Abstract

This is an audio interview between Taposhri of Dhi and me held on 22nd Aug 2020. Dhi hosts live talks and discussions with people in the spiritual field. Its vision statement says that “At Dhi, we aim to break boundaries and open up the core to the knowledge of ONE. Live talks and discussions every Saturday via invite.”

In my blog writings I have never mentioned my personal journey and the challenges I faced in my journey to Advaita. This interview fills in this vacuum. Further this free-wheeling interview discusses

1. What is Self Inquiry? Reasons for me to start my Self Inquiry?
2. Challenges I faced in my personal life while doing Self Inquiry.
3. The reason that drew me to teachings of J Krishnamurti and why I later shifted to Advaita
4. What is Advaita and Jnana Yoga or Yoga of Knowledge? What is the source of Jnana/Knowledge?
5. Why knowledge and experience is the final truth and what are the use of spiritual experiences in the path of Shankara/Gaudapada Advaita?
6. The various other paths I took up and the reason for me to follow them and leave them.
7. The subtle difference between Shankara/Gaudapada Advaita and Yoga and how many teachers mix the teachings of the two.
8. The difference between Advaita and Buddhism
9. Difference between Advaita and Direct Path (Greg Goode)
10. The difference between Advaita and teachings of Aurobindo
    

Note of Thanks

I would like to thank my friend Gautam Mahanti who has been with me in the spiritual journey since the past seven or eight years, on whose dogged insistence I agreed to do the interview. I would like to also thank the hosts at Dhi : Taposhri and Priya who provided a warm, receptive and invigorating space of dialogue for me to talk about Advaita. They very dexterously interwove the two strands of my personal journey in Advaita along with the philosophical teachings of Advaita. Finally, with his engaging questions, Gautam created a dialogue where we could discuss the subtle differences between Advaita and teachings of other schools, which I am sure would throw clear light around the mass of confusions surrounding a modern seeker who is caught up in this melee of spiritual schools, paths and teachers.

Ultimately, I hope that an initiative like Dhi – Dive in the Driver series, can help spiritual seekers. The link for their YouTube channel is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm4mzskKID8&list=PLWh3KwsfzussuHYsbbaq26ba1DHPEJo5q