During our pilgrimage we will be visiting the centers of South India's modern mystics and tapping into their enlightened teachings.
J. KRISHNAMURTI
SRI AUROBINDO’S VISION
Sri Aurobindo rejected a major conception of Indian philosophy that says that the World is a Maya (illusion) and that living as a renunciate was the only way out. He says that it is possible, not only to transcend human nature but also to transform it and to live in the world as a free and evolved human being with a new consciousness and a new nature which could spontaneously perceive the truth of things, and proceed in all matters on the basis of inner oneness, love and light.
Aurobindo's ideas about the further evolution of human capabilities significantly influenced the thinking of many, including Michael Murphy, co-founder of the Esalen Institute and a key figure in the Human Potential Movement; American philosopher Ken Wilber, Haridas Chaudhuri, Bengali integral philosopher and the founder of the California Institute of Integral Studies; author and cultural historian Richard Tarnas; and Prophets Conference faculty members... author and scholar Andrew Harvey; systems theorist and pioneer of the Akashic Field Theory Dr. Ervin Laszlo, and Stanislav Grof, M.D., one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a pioneering researcher into altered states of consciousness.
"Sri Aurobindo's yoga points the way toward the kind of transformative practice we need to realize our greatest potentials. No philosopher or contemplative of modern times has done more to reveal our possibilities for extraordinary life."
— Michael Murphy, Founder, Esalen Institute, author of The Future of the Body
The principal writings of Sri Aurobindo include: The Mind of Light, The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Secrets of the Vedas, Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, Renaissance in India and other essays, Supramental Manifestation upon Earth, The Future Poetry, Thoughts and Aphorisms, Savitri, and several volumes of letters and collected poems.
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram, founded in 1926, has grown under the Mother's guidance from a small group of two dozen disciples into a large diversified community. The dynamic character of the community reflects the life-affirming aim of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga. Work as an offering to the Divine is an essential aspect of the Yoga. In the sadhana or spiritual discipline at the Ashram, there are no obligatory practices, no rituals, no compulsory meditations or systematic instructions in Yoga. Sadhaks are left free to determine the course and pace of their sadhana in accordance with their own natures. But the general principle of the sadhana is the same for all: there must be a surrender to the Divine and an opening to the Divine Force so that it may work to transform ones being.
www.sriaurobindoashram.org
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
"The wisdom and mysticism of the East have a very great deal to tell us. They should remind us of what we possess in our culture of similar things and have already forgotten, and direct our attention to that which we put aside as unimportant, namely the destiny of our inner man. The life and teachings of Sri Ramana are not only important for the Indian but also for the Westerner. Not only do they form a record of great human interest, but also a warning message to a humanity which threatens to lose itself in the chaos of its unconsciousness and lack of self-control."It was in 1911 that the first westerner, Frank Humphreys, then a policeman stationed in India, discovered Sri Ramana and wrote articles about him which were first published in The International Psychic Gazette in 1913. However, Sri Ramana only became relatively well known in and out of India after 1934 when Paul Brunton, having first visited Sri Ramana in January 1931, published the book A Search in Secret India, which became very popular. Resulting visitors included Paramahansa Yogananda, Somerset Maugham (whose 1944 novel The Razor's Edge models its spiritual guru after Sri Ramana), Mercedes de Acosta, Julian P. Johnson, and Arthur Osborne. Sri Ramana's relative fame spread throughout the 1940s. However, even as his fame spread, Sri Ramana was noted for his belief in the power of silence and his relatively sparse use of speech, as well as his lack of concern for fame or criticism. His lifestyle remained that of a renunciate.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi remains one of the most important saints of the modern era and his realisation (“I am that”) inspires many followers. Although Sri Maharshi’s physical presence no longer graces the Ashram, his spiritual presence is as alive as ever; thus, devotees and aspirants who attune themselves to the silent teaching can derive considerable spiritual benefit from a visit to the Ashram www.sriramanamaharshi.org.
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