Self-knowledge and the quest for Happiness

Course content

Despite the universal striving for happiness, all our education and learning has not taught us to be happy. In fact, the predominant message that society gives us is that ‘you are not enough’. The Vedic tradition teaches us to be happy by keeping Dharma as the framework of the pursuit of wealth and pleasure. Additionally, Vedanta reveals that the sense of inadequacy we experience is not a psychological problem but a spiritual problem of ignorance of oneself. The solution is self-knowledge of the unchanging self which has no lack.

We will enquire into how we describe and define ourselves in the light of key verses of Tattvabodha and a few other Vedanta texts. Tattvabodha is a foundational text for Vedanta and the highest teachings of oneness. The mirror of Vedanta offers a clear understanding of oneself through different Vedanta prakriya-s (methodologies). Often used and misunderstood terms like Atma, Moksa, Jiva, Brahman, Ishvara, Maya, Karma, Turiya are defined and explained thoroughly.

This course is especially useful to clarify doubts and confusions that may have arisen if you have tried to study Vedanta on your own, without a traditional teacher.

If we earlier did things for the sake of fullness, in the wake of knowledge, we do things ‘out of’ a sense of fullness and abundance.