So grateful for you and your gifts of wisdom and song. San Diego, for me, would be much less rich in being here without you. Carlos says,"I thank you, Swami Peter Bolland for returning me to the Vedanta Temples in S.F. and Berkeley.
I have read the Kena Upanishad before, but your expression and explanation bring it to LIFE ! Excellent presentation ! Thanks a lot, Peter Ji ! Keep on spreading BRILLIANCE in this dark world of trouble and strife !
Hi Peter, I love this book too, Eknath is so special and his explanation is so superb. Because of this book I order Sanskrit complete one to Japan and start to crake down more. Love your TH-cam and followed.
You’re a really good teacher, sir. I’ve been looking for ways to teach the Upanishads in an easy, fun, light way and will draw inspiration from you for sure. I will continue to follow your work - cheers
Hi Marcus, thanks! Here's my approach to teaching this stuff, or anything. What questions do I have? Those are always my starting points. And also, always start where students are. I hope I'm never talking down from the mountain as some kind of authority, but only just inviting folks to come along on an inquiry. And always search for ways to find the intersections between these ancient ideas and our everyday lives. If we can't show, and bring to life how and why this stuff matters, then we ought to find another line of work.
It's a pleasure to listen to you. I regret i found your channel just yesterday. Your joy and curiosity is infectious. Thank you for reintroducing me to my own cultural and spiritual roots.
If you think you know him, you may not know him. Some skepticism and openness are healthy when you try to define the indefinable or describe the indescribable. Even the gods had no clue. They could not recognize Brahman when he appeared before them. Then, how can humans ever truly know him? We may know him symbolically or relatively, but not absolutely.
thank you Peter ! for this video like so very aptly mentioned by you in your video of the nasadiya suktam the voice of the narration is often very important to understanding the thought being conveyed ... i like to read the keno upnishad as follows by what power does the mind falls and (or) soars (gets inspired) impelled by what does the life force rush forth by what power does speech manifest to words eyes, ears (etc) latches on to what divine power it is the ear of the ear ... that which is the mind of the mind speech of the speech it is .. the breath of the breath ( life force of the life itself) eye of the "eye" ... having discerned (distinguished) the wise ones having left this world (universe, plane...) become immortal .... and so on
Hi Peter! I've seen all of your videos on Bhagavad gita, Upanishads, Dao De Jing, Buddhism, etc. and I love them all. I've learnt a lot just by watching your videos. Thank you very much for your effort in bringing out these wonderful philosophical ideas to the general public. There's another beautiful piece of literature that my father used to tell me about when I was a kid. It's the story of the queen Madalasa in 'Markandaya Purana'. She used to sing her children a beautiful lullaby that had a deep meaning. I've also found a video of someone singing that song, th-cam.com/video/uDd3iupKUyI/w-d-xo.html. I highly recommend this piece of literature and this song. Hope you'll love them :)
Thank you so much for watching this, and my other videos as well. I really appreciate it, and your kind comments as well. And thank you for the lovely family memory, and the reference to the Markandaya Purana. I have yet to explore the Puranas in depth, and your encouragement spurs me on.
Loved your explanation, thanks a lot sir, I believe these philosophies of upanishad are true, specially Advait vedanta, cause logically and empirically, one would come to the same conclusion, that SELF is everywhere, may be changed in appearances and forms, but SELF remains the same, BUT the two biggest ramifications of these thoughts are 1) SELF is immortal and will not die, 2) There is only SELF in this universe and nothing else, no other being. That means SELF is eternal, and all alone, always will be, is that not a horrible state of existence? Even if he/she/they is all powerful. Is it not like a solitary prison but for eternity?
I do wonder if the Upanishad are describing the universal consciousness as Brahman. The segmented consciousness as Atman. If I-Ching be correct, these names that can be spoken are not the eternal Name. But manifestations of consciousness, born from the nameless unmanifested. The unmanifested being the true source of our being (pure awareness in itself). If I think along these lines too much my head starts to ache. Thanks Peter.
Your comment is very reminiscent of the conversation between gargi vacaknavi and yajnavalkya, one of my favourite passage /mantra/verse from the UPANISHAD-The BrihadAranyaka IIRC-the one where gargi inquires sequentially into higher and higher concepts until yajnavalkya loses his composure and silences gargi from a space of inability to verbalise certain concepts better
Cool, another possibility out of an infinite amount of possibilities. This concept is interesting but once they came with castes and karma, dharma, etc. the whole thing collapses into dogmatic, nihilistic bs. Evil even. This concept doesn't however answer anything or add anything to our lives and reality. It's beyond understanding anyway, and it doesn't explain the world with all its evils and kindness either.
