The Vedic Way is a school of life for the complete progression and elevation of the whole human being. It takes all of you into account as you begin your spiritual development – the physical, mental, emotional, and interpersonal parts of yourself that support the uplifting of spirit.

The Vedic Way is supra-denominational – relevant for everyone no matter what his or her religious or spiritual orientation – and teaches five steps to a spiritual lifestyle based on universal principles:
 
1. Satva - Living in Balance
Balance the factors that influence your physical, emotional, and mental well-being, and create the foundation for a healthy spiritual life.

2. Dharma - Living Your Purpose
Find out what you are meant to be and do, and experience the universal force of dharma.

3. Atma - Living in the Self
Become aware of yourself as an eternal spiritual soul, and confront both your mortality and eternity.
 
4. Paramatma - Living with a Higher Connection
Connect with the Supersoul, and become fearless as you contact your intuition and guide.
 
5. Bhakti - Living in Love
Embark on the path of devotion in a mood of service, and feel the pleasure of spiritual relationship with God and all His creatures.

The dynamic lifestyle of the Vedic Way rejuvenates and then spiritualizes body, mind, and soul. Our curriculum draws on the most effective techniques from the Vedic laboratory: knowledge from the yoga tradition, information about health and well-being from Ayurveda, insights from spiritual psychology, instruction in the art of working with mantras and the vast wisdom of the bhakti tradition.

The Vedic Way is a work in progress. Please visit this website from time to time to view our latest developments, read newly posted articles, and discover how you can benefit from the wisdom of the Vedas.

A (brief) History of the Origins of the Vedic Way

Intense Spiritual Search
 
I’ve always been a seeker, it seems. My best friend told me thirty-five years ago “Send me a message by carrier pigeon when you finally find what you’re looking for.” In my search I have journeyed to ashrams in India and monasteries in the Himalayas. My bookshelves are filled with valuable books from both Eastern and Western traditions, recommended by the teachers I met. When I discovered that spiritual life means spiritual practice, I began to try a variety of techniques, each of which awarded me with their individual insights and benefits.

During my studies, I couldn’t help but notice similarities between one school of thought and another. It was clear that much of the wisdom and many of the techniques I was learning were not so different from one another, though teachers of the various traditions gave them different names. This seemed especially true when I compared the spiritual experiences of yogis, monks, and simple practitioners. Experience always seems to speak a common language.

For example, many traditions deal with themes like dissolving limitations and negative constructs, becoming free of illusion and ego, and attaining self- and/or God realization. Time and again the teachers I met emphasized how both specific spiritual practices and the assistance of a master were essential to success. Many also pointed to the need for divine mercy, which lies beyond human grasp. I started these journeys in the ’70s, and I could have filled pages with the discoveries I made – discoveries meant to invoke joy, even ecstasy. Yet I became more and more discontent.

The Core of Discontentment
 
Why, I had to ask myself, was there no path to enlightenment that taught universal principles free of cultural baggage and human fabrication? To attain enlightenment in any of these paths, it seemed I had to deny who I was, adopt a different culture, and turn myself into a mountain sage. While that path may be accessible to a small number of seekers, most cannot follow it. Where was the path for the common person – the path that would produce more encouraging results than an occasional enlightened saint in some far-off cave? I knew I was not alone with this question; seekers around the world need a practical and holistic way to live a spiritual life.

Yet I was reluctant to simply invent a practice of my own.  

Wherever I traveled I repeatedly heard about the Vedas, the ancient wisdom teachings written in Sanskrit. All the masters I met referred to the “primeval knowledge” found in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-gita, the Vedanta-sutra, and especially the four original Vedas. Intrigued, I began an intensive study of the Vedic literature. However, I soon found myself overwhelmed by the complexity and diversity of Vedic thought because the knowledge and realization were often expressed cryptically (for good reason, I later discovered).

I knew then that I needed a teacher in the Vedic tradition – one who was both fully realized and willing to teach me. Only when, after a great search, I found a genuine Vedic teacher and began to study under him, following a correlating spiritual practice (sadhana) did the doors of Vedic knowledge slowly begin to open for me. I then began to see a bigger picture of the world as we know it and a clear path to spiritual elevation.

The Vedic Way Emerges

Later, while circumambulating the holy Mount Kailash in Tibet, the threads of my study, experience, and realization came together in one moving spiritual revelation. The Vedic Way lay in front of me in its entirety, as simple, concise, and brilliant as it has been for centuries. Now I would be able to offer something both rich and practical for others. I gathered a team of Vedic practitioners from East and West and began work on creating both a lucid presentation of the path and an easy way to apply it.
 
My challenge was to make the path accessible to people living in the Western world with all its cares and pressures without losing the power of the pure spiritual wisdom. Just as love is never invented but only rediscovered, so the universal Vedic principles are simply waiting for you to rediscover them, and with them, your deeper self. In Sanskrit, universal principles are called pura-nava, “ancient, yet ever-fresh.” These ancient practices have the same extraordinary power to uncover the soul that they did in the distant past.

I am delighted by the many sincere seekers who have come forward and found help through this dynamic and spiritually transforming path.

And oh, yes. Perhaps it’s time to send my friend that message by carrier pigeon he has been waiting for.

Let me conclude with a text from the Bhagavad-gita (9.2):

“This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of dharma. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.”

Om Tat Sat

Sacinandana Swami