Teaching Meditation and Non-Duality in Portland, OR, New Jersey, and Online

Vedanta for the Householder
New Group Meditation & Knowledge Talk, Thursdays at 5 pm PST.
Join me every Thursday at 5 pm PST for a free group Vedic meditation and knowledge talk. Short on time? We meditate first, so hop on by at 5 pm for meditation only, and then stay when you can! We talk about all things from a Vedantic perspective, explore the teachings of the ancient Rishis, and discuss how their knowledge applies to us as householders in 2024.
​
5:05 - 5:25 pm PST - Vedic Meditation
5:25 - 5:45 pm PST - Knowledge Talk & Questions
​
*Open to all self-transcending meditators practicing with our technique, no matter what you call it or where or how you learned. If you are not part of our tradition but have a meditation practice, you're welcome to join us and practice your technique while we have a Vedic Meditation.
-
Meeting ID: 824 8027 2599
-
Passcode: meditate
5/16/24 Vedic
Meditation Q&A
-
Staying consistent with 2nd meditation
-
Dealing with distractions during meditation
-
Empathy as a trauma response
5/2/24 Nonduality and The Difference Between Vedic Meditation and Mindfulness
-
How Vedic Meditation connects us to nonduality
-
The big subtle difference between Vedic Meditation and Mindfulness
4/18/24 Compassion
and Loving-Kindness Meditation
-
In this session, we do a classic Buddhist Compassion and Loving-Kindness Meditation
-
To listen to the meditation only, please see the audio track below
4/25/24 Awakening Compassion in Ourselves to Awaken It In All
-
Knowing Oneness through direct experience
-
Practicing self-compassion
4/4/24 Compassion
and Devotion Pt 2
-
How to cultivate compassion
-
Maintaining presence during triggers
-
The video mentioned - How to get rid of the angry boss | Hector Marcel | TEDxBushwick
3/28/24 Compassion
and Devotion
-
Why you should read Vedantic texts very slowly
-
Cultivating compassion for those who appear to be an enemy
3/14/24 All About Stress Release
-
The process of stress release
-
The mantra:
-
effortlessness​
-
faintness and subtlety
-
-
Stress release and body feeling
3/21/24 Nonchalance, compassion, and devotion
-
Nonchalance while using the mantra and meditating
-
Compassion and devotion in non-duality
3/7/24 All About MahaShivaratri
-
What is MahaShivaratri?
-
Who is Shiva?
-
How you can celebrate this auspicious day
2/29/24 Negation as a Means to Liberation
-
Insight and direct experience with regards to our meditation
-
Self-Inquiry and the nature of reality
-
Negation of intellectual, mental, and physical concepts
2/22/24 Q&A
-
Is there a relationship between charm and karma?
-
I have non-stop thoughts during meditation - what does this mean?
-
Fate vs free will
-
The Vedic view of manifestation
2/15/24 Adi Shankara's
The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination
-
Who was Adi Shankara?
-
Why is this book so important?
-
The first 2 (of 3) steps of his path to liberation - Insight & Inquiry - and how that looks to householders in 2024
-
Mantras to use outside of meditation:
-
Aham Brahmasmi​
-
Guru Dev
-
2/8/24 Renunciation of Seeking Enlightenment
Part 2
-
Recommendation of Christopher Isherwood's translation of Adi Shankara's The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination
-
The covering of bliss vs. Bliss Itself
-
Why not understanding what you just learned when studying Vedanta is evidence of consciousness expanding
2/1/24 Renunciation -
Seeking Enlightenment
Part 1
-
Review of meditative experiences - transcendent and thought filled meditations
-
Internal renunciation of the desire for enlightenment
1/25/24 Nirvar Tatvam
Swami Brahmanada Saraswati's (Guru Dev)
2-word lecture
1/18/24 How Life Stresses Stabilize the Benefits of Your Meditation Practice
1/11/24 Charm & Being Unattached to Outcome
-
Review of renunciation of thought and desire
-
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the recurring thought Rameshwaram (ebook here - The man we refer to is Tat Wale Baba)
-
How Vedic Meditation is Nishkama Karma Yoga - action without regard to outcome
12/14/23 Renunciation
& Thought
-
Renunciation for the householder
-
Consciousness, thoughts, and meditation
-
Managing thoughts and emotions with mindfulness
-
Self-realization and spiritual practices
-
Vedantic philosophy and self-awareness
12/21/23 Renunciation
& Desire
-
What is desire?
-
The concept of charm
-
Charm and a dysregulated nervous system
-
How to practice charm
12/7/23 Viveka & Maya
-
Viveka review
-
An Alternate Understanding of Maya
-
What is enlightenment?
-
Inner-body awareness and an aid to realizing one's true nature
-
The nature of reality and consciousness
11/30/23 Viveka - A Modern Understanding
​Resources:
-
Adi Shankara's Crest Jewel of Discrimination translated by Swami Prabhavananda & Christopher Isherwood
-
free legal download here
-
-
Sri M (Jeff Kober's teacher) talking about a modern approach to Viveka - 4 minutes
-
Blaine Watson - Vedic Astrologer - blainepw@me.com
-
Podcast episodes with Blaine that are hosted by Vedic Meditators:​
-
11/16/23 OM & Fire
-
​Why we shouldn't use Om (and what to use instead)
-
Why we don't engage the abs in Vedic Meditation
-
Current planetary alignment can lead to arguments in relationships - learn to take that fiery energy within and evolve instead!
-
Short reading about fire (Agni) from the Siva Purana.