Himalayan Heritage to Houston this September

HOUSTON: It is rare for ordained Himalayan monks who have studied and meditated deeply in the mountains to disseminate the realized wisdom here in the West, but this September the Houston community will be graced by the return of a spiritual master and dharma ambassador, His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda. Shaped by the rugged Himalayan terrain, Swami Vidyadhishananda brings with him the sublime wisdom and serene divinity of the mountains.

Swami Vidyadhishananda was awarded the degree of Mahamahopadhyay (DLitt et Phil) by the university system in India due to his scholarly interpretation of Sanskrit literature. He is the spiritual founder of the California-based Nonprofit, Self Enquiry Life Fellowship (hansavedas.org) and head of the Hansavedas Mission. Under his able leadership, the Nonprofit achieved the Guidestar Gold level ranking and is also a top-rated Nonprofit for five years in a row on the GreatNonprofits website.  

The Nonprofit and its Hansavedas teaching curriculum was established to represent all aspects of the ancient indigenous Sanskrit-based curriculum of India. Thus the programs of fellowships, workshops, retreats, training courses, website and the multimedia content cover and represent the whole spectrum of the ancient Sanskrit-based teaching tradition of India. The Nonprofit’s curriculum effortlessly combines Ayurvedic wellness with meditation, spiritual philosophy with music, and yoga with art among many other interwoven diverse parts.

His Holiness is a monk of the ancient Giri Vedanta order, who is a kriyayogi and a meditation master from the combined heritage of rishi sages and nath yogis. His affiliation to unbroken lineages of both the siddha and the rishi lineages allows him to cover topics on dharma, yoga, Vedanta, meditation and Indic fine arts. Thus the 2018 Houston program spans these Sanskriti topics which form an integral part of the events and discourses.

Highlights of the program:

His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda will be visiting Houston from September 16 to October 3 and you can hear him speak at the following public events. There will also be an opportunity for personal blessings (darshan line) at the end of the free fellowships on 19, 22 and 26 September.

Wednesday, 19 September :

 Four Paths of Higher Yoga. Free with registration. A 6:30pm discourse at Pralaya Yoga Studio covering the traditional meditation methods of mantra-yoga, laya-yoga, hatha-yoga and raja-yoga.

Saturday, 22 September:

 Himalayan Siddha Secrets of Longevity and Vitality. Free with registration. A 6pm discourse at India House on unlocking the siddha formula of meditation, pranayama, kayakalpa, stem cells and oxygen. Prasad (blessed food) will be served following the discourse.

Wednesday, 26 September :

 Practising Dharma in the Face of Modernism. Free with registration. A 7pm discourse at Char Dham Hindu Temple in The Woodlands on principles of dharma that are useful to tackle the challenges of our modern technological age. Prasad (blessed food) will be served following the discourse.

Saturday, 29 September :

Sattwadharman Benefit and Art Auction at VPSS Vallabh Hall. A ticketed event at 4pm. This exquisite evening of art and culture is being held for the first time in Houston. The benefit dinner with the silent auction features sublime Sanskrit chanting by His Holiness, who will also deliver the keynote address. The evening includes rare video footage of traditional whole-brain accelerated schooling in India recorded at the Nonprofit’s sister institution. A limited release of 36 rare meditative vintage photographs and antique altar paintings from the Nonprofit’s archive collection will be available in the silent auction. This special event makes it possible for historians, art connoisseurs, and Indic Studies specialists as well as spiritual seekers to access sacred art prints not easily available elsewhere. Proceeds from this event support Self Enquiry Life Fellowship’s heritage projects on the revival of indigenous knowledge, accelerated learning curricula, and value-based educational publications.

For details visit hansavedas.org/benefit

For details and registration for all events, please visit the website: hansavedas.org/houston

Or contact the Houston volunteers at 281-410-8102 or houston@hansavedas.org