General Articles 
We Live in Two Worlds
8 September, 2014 @ 10:22 pm
Swami Rama used to say “We live in two worlds.” He was referring to the outer world and the inner world. And he would say that the inner world is vaster than the outer world. So what are we to make of these statements? The first point is that many of us tend to pour most of our life force, and sometimes our entire identities, into the outer world at the expense of our inner life. Perhaps I love the Internet, and you spend most of your time socializing. Or perhaps you prefer spending time with family, and I am a work-a-holic. We say “I am a scientist”, or “I am a mother,“ or “I am a Democrat.” We tend to identify with our outer roles and preoccupations. Swami Rama is reminding us that the inner world remains largely unexplored because our life force has been flowing to the external world.
Yoga from my Experience
8 September, 2014 @ 10:19 pm
During these lovely days of late spring my mind has turned to flowers. A beautiful garden brings joy to the heart and quiet to the mind. One distinctive symbol of yoga is a flower, the lotus. Nelumbo nucifera, the most sacred plant in India, is richly symbolic and at the center of much lore.
What I Wanted Was Inside All Along
8 September, 2014 @ 10:16 pm
Both before and after being initiated by Swami Veda Bharati (who was then known as Dr. Usharbudh Arya) in 1988, I felt a strong desire to be in his presence. I wanted to be around him, to hear what he had to say, and to be a focus of his attention. Perhaps my wish to be near him was an attraction to the love and wisdom he emanated. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, the desire was compelling.
Santosha – Happy to Breathe
8 August, 2014 @ 10:31 pm
Attention to the subtlety of the breath gives an insight into contentment. Sitting one day I felt very quietly contented within myself and as I sat there the word santosha came to mind and my thoughts started to elaborate on the word. If you don’t mind I would like to share my thoughts on this with you.
When the Student Is Ready, Guru Appears
8 August, 2014 @ 10:25 pm
It is the Guru’s (Swami Veda) instruction that lead me to the path to HYT and today I strongly believe that I did not choose the Himalayan Tradition by a game of chance. I truly experienced this maxim of the sages: when the student is ready, the Guru appears. Now I really understand the deep meaning of the sentence of Swamiji when he answered to my first e-mail correspondence: This is all the game of samskaras. I have no doubt that I was bound to meet him and be in the tradition and consequently to HYT. Planned from previous birth? May be.
Beauty That No Cosmetic Can Imitate
10 June, 2014 @ 11:18 pm
A Kind, Loving, and Happy Mind Gives Beauty That No Cosmetic Can Imitate. These days, people are so focused on external appearance, and vast industries are supported by our insatiable hunger for good looks and beauty. However, there are no clothes, no cosmetics, and no plastic surgeries that can compare with the beautifying power of an empowered, clear, calm and happy mind. I learned this from Swami Veda Bharati. He didn't teach this in words, but by example. You see, there is an inner-beauty about Swami Veda that is so powerful that I've always found it hard to see anything else when I'm in his presence. He's a nice looking person too, and in the presence of the inner-beauty that flows from him, the appearance of his physical body seems irrelevant.
Guru Vandana, Guru Prayer
26 May, 2014 @ 2:44 pm
The Guru Vandana, Guru Prayer, is from the Guru Gītā in the Skanda-Purāṇa. The Guru Vandana, Guru Prayer is in the Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Handbook if you have a copy.
Maintenance and Repair Work at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama
8 May, 2014 @ 3:41 pm
Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG) will begin much needed maintenance and repair work on the entire campus in mid-May 2014. We thank you for your past contributions to SRSG, which serves to fulfill the mission undertaken by Swami Veda Bharati and as a retreat center for sadhakas such as yourself.
Walk and Dance Away Your Depression and Loneliness
10 April, 2014 @ 11:33 pm
Walk and Dance Away Your Depression and Loneliness by Prasanna K. Pati Lord Shiva is one of the Hindu Gods. He is the great Yogi, the great Teacher and the counselor of all the other Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. Above all Lord Shiva is the Cosmic Dancer, the Lord of the Dance. In his ecstatic dancing he is creating the universe with one hand and destroying it with the other. During my daily 4 mile walks, sometimes I chant to Lord Shiva. What would this Great Guru of all the peoples advise us now? During my walks it is time for solitude, contemplation, introspection and flashes of memories of those loved ones who are no more, and sometimes with teary eyes and above all, connecting with Mother Nature and her ever-changing beauty.
Gist of Life
11 March, 2014 @ 12:31 am
It is a truth-seeking query concerning the significance of life or existence in general. "Why are we born?", "What is life all about?", and "What is the purpose of existence?” To discern the retort Buddha forfeited his realm and got enlightened (path towards moksha). It was the brutal warrior Ashoka unassailable expanding his realm by waging a bitterly destructive war against the state of Kalinga. After witnessing the mass deaths of the war to discern the retort he forfeited his realm and got enlightened (path towards moksha).