After a lifetime of spiritual seeking, Nirmala met his teacher, Neelam, a devotee of H.W.L. Poonja (Papaji). She convinced him that seeking wasn’t necessary; and after experiencing a profound spiritual awakening in India, he began offering satsang and Nondual Spiritual Mentoring with Neelam’s blessing. This tradition of spiritual wisdom has been most profoundly disseminated by Ramana Maharshi, a revered Indian saint, who was Papaji’s teacher. Nirmala’s perspective was also profoundly expanded by his friend and teacher Adyashanti.
Nirmala offers satsang in gratitude for the love and grace that flow through his teachers, Neelam and Adyashanti, and for the Truth brought to this world by Ramana Maharshi and H.W.L. Poonja. Advaita satsang is offered as a celebration of the possibility, in every moment, of recognizing the truth of who we are. Nirmala offers a unique vision and a gentle, compassionate approach, which adds to this rich tradition of inquiry into the truth of Being.
“What is appealing about Nirmala is his humility and lack of pretense, which welcomes whatever arises within the field of experience. In the midst of this welcoming is always an invitation to inquire deeply within, to the core of who and what you are. Again and again, Nirmala points the questions back to the questioner and beyond to the very source of existence itself-to the faceless awareness that holds both the question and the questioner in a timeless embrace.” – From the foreword by Adyashanti, spiritual teacher and author of Emptiness Dancing, to Nirmala’s book, Nothing Personal: Seeing Beyond The Illusion Of A Separate Self.
“Nirmala is a genuine and authentic spiritual teacher, who points with great clarity to the simplicity and wonder of nondual presence.” – Joan Tollifson, Advaita spiritual teacher and author of Awake in the Heartland
Nirmala lives in Sedona, Arizona with his wife, Gina, and their two dogs, Rafi and Rumi. Contact Nirmala by using the contact form here. Read an interview with Nirmala here. More information about Gina and her books, including Radical Happiness: A Guide to Awakening, is available on radicalhappiness.com.
More of Nirmala’s books:
- Everything Is Included: Essays About Truth, Love, and Awareness
- That Is That: Essays About True Nature
- Gifts With No Giver: A Love Affair With Truth
- Living From The Heart
- Meeting the Mystery: Exploring the Aware Presence at the Heart of All Life
Referred to during the interview:
- Video of Andromeda Galaxy colliding with ours in 8.5 billion years.
- Bill Moyers and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt talk about the psychological underpinnings of our contentious culture, why we can’t trust our own opinions, and the demonizing of our adversaries.
Interview recorded 6/2/2012
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction to Nirmala and his teachings
- 00:04:09 – The Measurement of Truth
- 00:07:47 – Focusing on Desires and Sense of Self
- 00:11:01 – The Geographic Cure and Conditioning
- 00:14:20 – Focusing and Expanding
- 00:17:49 – The Illusion of Reality
- 00:21:15 – The Fundamental Quality of Space
- 00:24:52 – The Space Within and Without
- 00:27:53 – Contemplating the Existence of Intelligence in Everything
- 00:31:46 – The Illusion of Thoughts and Political Perspectives
- 00:35:33 – The Role of Spirituality in Politics and Morality
- 00:40:02 – Functioning in Vastness and Discriminating Truth
- 00:44:11 – The Ordinary Experience of Being the Boss
- 00:48:07 – Discrimination and Heart Wisdom
- 00:52:12 – The Concept of Better and Worse in Experience
- 00:56:38 – The Illusion of “Better” Sound
- 01:00:27 – The Small Truth of Money and Happiness
- 01:04:31 – The Journey of Self-Discovery
- 01:08:58 – An Unexpected Journey towards Awakening
- 01:13:19 – Letting go of the desire to awaken
- 01:17:52 – Following the Heart
- 01:21:36 – Oneness with the Ganges River
- 01:26:14 – The Invitation to Give Satsang
- 01:29:54 – Trust in Physical Reality
- 01:33:37 – The Sacredness of Reality
- 01:37:23 – Finding Balance with Sweets
- 01:41:23 – The Experience of Consciousness and Meditation
- 01:45:26 – The Definition of Jnanis and Yogis
- 01:49:36 – The Infinite Possibilities of Consciousness
- 01:54:00 – Levels of Consciousness beyond a Thousand
- 01:57:19 – Wrapping Up and Thank You
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