Modappa, you are in good company. Mahatma Gandhi wondered the same thing, which is why he worked so hard to recognize the lower castes. It became one of the centerpieces of his Satyagraha (his social justice movement), along with labor rights, religious tolerance, and of course, Indian independence from British colonial rule. I don't think your question has an easy answer. It's just the layered and often paradoxical nature of all human culture, to have deeply held high aspirations, and yet to fail to live up to those lofty values and principles in the day to day workings of your culture. Look at America--supposedly a Christian-centric nation. Yet our history here in the United States reads like a confusing set of contradictions that quite often bear no resemblance at all with the highest virtues of Christian principles. Perhaps this is why we need religion--to remind us of our aspirations. If one were to defend the caste system (and I am not interested in doing that), one might argue that metaphysical unity does not imply sameness. One could, I suppose, argue that all is one while at the same time noticing the obvious differentiation between individuals--different heights, different eye colors, different sets of talents and abilities.
@@PeterBolland Ancient history of India is full of atrocities by the upper cast on the lower caste and ironically this is what made India a place of knowledge which the foreigners got hold of and became the beneficiary without the burden of caste system in their societies. But in India 95% of the population was deprived due to the caste system which in the long run made India what it is today compared to the developed countries. All the places of learning {Nalanda etc} were for the upper 5% of the population. Lower castes were not allowed to educate themselves until Ambedkar came with a constitution of India based on the Amrerican model. Nehru was right and did not believe in superstitions of any religion because he was a man of science and put India on the right track until these illiterate RSS/BJP idiots came to power in 2014 and now India is going back in time. The result is there for the whole world to see after 8 years of Modi rule. In all modern societies religion is a private matter as it is in all developed countries from Japan to USA. Introducing religion into politics (just to get majority votes by controlling media and by other propaganda like Wapp Univ) will keep BJP in power for a short time but will destroy India economically, politically, and will make its neighbors more powerful as has happened in the last 8 years. Without economic power no country in the world can defend itself against enemy action at the borders. Reason Modi cannot even mention China now after Chinese aggression of the last 4 years.Today India is below Nigeria in GHI and rewriting history is not going to make things any better for majority of Indians.
@@PeterBolland . Hinduism itself is a religion of division among its adherents known all over the world for its caste system. Reason Hindus could never go out and conquer and were always conquered by foreigners.
I appreciate your take on all of this. The world is really struggling under a resurgence of religious fundamentalism and the anti-intellectual autocratic rule that always accompanies it. It does indeed seem like we're going backwards here in the US too.
@@PeterBolland Yes. I spent almost 40 years in the US from the Nixon era to Obama and you are right. But going backwards in the US has a contradiction in promoting LGBTQ and binary/non-binary agenda by the US govt and the media.
Hi Plato 7771. Thanks for watching and commenting. Your position is very similar to much of Buddhism, which teaches anatman (no Atman). So you're in good company. But there's a hitch, and centers around the word "evidence." There's no evidence for the existence of Platonic Forms either, or God, or love. These things defy conceptualization because they are experiences, not concepts. Ultimate reality is ineffable--beyond all words and concepts. In his 7th letter Plato concedes as much about the Forms--that there is no evidence for them, nor can there ever be because "evidence" is conceptual analysis of empirical (sensory) perception. Those lower modes of knowing (perception and rational thought) cannot reach the higher realms of reality (the Forms) knowable only through what Plato called "noesis," a kind mystical awareness. Which brings me to the last word in your statement, "experience." Experience, in fact, is all we have left after words and concepts fail us.
@@PeterBolland Well, just because there is no evidence for ultimate reality that does not justify a belief in the Atman. I am leery of a so-called mystical awareness and would rather restrict the definition of evidence to empirical evidence. That sort of evidence usually does not apply to the Atman, God, Platonic forms, Samsara and so on, but so be it. That is the only kind of evidence that I can acknowledge, and absent that evidence one should withhold belief.
I was reading this exact book yesterday. What an enjoyable coincidence.
Thank you 🙏
Wonderful Lauren! I love it when things align like that. This book is an endless treasure that just keeps on giving.
God’s longing for God, absolutely love it. There’s also an Invocation Mantra in this Upanishad. Which just sums up everything existing 🙏🏼
Yes, and thank you for watching!
So grateful for you and your gifts of wisdom and song. San Diego, for me, would be much less rich in being here without you. Carlos says,"I thank you, Swami Peter Bolland for returning me to the Vedanta Temples in S.F. and Berkeley.
Thank YOU Claudia and Carlos! 🙏🏼
I have read the Kena Upanishad before, but your expression and explanation bring it to LIFE ! Excellent presentation ! Thanks a lot, Peter Ji ! Keep on spreading BRILLIANCE in this dark world of trouble and strife !
