The Counseling Renaissance Today we are discovering many new dynamic tools for understanding ourselves and for bringing greater meaning into our lives, not simply at a physical level, but at deeper levels of consciousness. Our model of the human being is shifting from that of a separate individual fixed in one location in time and [...]
February 26, 2015
Vamadev Shastri
Spirituality/Culture
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States brought about many glowing statements from the American government, both about Modi and about India. These included productive meetings with President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State John Kerry, who were quite elated with Modi’s visit. The camaraderie extended to Bill and Hillary [...]
October 7, 2014
Vamadev Shastri
Analysis/Insights, Articles
Global Esoteric Traditions Esoteric, mystical, and occult traditions have been widely connected worldwide as far back as we can trace their history. These often secret teachings cross over realms of healing, astrology, alchemy, Yoga, mantra, and meditation, emphasizing internal practices to raise our awareness to higher states of consciousness. They have been also important in [...]
There has been a considerable debate extending from recent centuries to current interfaith dialogues as to whether Hinduism is a monotheistic religion, and if so whether Hinduism can perhaps be included among the great monotheistic traditions of the world. This question of Hinduism and monotheism reflects certain preconceptions that should be carefully examined. First is [...]
August 26, 2014
Vamadev Shastri
Spirituality/Culture
India’s recent election – which brought Narendra Modi to power with a great majority – is clearly an important if not epoch-making event in the history of the country. It may be the most important shift in Indian politics and national thinking since the independence of the country in 1947. [...]
July 22, 2014
Vamadev Shastri
Analysis/Insights, Archives
I began with a study of India based and primarily Hindu yogic teachings at a young age. I examined different paths of Yoga and Vedanta through several modern gurus, and took up various related meditation practices, much like what many Hindus in India usually do. Later after traveling to India, it became evident to me [...]
January 30, 2014
Vamadev Shastri
Spirituality/Culture
Hindus are inclined to accept anything that calls itself calls itself religion, particularly if it is also mystical. They would like to believe that all mystical states are valid and that all religions are true. This exposes them to manipulation by groups who use a religious or mystical appearance to promote their own agendas that [...]
January 12, 2014
Vamadev Shastri
Analysis/Insights, Archives, Articles
One not uncommonly comes across the opinion today that India was never really a nation but that its nationhood was only recently invented by the British through their definition of the region as part of their empire. Similarly we are told that Hinduism was up to recently not a religion at all but merely various [...]
October 15, 2013
Vamadev Shastri
Analysis/Insights, India
The world, perhaps as usual, is in a state of crisis. Yet unlike previous crises, which were local in nature, the fate of the globe itself is now at stake, not only humanity but all life on Earth is threatened. And in this extremity no nation has yet arisen as a defender of the Truth [...]
October 9, 2013
Vamadev Shastri
Analysis/Insights
A defeatist tendency exists in the psyche of modern Indians perhaps unparalleled in any other country today. An inner conflict bordering on a civil war rages in the minds of the country’s elite. The main effort of its cultural leaders appears to be to pull the country down or remake it in a foreign image, [...]
September 2, 2013
Vamadev Shastri
Analysis/Insights