FAQs

Advaita means Not-Two = Nondualism, Vedanta: End of knowledge. Freely translated, this means that all knowledge comes to its end in the experience of Non-Duality of mind and matter. Advaita is a philosophical direction from India and many other traditions indicating the indivisible Oneness. While elsewhere a difference is made between creation, creator and creatures, in Advaita there is only the One which manifests itself in infinite different forms. Therefore, in the end, the perception of any form, the one who is perceiving and the perceived object are an indivisible whole in its essence. Famous representatives are Adi Shankara and in recent times Sri Ramana Maharshi, Papaji and Madhukar.

Visitor: What keeps me from being happy? Do I need somebody to transfer the truth to me in order to realize it or does it take place inside of me? Do I need such a Guru?
Madhukar: A true Guru is essential. There are two meanings of the word Guru. One is 'Guri', the Sanskrit term for concentration. By concentrating on the clarity of the Master, his formless love that is beyond your imagination, everything you believed to be until now dissolves. Namely the person, which is attached to thoughts and body. Your body continues to exist – at least for some decades – also your mental power, but this dogged identification vanishes. The second meaning of the word Guru: the one who drives out the darkness. The one who drives out the ignorance. So the Guru is not somebody who is giving you something new because you are already That. If anything, then he is driving out wrong ideas and ignorance. This to the second part of your question. To the first part: you can find out by yourself what is keeping you from being happy. Just observe your thoughts from waking up this morning until now, that is what keeps you from being happy.

In Indian philosophy and in the spiritual teachings deriving from it, satsang is the company of persons who strive for the highest insight by listening, talking, thinking about and immersing in the teaching together. Specially in Advaita Vedanta it is regarded to be necessary to listen to and reflect the teaching referred to as truth. In particular, satsang denominates the encounter with a spiritual teacher (guru, master) who is considered to be enlightened or awakened. Today in the West there is a large number of teachers who partly combine traditional teachings of the East with modern psychological methods. Generally, in satsang the students ask questions which are answered by the teacher. Furthermore, satsang also can include elements like short lectures of the master, meditating together, recitation or the like. Rather more than imparting a teaching (in this respect the term ‘teacher’ can be misunderstood), the purpose of satsang is that the students, due to the direct experience of the presence of the teacher, in a kind of resonance-phenomenon, shall experience their primal nature by themselves. The community with other searchers shall have an additional supporting effect. Click here!

Meditative retreats are seen as an intimate way of deepening powers of concentration and insight. They allow time for reflection and meditation. Spiritual retreats are an integral part of many Advaita, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Sufi communities. Madhukar - Enlighten Life hosts stellar retreats at spectacular locations such as Ibiza, Hawaii, Laos and Bali as well as in-depth silent retreats in India (Tiruvannamalai, Goa) and Germany. The key element of every retreat is satsang with Madhukar twice daily. Furthermore there are communal gatherings for lunch and dinner, mutual activities such as yoga and Mantra chanting, and perhaps excursions or other light physical activities - dancing, walking, hiking, swimming - and plenty of time for recreation, rest and relaxation. Each Madhukar - Enlighten Life retreat is unique. They are retreats for amazing people. Our retreats attract lovely, humble and wonderful people. A retreat for you. Join in! Click here!