Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York.

Ask Swami - Questions and Answers with Swami Sarvapriyananda

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 25th, 2017

Sunday lecture

Ask Swami 6/25/2017

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Feb 19, 2017

Ask Swami 2/19/2017

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on April 23, 2017

Ask Swami 4/23/2017

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Sept 24th, 2017. Topics include 'Karma', the problem of 'evil' in religion, and the focus on 'Advaita Vedanta' at the Ramakrishna Mission.

Ask Swami 9/24/2017

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Dec 31st, 2017.

Vedanta Talks

Ask Swami 12/31/2017

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Feb 25th, 2018.

Ask Swami 2/25/2018

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Mar 25th, 2018.

Ask Swami 3/25/2018

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Apr 29th, 2018.

Ask Swami 4/29/2018

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on May 27th, 2018.

Ask Swami 5/27/2018

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 24th, 2018.

Ask Swami 6/24/2018

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Sept 30, 2018

Ask Swami 9/30/2018

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 6, 2019

Ask Swami 1/6/2019

Ask Swami 3/17/2019

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on April 7, 2019.

List of Questions with Timestamps:
0:00 - On Vedantic meditation.
9:20 - How to overcome the fear of unknown and revel in the silence.
19:36 - In Nirvanashatakam, bliss is first negated but then accepted. Which is it? Difference between Ananda and happiness.
28:47 - Do negative emotions persists after Enlightenment?
48:10 -  Should we trust our own insights? 50:28 - How to combine Vedantic meditation with the practice of Mantra meditation.
58:20 - How can the universe come out of nothing? Does Advaita Vedanta recognize an Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God?
1:10:18 - Which meditation should we practice - Vedantic or Mantra?
1:11:32 - Is the presence of a life force (Prana) an illusion?

Ask Swami 4/7/2019

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on May 5th, 2019. 

List of Questions with Timestamps:
0:36 - Difference between the ego and the witness. 
	    Is consciousness a creation of the brain.
24:34 - Difference between the views that the universe never existed vs the universe is brahman.
	     If we are one consciousness, why do we react differently in different circumstances.  
39:18 - If I do not “exist”, how do I approach the demands of the world.
47:18 - How is it possible to attain God while living in the world?
             How do I choose a guru? Is enlightenment possible without mantra diksha? 56:47 - Distinguishing between vairagya (dispassion) and tamas (darkness).
              How to practice non-injury but still protect ourself? 
1:08:20 - Are your tendencies from past life part of a bigger purpose in the universe?
1:19:40 - What is Advaita Vedanta’s standpoint on karmic liability that leads to rebirth?
1:27:05 - Difference between Jnanindriyan and Buddhindriyan. 
1:32:00 - Do Sat, Chit, and Ananda refer to the same thing?

Ask Swami 5/5/2019

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 2, 2019
List of Questions with Timestamps:
0:33 - Is consciousness present in non-living things? Are they also Brahman?
12:18 - What is the nature of bliss? Is it dependent on the mind? Does a pure being experience bliss all the time?
26:15 - Does your liberation depend upon your karma?
31:50 - Does the presence of Maya imply duality?
36:25 - Does suffering bring us closer to spirituality? Can people who are mentally week resort to spirituality as an escape route?
46:45 - Is it difficult to stay in the non-dual path when the path of knowledge is considered difficult to follow in the current age?
59:25 - Advice for somebody who has experienced a flash of spiritual bliss and is trying to understand and sustain it.
1:02:56 - Explain the verse from the Taittiriya Upanishad: "He who is here in man and he who is in yonder sun—both are one."

Ask Swami 6/2/2019

Swami Sarvapriyananda conducts a Q&A session followed by his discourse on 'Realization'. 
List of Questions with Timestamps:
0:08 - How do desires transmigrate after death?
11:50 - A step-by-step examination of the challenges one faces in grasping the ‘Witness’
23:03 - The spiritual heaven in Vedanta.
25:16 - How to manifest the knowledge of Advaita?
46:00 - Who made God?

Realization (Questions & Answers)

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on February 9th, 2020.
List of Questions with Timestamps:
5:07 -  1) To whom does enlightenment happen if we are already Brahman? 2) How can we be responsible for all the pain and suffering if we are already Brahman? 3) How can Brahman have no characteristics?
37:50 -  If we have family, friends, and relationships can we also reach enlightenment? Can we have both?
41:05 - How can Maya be both real and unreal?
45:58 - How to reconcile the ultimate reality with Maya?
54:20 - A discussion on free will inspired by the Bhagavad Gita.
1:07:53 - 1) Does the Vedanta philosophy evolve? 2) Do new insights from science get integrated?
1:21:00 - Can you say more about the differences between Buddhist teaching and Vedanta teaching?
1:34:18 - Can we not measure in a quantitative way how much we understand?

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ABOUT VEDANTA
Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions.

ABOUT US
Vedanta Society of New York is affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India. In fact, this is the Order's first Center started by Swami Vivekananda, in 1894. It was a historic event, for the seed of the world-wide Ramakrishna Movement was sown here in New York over a century ago. Swami Sarvapriyananda is the present Resident Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York.

Ask Swami 2/9/2020

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on February 9th, 2020. List of questions with timestamps:
• 6:25 --  How to know the Self when It cannot be objectified? Is inference sufficient?
• 27:30 -- While we agree that waking, dreaming, and deep sleep are experienced in consciousness, why can't we say that they are real instead of unreal since they are indeed experienced? 
• 44:50 -- If the realization of atman is an experiential reality, then why is there a logical conflict between different spiritual traditions? Does it mean that the realized master's have different experiences?
•  54:35 -- If consciousness illumines Maya, then why does it need the support of Maya to realize itself?  

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Ask Swami 5/3/2020

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 7th, 2020. List of questions with timestamps:

• 2:30 --  What is the difference between individual and cosmic consciousness? How can we realize the reality of one consciousness?

• 34:18 --  Why is private spirituality not spirituality?

• 39:25 --  I am in school and have lost interest in studies. I would rather seek the spiritual truths. What are my options?

• 47:27 --  How can the formless Brahman produce a universe of forms?

• 56:16 -- How can Brahman in Sri Ramakrishna's Vijnana Vedanta be beyond cause and effect if the universe is a real manifestation of Shakti?

• 1:08:11 --  I was brought up in a christian tradition but have become interested in Vedanta.  Is is possible for a person to be pulled into Vedanta by no conscious effort?

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Ask Swami 6/7/2020

Talks on Vedanta given by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York (founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1894).
 
Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions. 

Web: http://www.vedantany.org
iTunes Podcast: http://bit.ly/vedanta-talks-itunes
Google Play: http://bit.ly/vedanta-talks-google-play

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