94 min
Talk · Baba Hari Dass
Path Unfolds: On His Autobiography
Sarada Diffenbaugh, a student of many years, walks through his autobiography at the centre he founded. About him rather than by him: he was silent, and wrote.
Overview
What does vedanta point to?
Vedanta is the philosophical tradition built on the Upanishads, concerned with the relationship between the individual self (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman). Its best-known school, Advaita ('non-dual') Vedanta, traces to the teacher Shankara and holds that Atman and Brahman are, on investigation, not two, a conclusion reached through structured study and inquiry rather than assumed at the outset.
Contemporary Vedanta is carried both by monastic orders such as the Ramakrishna Order (following Ramakrishna and Vivekananda) and by individual teachers who combine textual scholarship with meditation and Self-inquiry. It is worth distinguishing from the broader modern 'Non-duality' scene: many teachers there draw on Vedantic language and insight, but without the textual grounding, scriptural study and lineage transmission that classical Vedanta considers essential.
That which does not change while everything else does: that is what you are.A central teaching within Vedanta
Teachers
Voices within this path.
Compare background, approach and format before choosing a teacher to follow.
In memoriam
Vedanta
Ramakrishna
Bengali mystic and priest (1836–1886) at the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, whose teaching on the harmony of religions inspired his disciple Swami Vivekananda and the Vedanta movement.
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Vedic studies
David Frawley
American-born Vedic scholar and founder of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, teaching Vedic astrology, Ayurveda and ritual.
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Vedic Meditation
Light Watkins
American Vedic Meditation teacher and author, offering weekend trainings and retreats built around an accessible entry into mantra meditation.
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Advaita Vedanta
Swami Sarvapriyananda
Monk of the Ramakrishna Order and head of the Vedanta Society of New York, known for clear, accessible teaching on classical Advaita Vedanta.
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Vedic Meditation
davidji
American Vedic Meditation teacher trained under Deepak Chopra, now running his own Meditation Teacher Training academy.
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Vedanta teacher
Babaji Bob Kindler
Spiritual director of SRV Associations, based in Hawai'i, teaching Vedanta and Ramakrishna-tradition devotion, and a longtime composer of devotional music.
View profile →Upcoming events
Upcoming events in vedanta.
Retreats, dialogues and online gatherings connected to this path.
∞
Michael James Online Satsang
Online · Twice-monthly online satsang
See event pageTwice-monthly online satsang
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Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
New York, United States · Weekly class
See event pageWeekly class
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Bhagavad Gita
New York, United States · Weekly class
See event pageWeekly class
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Saturday Guided Meditation
Online · Weekly meditation
See event pageWeekly meditation
Talks & videos
Selected talks.
Talks and conversations from teachers within this path.
5 min
Talk · Lex Hixon
Total Humanity
Five minutes, and the clearest statement of what he meant by parallel sacred worlds.
15 min
Talk · Lex Hixon
The Open Space Beyond Religion
Fifteen minutes on belonging to several traditions at once without making them into one.
29 min
Talk · Huston Smith
India and the Infinite
On the Indian traditions as he came to know them from the inside, over ten years of Vedanta practice.
Listen
Recordings from vedanta.
Voices from this path and the schools within it, playing from the platforms the teachers publish on.
Swami SarvapriyanandaVedanta
S Spotify
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | June 15th, 2025
A question-and-answer session from Vedanta Talks, Swami Sarvapriyananda's own channel.
From the podcast Vedanta Talks - Swami Sarvapriyananda
Swami SarvapriyanandaVedanta
S Spotify
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | September 29th, 2024
A question-and-answer session from Vedanta Talks, Swami Sarvapriyananda's own channel.
From the podcast Vedanta Talks - Swami Sarvapriyananda
Swami SarvapriyanandaVedanta
S Spotify
Swami Vivekananda on Karma & Freedom
A talk from Vedanta Talks, Swami Sarvapriyananda's own channel.
From the podcast Vedanta Talks - Swami Sarvapriyananda
James SwartzVedanta
↗ yoga-vedanta-tantra.org
Podcast - James Swartz talks about the Bhagavad Gita Part 32
The final instalment of the Yoga Vidya recordings of Swartz's Bhagavad Gita teaching.
From the podcast James Swartz - Vedanta Talks on the Bhagavad Gita
Reading Room
Source texts
The source texts beneath this path, free to read.
The Bhagavad Gita
Translated by Sir Edwin Arnold · 1885
The poetic translation that influenced Gandhi; still very readable.
The Upanishads
Translated by Swami Paramananda
A clear, devotional rendering by an Indian teacher rather than a Victorian academic.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Translated by Charles Johnston
Published as The Book of the Spiritual Man — a readable, contemplative rendering.
The Gospel of Ramakrishna
Translated by Swami Abhedananda · 1907
Mahendra Nath Gupta's recorded conversations with Ramakrishna, revised into English by his direct disciple.
Discernment
Clarity should include the human context.
Vedanta's conclusions can sound identical to popular non-duality teaching, but the path there traditionally runs through years of guided study, not a single insight. Claims of realisation are worth weighing against that context.
Ask about contextIs a statement philosophical, meditative, relational or practical?
Notice powerHow are authority, money, intimacy and complaints handled?
Include embodimentDoes the teaching make room for emotion, the body and nervous-system limits?
Keep agencyA useful teacher supports clear choice rather than demanding surrender of judgement.