Satsang Teachers P - Z

Those western teachers (whether living or deceased), who provide non-traditional teaching through the medium of satsang, are listed here alphabetically according to their surname. Note that these pages do not attempt to assign any priority or indication of authority. The only criterion for a teacher being listed here is that I have encountered some of their written material at one time or another and found it inspiring to some degree. Many will not be listed simply because, although I may well have heard of them, I simply have no direct acquaintance with their teachings and so have been unable to form any opinion. It should be noted that, as described in detail in my book 'Enlightenment: the Path through the Jungle', I cannot recommend the 'satsang' style of teaching as a viable path to enlightenment, even though the teacher may be accomplished.

H. W. L. Poonja - Affectionately known as Papaji, he died in 1997 but authorized many disciples to carry on his teaching.
"You are ripe for Enlightenment when you want nothing else. In order to be born as a baby you have to spend nine months getting bigger and bigger. For Enlightenment you have to get smaller and smaller until you disappear completely."

Papaji Satsang has an extensive biography and pictures of Sri Poonja together with quotation and video of the week and numerous satsang extracts.

The Avadhuta Foundation was established in 1993 to further the teachings of Sri H.W.L. Poonja and to make available the archives of his talks in India. DVDs, videotapes and CDs may be purchased and there is information about his books.

There are several books of dialogues/poetry and biography. Particularly recommended is 'The Truth Is'. 10 sample pages may be viewed at this Amazon link.

Alternatively, here is the link to Amazon UK.

His biography 'Nothing ever happened’ by David Godman is a feast for every lover of India, covering an extremely interesting time between 1910 and 1997.

(Buy US or UK)

Premananda - Writings, short stories, interview and poetry of Premananda, who studied with Sri Poonja for 5 years, and has written a book about him (see below). He was also with Osho for many years, though he has been influenced more by Ramana Maharshi. The website also has edited talks (Real Player) and schedule of satsangs.
" The Self is very subtle. The Self is stillness, peacefulness, never changing, eternal. The mind arises from the Self. The world arises from the Self. The people arise from the Self. When the world is there, the awareness of the Self is not there. When the awareness of the Self is there, the world is not there. The mind is simply thoughts. These thoughts arise from the Self. "

Premananda's book on Papaji, Papaji Amazing Grace, may be purchased from Amazon.com or Amazon UK.

Premananda's book, Blueprints for Awakening: Rare Interviews with 16 Indian Masters on the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, may be purchased from Amazon.com or Amazon UK and at Premananda's online shop at Open Sky Press.

An accompanying DVD, Blueprints for Awakening: Wisdom of the Masters may also be purchesed at Amazon.com or Amazon UK and at Premananda's online shop at Open Sky Press.

Soon, there will be available the books and DVDs for Blueprints for Awakening with European Masters and Blueprints for Awakening with American & Australian Masters.

Premananda's book, Arunachala Shiva: Commentaries on Sri Ramana Maharshi's Teachings Who Am I?, may be purchased from Amazon.com or Amazon UK and at Premananda's online shop at Open Sky Press.

An accompanying DVD, Arunachala Shiva: Commentaries on Sri Ramana Maharshi's Teachings Who Am I? may also be purchesed at Amazon.com or Amazon UK and at Premananda's online shop at Open Sky Press.

Ramesh (Balsekar) - Ramesh's Official Site contains a biography, details of books, photos, etc. Another site contains details of his seminars given at Kovalam, the last of which took place in Dec 2004.

An excellent selection of recordings of “Talks With Ramesh”, are available from Mr. Singh, who recorded these daily, at Ramesh’s residence in Mumbai. Please e-mail Singh for details.

The Advaita Fellowship of Redondo Beach, California, is the site of the Direct Path teaching stemming from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and contains information about him, Ramesh Balsekar and Wayne Liquorman. There are transcripts from satsangs and books may be purchased.
"It is when the mind gets involved that a problem becomes a problem. Otherwise it is just a thought. And if that thought is merely witnessed, it disappears."

Ramesh Balsekar published many books, one of which is the highly acclaimed, 'The Ultimate Understanding'. 18 sample pages may be viewed at this link.

