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Advaita-Saadhanaa – Kanchi Maha-Swamigal’s Discourses

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:14:09 +0000

Advaita-Saadhanaa – Kanchi Maha-Swamigal’s Discourses. Kanchi Maha-Swamigal also known as Periyavaa repeatedly preached about the importance of following the Dharmic path and Advaita – non-duality. His various discourses are available in a pack of six volumes called ‘Deivathin Kural’ (Voice of the Divine) which have been compiled by R. Ganapathi, a devotee of Periyava. These books are available only in Tamil, however a condensed form of these books is available in English. Download the book here (192 pages):

Advaita-Saadhanaa – Kanchi Maha-Swamigal’s Discourses

The Metaphysics of the Upanishads by Vichar Sagar

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:21:36 +0000

The Metaphysics of the Upanishads by Vichar Sagar was first published in 1885, translated from sanskrit by Lala Sreeram. The book is an in depth treatise on Advaita as revealed in the Upanishads and it is said that it is read by every literate Sadhu. Advaita, meaning non-duality, is a system where “Advaita” refers to the identity of the Self (Atman) and the Whole (Brahman).Download the book here (451 pages, 35 MB):

The Metaphysics of the Upanishads

From the Upanishads by Ananda Wood

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:37:11 +0000

From the Upanishads by Ananda Wood is focused on the approach of Shri Shankara’s Advaita Vedanta tradition, as interpreted by Shri Atmananda, a modern advaita philosopher who lived in Kerala State, India, 1883-1959. The book is a collection of retellings from selected passages of the Upanishads. In these retellings, the original texts have been freely interpreted and often modified, to make them more accessible to a modern reader. For those who are interested in the original texts, a companion volume, called Interpreting the Upanishads, shows how particular concepts and passages have been interpreted in the retellings. Download the ebook here (279 pages):

From The Upanishads by Ananda Wood

What is Advaita Vedanta? Experience and Knowledge

admin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:24:31 +0000

What is Advaita Vedanta? – Experience and Knowledge by James Swartz is a short but well written and compact guide to Advaita Vedanta and non-duality from 2003. From the book:
“The Upanishads, the source of Vedanta, say that before this creation was, the self, limitless being, was. It further says that this self continues to exist outside of time and is therefore eternal. And it states that no action one can perform will ‘gain’3 this self, even though it is an ever-present reality… because actions are limited while the self is unlimited. Therefore it is at odds with Yoga on this issue. The discovery that one is the limitless self is presented as liberation or enlightenment by Vedanta.”

Download it here:

What is Advaita Vedanta?

Some teachings from Shri Atmananda (Krishna Menon)

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:56:28 +0000

This document has been extracted from a discussion on the Advaitin E-group during Nov 2003 to Jan 2004. The discussion was led by Ananda Wood; and the extraction is largely the work of Dennis Waite. The document is very compact and straightforward. If you need a quick reminder on non-duality, this is a good choice. It also contains a glossary related to Advaita and non-duality. Download it here (64 pages):

Teachings Atmananda Krishna Menon

Lights on Advaita Selected Teachings of V. Subrahmanya Iyer

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:38:47 +0000

Lights on Advaita - Selected Teachings of V. Subrahmanya Iyer is a collection of short teachings on Advaita written in a nearly poetic style. The book is divided in 50 chapters such as Doctrine of non-causality, The illusion of the world experience, The illusion of the ego-experience and The illusion of space, time externality. Download the book here (229 pages):

Lights on Advaita Selected Teachings of V. Subrahmanya Iyer

THE DOCTRINE OF MAYA – In the Philosophy of the Vedanta

admin — Tue, 24 May 2011 09:11:47 +0000

The Doctrine of Maya is the core principle in the Advaita Philosophy- the final pronouncement of Indian speculation on the conception of Reality and Appearance. In Advaita Vedanta philosophy, Maya is the limited, purely physical and mental reality in which our everyday consciousness has become entangled. Maya is held to be an illusion, a veiling of the true, the unitary Self. Maya in Hinduism seems to be similar to the Pali word for distortions (vipallasa). Download the book here in full length:

THE DOCTRINE OF MAYA

The Zen of Advaita – The Teaching Mastery of Nisargadatta Maharaj

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:53:29 +0000

The Zen of Advaita is a two-volume book by PhD. Stephen H. Wolinsky – a student of Nisargadatta Maharaj. The works are tributes to Nisargadatta and an attempt to crack the code of the Zen Koan with his teachings. Stephen begins with a warning:

“As you are about to go through this book, please note that nothing you are about to read is true. It is merely words whichrepresent things which do not exist. Please do not fallinto the trap of words.”

Download the works here:

The Zen of Advaita

The Zen of Advaita Part II

Freedom & Resolve – the living Edge of Surrender by Gangaji

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:26:22 +0000

Here is a another radical ebook from the Indian non-dual Advaita tradition, Freedom & Resolve – the living Edge of Surrender by Gangaji. From the intro:

“You have played like this for aeon’s. Eventually a weariness arises in the play because the play is limited. For all of if its display, for all of its beauty, for all of its pain, the play is limited because it is based on the assumption that you are somehow separate from Truth, from understanding, from love, from God. The whole play is based on the assumption of separation, and the assumption rarely gets investigated. The assumption is believed to be real, and from this belief the play gets very complicated. I am inviting you to see who is really playing.”

Download the pdf ebook here:

Gangaji – Freedom and Resolve

Sleep as a State of Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta

admin — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 13:12:43 +0000

Sleep as a State of Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta by Arvind Sharma. Advaita Vedanta is a widespread philosophical system of India. One of the well-known doctrines associated with Advaita Vedanta is that of avasthatraya, or of the three states of consciousness: waking (jagrat), dreaming (svapna), and deep sleep (susupti). Out of these three states of daily experience, Advaita Vedanta often draws on that of deep sleep to validate an argument, point a moral, or even adorn a tale. Download the ebook Sleep as a State of Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta by Arvind Sharma here: