Ashtanga Gyana Yoga
In the first written teaching bequeathed to us by Sri Ramana Maharishi, the great sage explained the lineaments of the eight-fold path of knowledge that leads to the Supreme Liberation.
This eternal path is the core practice of Sat Yoga. To be most effective, Gyana Yoga must be integrated with the other six essential yogas that comprise the heart of the Sat Yoga approach. But those with clarity, determination, and devotion—those who have had what in Zen is called kensho, the living recognition of the presence and true nature of the Absolute, can reach jivan mukti solely on the basis of this practice of Ashtanga Gyana Yoga.
Related Teachings
Our Fear of Death Is Also Our Fear of Life
The subject of this satsang is death, a fear of which is endemic to every ego. We fear our own death and feel sorrow at the death of the other, because our consciousness has identified with a mortal body and its thoughts. Fear of death also amounts to fear of life—fear of taking risks, individuating, and entering the unknown Self. Only when we live in this state, recognizing and deciding that our highest Self is most valuable and Real, will the power of Self-actualization and a life free of Self-betrayal be possible.
How Important Is the Salvation of Your Soul?
In this teaching, Shunyamurti describes a new phase of Sat Yoga: moving beyond concepts and intellectual understanding to the direct realization of God. The goal is not merely to understand the Self, but to surrender the ego completely and live in continuous remembrance of the divine presence. The practice must be ceaseless.
Understanding the Difference Between Fate and Destiny
In this Q&A, Shunyamurti explores the illusion of inner and outer and the difference between fate and destiny. Shunyamurti reveals why unconditional acceptance is only a beginning, and how letting go of our identification with the character's fate opens us to the timeless destiny of God-Consciousness.
How Meditation Dissolves Trauma and Ego
In this foundational teaching, Shunyamurti reveals that meditation is not a technique but a return to your center—to the pure awareness that exists prior to thought, identity, and emotion. By letting go of the mind’s constant projections, you can rediscover the natural state of peace, clarity, and wholeness that has never been lost.
How You Imagine Yourself Determines Your Life
Shunyamurti continues his exploration of the Nine Divisions of Trinitarian Consciousness, revealing a map of the journey from egoic identification to the Absolute Self. He explains why even Sat Chit Ananda is only the boundary of what can be spoken about the Absolute, and why liberation ultimately requires letting go of every representation to reveal the Real Self.
How Can We Explain Our Collective Stupidity?
In this intellectually dazzling and spiritually transformative satsang, Shunyamurti bridges ancient nondual wisdom with modern philosophy to illuminate one of the deepest mysteries of existence: What is this world? Drawing on the insights of Jean Baudrillard, Abhinavagupta, Adi Shankaracharya, and Sri Ramana Maharshi, he reveals why reality is better understood as a simulacrum—a mirror reflection without an original—than as a material universe existing independently of consciousness.
Moving from a penetrating critique of consumer culture, desire, and the modern "Matrix," Shunyamurti then unveils the seven states of consciousness, showing why the waking ego is the least qualified to judge reality. True awakening begins when we transcend the limitations of ordinary awareness and enter the luminous stillness from which all experience arises.
This teaching is excerpted from Shunyamurti's latest seminar, "The Thrill of the Infinite: You Must Take the Leap." Access the complete teaching series here: https://www.satyoga.org/shop/products/retreat-package/the-thrill-of-the-infinite/