Truth and Beauty: The Sad Saga of a Love Affair

What is the true spiritual meaning of Halloween? In this classic teaching recorded in 2018, Shunyamurti explores the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain as a symbolic passage through darkness and death into divine rebirth. Drawing on the Tree of Life, heroic myths, and the spiritual significance of sacrifice, he explains why the ego is the ultimate obstacle to humanity's return to divine consciousness, and why every new Golden Age must begin with the death of the old.

Note: Shunyamurti did not complete his explanation of why the Gaelic holiday pronounced Sahwen is spelled Samhain. The original settlers were Aryan speakers of early Sanskrit, and the holy day was a coming together of the living and the spirits of their dead ancestors, who were the gods of earlier yugas. The idea of coming together was expressed as a sangham, which could also be written as samhan. Thus, the Sanskrit root was preserved, though the spoken language evolved.

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.

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.

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.

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/

Question:

Why say Allah instead of God?

Shunyamurti’s Reply:

Allah is a universal Name of God. It is used by Christian monks who live in the Middle East as well as well as India. It is used not only by Sufi yogis, and by yogis universally. It is the equivalent of Ishwara. Sat yogis also employ the Name of Buddha, although we are not Buddhists. We also speak of Ram, Vishnu, and Shiva, although we are not Hindus. God is One. Whatever Name is used is understood by real yogis as referring to the Infinite Consciousness. The Truth is that the Supreme One is Nameless.

Namaste,

Shunyamurti