Thank you! 🙏🏼
Hi Peter, I love this book too, Eknath is so special and his explanation is so superb. Because of this book I order Sanskrit complete one to Japan and start to crake down more. Love your TH-cam and followed.
Thank you so much! 🙏🏼
Lovely!! Peter thank you so much for your time and effort and for making these great teachings available to so many of us!
Thank you Franziska! It really is my pleasure. 🙏🏼
You where born to teach Peter, your great at it! ❤
@@jimvega4749 Thank you! 🙏🏼
You’re a really good teacher, sir. I’ve been looking for ways to teach the Upanishads in an easy, fun, light way and will draw inspiration from you for sure. I will continue to follow your work - cheers
Hi Marcus, thanks! Here's my approach to teaching this stuff, or anything. What questions do I have? Those are always my starting points. And also, always start where students are. I hope I'm never talking down from the mountain as some kind of authority, but only just inviting folks to come along on an inquiry. And always search for ways to find the intersections between these ancient ideas and our everyday lives. If we can't show, and bring to life how and why this stuff matters, then we ought to find another line of work.
It's a pleasure to listen to you. I regret i found your channel just yesterday. Your joy and curiosity is infectious. Thank you for reintroducing me to my own cultural and spiritual roots.
Thank you Tanuja. It’s an honor to have you here! 🙏🏼
If you think you know him, you may not know him. Some skepticism and openness are healthy when you try to define the indefinable or describe the indescribable. Even the gods had no clue. They could not recognize Brahman when he appeared before them. Then, how can humans ever truly know him? We may know him symbolically or relatively, but not absolutely.
Well said. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Peter is back!!!! Yayayay! can't wait to learn 💙
thank you Peter ! for this video
like so very aptly mentioned by you in your video of the nasadiya suktam
the voice of the narration is often very important to understanding the thought being conveyed ...
i like to read the keno upnishad as follows
by what power does the mind falls and (or) soars (gets inspired)
impelled by what does the life force rush forth
by what power does speech manifest to words
eyes, ears (etc) latches on to what divine power
it is the ear of the ear ... that which is the mind of the mind
speech of the speech it is .. the breath of the breath ( life force of the life itself)
eye of the "eye" ... having discerned (distinguished)
the wise ones having left this world (universe, plane...) become immortal
....
and so on
Thanks dude! For this lively, amazing presentation! I needed this reminder after all these years!🙏
Thank you so much for finding my channel. 🙏🏼
Thanks for explaining it so well!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Tears of joy ❤️
That’s how I feel about this stuff too. Thanks Ived. 🙏🏼
Thanks Peter.
Thank you for watching! 🙏🏼
Namaste🙏
🙏🏼
Hi Peter! I've seen all of your videos on Bhagavad gita, Upanishads, Dao De Jing, Buddhism, etc. and I love them all. I've learnt a lot just by watching your videos. Thank you very much for your effort in bringing out these wonderful philosophical ideas to the general public. There's another beautiful piece of literature that my father used to tell me about when I was a kid. It's the story of the queen Madalasa in 'Markandaya Purana'. She used to sing her children a beautiful lullaby that had a deep meaning. I've also found a video of someone singing that song, th-cam.com/video/uDd3iupKUyI/w-d-xo.html. I highly recommend this piece of literature and this song. Hope you'll love them :)
Thank you so much for watching this, and my other videos as well. I really appreciate it, and your kind comments as well. And thank you for the lovely family memory, and the reference to the Markandaya Purana. I have yet to explore the Puranas in depth, and your encouragement spurs me on.
Loved your explanation, thanks a lot sir,
I believe these philosophies of upanishad are true, specially Advait vedanta, cause logically and empirically, one would come to the same conclusion, that SELF is everywhere, may be changed in appearances and forms, but SELF remains the same, BUT the two biggest ramifications of these thoughts are 1) SELF is immortal and will not die, 2) There is only SELF in this universe and nothing else, no other being. That means SELF is eternal, and all alone, always will be, is that not a horrible state of existence? Even if he/she/they is all powerful. Is it not like a solitary prison but for eternity?
Chinmay, thanks for watching and commenting! I too think the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta gets the closest to describing reality.
I do wonder if the Upanishad are describing the universal consciousness as Brahman. The segmented consciousness as Atman. If I-Ching be correct, these names that can be spoken are not the eternal Name. But manifestations of consciousness, born from the nameless unmanifested. The unmanifested being the true source of our being (pure awareness in itself). If I think along these lines too much my head starts to ache. Thanks Peter.