Alternatively, here is the link to Amazon UK.

Philip Renard - influenced by a number of teachers but principally in the lineage of Nisargadatta Maharaj and Alexander Smit. He teaches in the Netherlands (Bilthoven) but his site has a parallel stream in English, where there are a number of articles, including a series on Ramana, Nisargadatta and Atmananda.

"We are already looking from that which we are looking for; we really need not go anywhere. Many authors describe thinking and feeling as enemies but really these faculties express the celebration of Us. All my thinking is ‘heading’ in My direction, in order to arrive at a dissolution in the peace that I am, and this heading in My direction is not an assault. The wrong supposition that thoughts or feelings still have to be removed first, results in fact from the identification with someone who suffers – a someone who is disturbed by these thoughts and feelings."

Samarpan - named by Osho but realised with Gangaji, gives English-spoken satsangs principally in Germany and Austria. This site contains details of these and of his book (German only at present). Tapes, videos and DVDs may be purchased of the satsangs and of the music which accompanies them.
"Everything which comes and goes - our bodies, our beliefs, our emotions, truly this whole Universe - is not dependable. All of these things do not exist independently of the Truth. They are not separate from Truth, but Truth does not depend on anything."

Timothy Schoorel - a disciple of Osho, later influenced by Alexander Smit, he gives satsangs principally in the Netherlands. The website contains the complete electronic transcript of his book 'The 7 Principles of Freedom'.
"In silence you become aware of your conscious nature. Your thoughts have gone, but your consciousness remains. Clouds have gone, but the sky remains. As clouds disappear, suddenly the immovable blue sky becomes obvious. As thoughts disappear, suddenly your immovable consciousness becomes obvious. The blue sky was always there, but you were just seeing the clouds. Consciousness was always there, but you were just seeing thoughts."

Isaac Shapiro - another student of Sri Poonja, this visually attractive site contains biographical information, pictures, interview, letters, poems, audio clips, book extracts and links. There is a schedule of satsangs and retreats throughout Australia and Europe.
"The only moment that you can ever be happy is this instant. That's it. You cannot know Truth in the past or in the future."

His book, of satsang dialogues, 'It Happens By Itself' is available from Amazon.

Stuart Schwartz - a disciple of Robert Adams, gives satsang in New York and Boston as well as personal sessions. The site contains details of these, an interview, notes and endorsements. CDs of satsangs may be purchased.
"Attachment is the assumption that the happiness and satisfaction that you feel in yourself are caused from something outside of yourself."

Eckhart Tolle - His site contains details of tours and other events and of his books, audio and video tapes (as well as having some beautiful graphics of rippling water!).
"If you find it hard to enter the Now directly, start by observing the habitual tendency of your mind to want to escape from the Now. You will observe that the future is usually imagined as either better or worse than the present. If the imagined future is better, it gives you hope or pleasurable anticipation. If it is worse, it creates anxiety. Both are illusory."

His most well known book, 'The Power of Now' is recommended by Haydon Bradshaw, one of the most critical of my first book's reviewers. 11 sample pages may be viewed at this Amazon link. This is possibly the best practical book on Advaita available, though some of the theoretical explanations are not in line with traditional Advaita.

Alternatively, here is the link to Amazon UK.

Joan Tollifson - Teacher and writer in traditions of Advaita and Zen. Information about her two books, details of meetings in Chicago, links to other sites and recommended books.
"This is simply what is, as it is. There is no "you" to attain or "get" this. There is only this. The "you" who seems to be separate is imaginary. What solution is needed to an imaginary problem?"

Read an essay from Joan: 'The Simplicity of What Is'.

Pamela Wilson - teaching in the tradition of Ramana Maharshi. The site has biographical information, schedule of satsangs and weekend retreats and tapes of satsangs may be purchased. A book of satsang extracts should be published in 2005.
"What mind? Can you find it? It's like what they say about the Mafia. You know, they call it 'organised crime'. Everybody says 'Well, it's not that organised!'. So we see this grand title to a bundle of thoughts; we call it mind. We make it an object, and then we think it's a big deal, because there's a universal agreement that we all have them."