Course Info:
Class Dates
Saturday, March 11th
Saturday, March 18th
Saturday, March 25th
Saturday, April 1st
Class Time
10:00am - 11:30am CST
Online via Zoom
Registration Price
TS Members: $65
Non-Members: $80
Class Materials
Reference material and exercises will be provided
The Upanishads are considered to be the source material for many Indian spiritual texts, like the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutra, and Purana. People avoid them due to their daunting reputation, but hidden inside the 108 Upanishads, only 11 of them commented upon by Shankaracharya—an Indian Vedic scholar—are gems we can use to unlock:
the Nature of the Ultimate Reality
Who we are
Why we are here
and How to live our lives with purpose.
While these texts have much wisdom, the advanced philosophical concepts make them hard to read as introductory texts.
In this series, we will:
read and discuss translations
explain concepts from the Upanishads by referencing other Upanishads
deepen our awareness of Upanishadic stories, and
undergo hands-on application through practical, personal-inquiry exercises.
Also offered are short meditations to give students personalized insight into some of the core Upanishadic teachings. Students will also receive a copy of key reference materials, Sanskrit texts, and translations as needed.
Reference material, written exercises, and in-class mediation practices will be provided to help students to get deeper into the material.
Registration includes on-demand access to recordings of all the classes, which can be viewed for two weeks following the date of the last class. Late registrants will receive recording links to all missed sessions for on-demand viewing.
Goals of the Course:
Learn basic Upanishadic / Vedanta concepts
Explore readings from all the Major Upanishads.
This course is intended for those who wish to understand the overarching concepts of the Upanishads and to those interested in reading and discussing key sections from these scriptures.
Meet Vivek
Vivek is the founder of Sangam Retreat, the spiritual arm of The Writing Barn—a writing retreat and workshop space in Austin, Texas that he owns and operates with his wife, Bethany Hegedus.
Born in Lucknow, India, and a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, he received his Ph.D. in Physics in the US. A physicist by trade, Vivek is a man of many talents—in fact he was one of the original co-owners of Toy Joy (an Austin staple) and is a Sanskrit scholar.
Vivek has long been a seeker of spiritual wisdom, including meditation, Sanskrit, and the study of various religious traditions. A student of yoga for the past fifteen years, coupled with his studies of Sanskrit at the University of Texas, has led Vivek to develop programming in an effort to serve yogis, yoga therapists, and other spiritual seekers.