There are many modern Sages who periodically engage in tours to various countries where they give short satsangs, weekend 'intensives' or residential courses. Most of the students who attend these sessions have been 'seeking' for many years and are very knowledgeable in the theory. Consequently, many of the questions that are posed are from the vantage point of this extensive knowledge and may go 'over the heads' of novices. It is therefore advisable that one studies and practises sufficiently to know what one is talking about before searching out a teacher. (Ideally, one should also read the book mentioned above so as to be aware of the many pitfalls.)
Before the advent of the Internet, of course, it would almost certainly have been the case that only the very serious seeker could have found a teacher in the first place. Nowadays, though, anyone who can use the search engines can find the nearest venues with very little effort. This means that someone with only a passing interest in the subject can turn up and disrupt a group by asking silly questions. If you have reached the stage of needing answers from someone who actually has them, the task of deciding who to see can be daunting. Here, the Internet definitely comes into its own. It is possible to find information about them and download samples of their dialogues. It is then relatively easy to discover someone whose language seems to strike a chord.
Satsang Diary - The Satsang
Diary publishes the times, dates and locations
of Satsangs held by seekers of truth or Advaita
in London and the UK. *** unfortunately, as of
Feb. 2008, this site has been out of action for
most of the past year. ***
Satsang.nl primarily contains
details of upcoming satsangs in the Netherlands.
Some information is also given for the rest of
the world. In particular, however, there is a
very useful list of current satsang teachers,
together with direct links to their websites.
Satsang Schedule - has a diary of forthcoming satsangs around the world with a large number of spiritual teachers of Advaita.
Calgary Satsang - has details of all of the events around Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Also a few dialogue extracts and book recommendations.
Boulder Satsang - has details of all the events around Boulder, Colorado, including kirtan (devotional singing).
Vancouver Satsang - performs the same function for the Vancouver area.
East Bay Open Circle holds meetings each month (Sundays) in Berkeley. These consist either of a talk by a visiting speaker or meditation followed by discussion and socializing. The site has some quotations, links and a calendar of events.
Arsha Vidya Satsangs has details of regular satsang groups and special talks held by Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at various locations in the US as well as Australia and Canada.
Satsang Contacts has satsang contacts around the world, accessed via maps. English and German books are also recommended. *** Unfortunately, this site is currently offline. ***
Chicago
Satsang Sangha has details of special and ongoing events in
Chicago as well as selcted links. A mailing list
is also available. |
