vedanta – Self-Inquiry vs Acquiring Information

Vedanta texts are more like a road map than a textbook – both are filled with information, but their ultimate purpose is to guide you to a destination. Video includes recommended program of study. Q&A series #18. Swami Tadatmananda's syllabus available here: arshabodha.org/teachings/ In the study of Vedanta, the subject matter is not Vedanta - it's your own true nature, atma, pure consciousness, the so-called inner divinity that the ancient rishis discovered to be identical with brahman. Vedanta is not a body of information, nor is it a doctrine, science, or philosophy. Properly understood, Vedanta is a brilliant and unique teaching methodology meant to lead you to attain moksha, liberation, enlightenment, through a powerful process of self-inquiry or inner exploration called atma vichara. The main spiritual practice in Vedanta is self-inquiry. And for that practice to be effective, your study of Vedanta must be accompanied by the practice of meditation. There are a number of important meditation techniques that can help you gain the skills that you'll need for the subtle and sometimes perplexing process of self-inquiry. Meditation is also necessary to prepare you for nididhyasana, Vedantic contemplation, that helps you assimilate whatever you have understood. And perhaps most importantly, meditation imparts an experiential dimension to your studies, and that can help you avoid the huge mistake of adopting a purely academic or theoretical approach. Includes program of study recommended by Swami Tadatmananda covering the following: Meditation (dhyana), Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Advaita Vedanta, Upanishads, Sanskrit, and Bhakti. Swami Tadatmananda is a traditionally-trained teacher of Advaita Vedanta, meditation, and Sanskrit. For more information, please see: www.arshabodha.org/

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