Om, namah Shivaya! In this course we will try to understand the inner meanings behind the functioning and manifestations of the creative energies of transformation in the images and descriptions of Shiva over the centuries. There is a somewhat cliché association of Shiva with destruction and He is often labeled the Destroyer. To be sure, the destruction of an attachment to a given level is necessary for any serious transformation to a new level, but Shiva is constantly engaged in regeneration and transformation.

Faculty

The Venerable Olande Ananda, a Theravada Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, is a resident meditation teacher at the Pagoda Meditation Centre. A patron of the Sri Lanka Besant Lodge, he is a member of the Buddha’s Light International Association, the International Network of Engaged Buddhists and the Network of Western Buddhist Teachers. He teaches Buddhist meditation all over the world since 1979.

Many sages in India have stressed the importance of discernment between Self and non-Self, and they have said that the major characteristic of a basic human ignorance is the blurring of this distinction.  What is the Self?  How can we approach the understanding of the Self? How do we distinguish this from the usual many manifestations of self?  The Upanishads regard the aim of human existence to be Self-realization and they present a model of a free, bold and non-sectarian inquiry into the nature of the Self.

N. Sri Ram compared humanity to ‘an ancient plant that has seen many seasons.  It is preparing for a new flowering, which will not be a reproduction of the old, but the flowering of a new species evolved from the old.’ This course aims at a serious study of selections from Sri Ram’s writings on the nature and scope of human transformation.

Recommended Reading

The following books by N. Sri Ram:

The statement ‘That Thou Art’, from the Chandogya Upanishad, points to a dimension of our existence that is free from all limitations and negative energy. The Vedanta tradition offers insights into inner change that are comparable to waking up from a long dream. The non-dual teachings of this system give us a vision of oneness of the universe which can eliminate unrest and insecurity and promote love and compassion.

The state of our society is a projection of the state of human consciousness. It cannot change in any fundamental way unless we bring about a change in our consciousness. Our consciousness does not change through intellectual understanding or the changing of opinions and views. Knowledge and experience do not alter consciousness. Therefore time does not help to bring about the transformation of consciousness. How can the human consciousness come upon wisdom? In this session we shall explore these questions in depth and attempt to discover the truth for ourselves.

There are aspects of Theosophical doctrine which are highly technical and only of interest to the serious student of philosophy and metaphysics.  However a major portion of the teachings have direct relevance to human life in the twenty-first century. Their deeper meaning only becomes evident to the student after many steps have been taken into the hall of learning.  This session will seek to explore the vastness of Theosophy and its great significance for understanding the meaning of life and the mystery of human consciousness.

Theosophical teachings suggest that there are three schemes of evolution: physical, intellectual and spiritual. Consciousness and matter affect each other because they are two constituents of one whole. Spirit and matter, life and form are ever inseparable. This session will explore of the evolution of form and the unfoldment of consciousness in the light of Theosophy.

This session will explore four subjects:

• intelligence (sense of survival, significance of life, fear, desire and reasoning);
• evolution (animal brain, human brain, brain-mind, consciousness);
• structure and function of human brain and
• function and behaviour (average behaviour, perversions, creativity, thought, knowledge, superstition, religious life, transformation and mutation of brain cells).

Faculty

Being present here and now with total attention and awareness is the way to liberation from ignorance and suffering. The Buddha proclaimed this truth 2552 years ago and the importance and the reality of this teaching is being increasingly recognized. During these classes we will explore the relevance of such teaching for our lives.