Glen, I think the way you describe it in your first sentence is spot on. That's how it seems to me anyway. Thanks for watching and commenting!
agree
Your comment is very reminiscent of the conversation between gargi vacaknavi and yajnavalkya, one of my favourite passage /mantra/verse from the UPANISHAD-The BrihadAranyaka IIRC-the one where gargi inquires sequentially into higher and higher concepts until yajnavalkya loses his composure and silences gargi from a space of inability to verbalise certain concepts better
Cool, another possibility out of an infinite amount of possibilities. This concept is interesting but once they came with castes and karma, dharma, etc. the whole thing collapses into dogmatic, nihilistic bs. Evil even. This concept doesn't however answer anything or add anything to our lives and reality. It's beyond understanding anyway, and it doesn't explain the world with all its evils and kindness either.
Then how do you explain the caste system ?
Modappa, you are in good company. Mahatma Gandhi wondered the same thing, which is why he worked so hard to recognize the lower castes. It became one of the centerpieces of his Satyagraha (his social justice movement), along with labor rights, religious tolerance, and of course, Indian independence from British colonial rule. I don't think your question has an easy answer. It's just the layered and often paradoxical nature of all human culture, to have deeply held high aspirations, and yet to fail to live up to those lofty values and principles in the day to day workings of your culture. Look at America--supposedly a Christian-centric nation. Yet our history here in the United States reads like a confusing set of contradictions that quite often bear no resemblance at all with the highest virtues of Christian principles. Perhaps this is why we need religion--to remind us of our aspirations. If one were to defend the caste system (and I am not interested in doing that), one might argue that metaphysical unity does not imply sameness. One could, I suppose, argue that all is one while at the same time noticing the obvious differentiation between individuals--different heights, different eye colors, different sets of talents and abilities.
@@PeterBolland Ancient history of India is full of atrocities by the upper cast on the lower caste and ironically this is what made India a place of knowledge which the foreigners got hold of and became the beneficiary without the burden of caste system in their societies. But in India 95% of the population was deprived due to the caste system which in the long run made India what it is today compared to the developed countries. All the places of learning {Nalanda etc} were for the upper 5% of the population. Lower castes were not allowed to educate themselves until Ambedkar came with a constitution of India based on the Amrerican model. Nehru was right and did not believe in superstitions of any religion because he was a man of science and put India on the right track until these illiterate RSS/BJP idiots came to power in 2014 and now India is going back in time. The result is there for the whole world to see after 8 years of Modi rule. In all modern societies religion is a private matter as it is in all developed countries from Japan to USA. Introducing religion into politics (just to get majority votes by controlling media and by other propaganda like Wapp Univ) will keep BJP in power for a short time but will destroy India economically, politically, and will make its neighbors more powerful as has happened in the last 8 years. Without economic power no country in the world can defend itself against enemy action at the borders. Reason Modi cannot even mention China now after Chinese aggression of the last 4 years.Today India is below Nigeria in GHI and rewriting history is not going to make things any better for majority of Indians.
@@PeterBolland . Hinduism itself is a religion of division among its adherents known all over the world for its caste system. Reason Hindus could never go out and conquer and were always conquered by foreigners.
I appreciate your take on all of this. The world is really struggling under a resurgence of religious fundamentalism and the anti-intellectual autocratic rule that always accompanies it. It does indeed seem like we're going backwards here in the US too.
@@PeterBolland Yes. I spent almost 40 years in the US from the Nixon era to Obama and you are right. But going backwards in the US has a contradiction in promoting LGBTQ and binary/non-binary agenda by the US govt and the media.
Not a scrap of evidence for the Atman. It is simply a belief that is unsupported by evidence or experience.
Hi Plato 7771. Thanks for watching and commenting. Your position is very similar to much of Buddhism, which teaches anatman (no Atman). So you're in good company. But there's a hitch, and centers around the word "evidence." There's no evidence for the existence of Platonic Forms either, or God, or love. These things defy conceptualization because they are experiences, not concepts. Ultimate reality is ineffable--beyond all words and concepts. In his 7th letter Plato concedes as much about the Forms--that there is no evidence for them, nor can there ever be because "evidence" is conceptual analysis of empirical (sensory) perception. Those lower modes of knowing (perception and rational thought) cannot reach the higher realms of reality (the Forms) knowable only through what Plato called "noesis," a kind mystical awareness. Which brings me to the last word in your statement, "experience." Experience, in fact, is all we have left after words and concepts fail us.
@@PeterBolland Well, just because there is no evidence for ultimate reality that does not justify a belief in the Atman. I am leery of a so-called mystical awareness and would rather restrict the definition of evidence to empirical evidence. That sort of evidence usually does not apply to the Atman, God, Platonic forms, Samsara and so on, but so be it. That is the only kind of evidence that I can acknowledge, and absent that evidence one should withhold belief.
Those you claim to know and talk about God, don’t know God. Those who know don’t talk about it
Exactly. An ancient irony, perfectly captured by Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching: "Those who say don't know, and those who know don't say."