Nilgiri Press

A lecture given by Eknath Easwaran on the topic of meditation and the spiritual life.

Talk 1: The core of this talk on Chapter 26 of the Dhammapada is a penetrating analysis of how we can break the chains of our self-willed habits. Easwaran then moves on to one of his favorite topics: spiritual acting. The point of spiritual acting is not to deny that we have negative reactions, but to have the detachment to act independently of that reaction, until we can reestablish calm in our mind. Talk 2: Easwaran begins by quoting the Buddha,...

Talk 1: Easwaran comments on four verses from the Dhammapada that convey fundamental spiritual laws. When we learn to live in harmony with these laws, we flourish, and we help those around us to flourish. We find the lasting joy that comes from love for all, and we learn to express this love in tireless service. Talk 2: Easwaran explains how we can strengthen our sense of security in conflict situations by learning detachment. We should see others...

Talk 1: Easwaran shows how the Buddha questioned the standard assumptions of his day, and turned them into tools for teaching us that it's not what we wear or how we look that counts, but how we think and live. He outlines some of the stages in developing this awareness. He says we can find the ultimate freedom, which he speaks about at the end of the talk: we get free from our samskaras - the conditioned patterns of thought and habit which affect...

Talk 1: This talk includes a marvelous description of Easwaran's meditation, in which he shows how, with intense concentration, the inspirational passage can become a deeply personal message of transformation. He closes with an inspiring portrait of the person who has truly trained the mind - secure, content, joyful, and heir to a seemingly inexhaustible supply of patience and endurance. Talk 2: In this talk we see the practical benefits of training...

Talk 1: The sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains Sri Krishna's instructions in meditation. Easwaran concentrates on two of the verses from which he drew the basic elements of his mode of meditation. As he focuses on the details of time, place, and posture, he also provides glimpses into the supreme purpose of meditation - to rise above ordinary consciousness and become aware of the divine ground of our existence. Talk 2: Along with meditation,...

Talk 1: Easwaran uses the metaphor of extreme mountaineering to present a vision of our true destiny. He describes how we can transcend our evolutionary legacy and harness our will and desire to attain the goal. Talk 2: Easwaran comments on quotes from major figures, both spiritual and secular. The date of the talk is January 3, 1987, so his theme is renewal - not just of ourselves, but of the world we live in. His first quote, from Mahatma Gandhi,...

Talk 1: Easwaran lays out a map of spiritual progress seen from the standpoint of desire, and gives several entertaining examples of how desire can be wasted, or harnessed. Talk 2: Easwaran paints a vivid portrait of the climax of meditation, called samadhi in Sanskrit, and described as union with God, or the mystic union, in many other traditions.

Talk 1: Easwaran offers some practical suggestions for improving our meditation. He points out that we have a fundamental choice, at all times: "Shall I do what is pleasing, appealing, only to me? Or shall I do what will benefit all?" By choosing the selfless way forward, our meditation will deepen. Talk 2: Easwaran explains how, as we go deeper in meditation, we confront some powerful distractions, which Easwaran calls by the Sanskrit term, samskaras....