After six long years of absence from the United States, Swami Veda Bharati of Rishikesh, India has returned to North America for a five-month teaching tour. But those who know Swami Veda know very well that his home is not limited to his native India and the United States, where he lived many years. Surrounded by his students, he is equally at home in Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Canada, Guayana, Korea, Phillipines, Malaysia, New Zealand, and other countries.
"You see, the whole world is my home," says Swami Veda with a smile. "What happens is that when I see some of my students after a number of years, I am somewhat surprised that they are actually physical beings... the mental connection is so close, that even after several years the feeling is that the last time we met was only yesterday."
This is of course a common phenomenon: most people do not live by the rule, "Be here, and be now". Although we may be physically at one place, metally we are somewhere else. This brings to mind one of Swami Veda's favorite parables: "Once upon a time, Presence and Absence went together to bathe in a river. Absence finished her bath first, put on the clothes of Presence, and went away. So Presence had to put on the clothes of Absence. And ever since that day, people take Absence for Presence, and Presence for Absence."
This feeling of "connectedness" is mutual, and his students feel the same connection to the 64 year old disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Swami Veda was born in 1933 in Dehradun, India, to a Sanskrit-speaking family. At the age of eleven, he expounded the Vedas and Upanishads to crowds of thousands, and taught many learned people at that young age. Since then he has maintained world-wide missions, travelling continuously through many countries. Although he holds many degrees and academic honors, he has given himself to the task of teaching meditation and spiritual philosophies of life.
Before taking his vows of swamihood in 1982, he was known as Dr. Usharbudh Arya. A prolific writer and speaker, he is the author of numerous books, including Superconscious Meditation, Mantra and Meditation, Meditation and the Art of Dying, Philosophy of Hatha Yoga, God, Sayings, and Yoga-sutras of Patanjali.
He has also produced two thousand hours of recorded cassette courses on all aspects of practices and philosophies of meditation. As a rule, Swami Veda's lectures are always unique, and cover only those aspects of yoga science and meditation which are not available anywhere else. A brief look at the long list of recorded lectures will show such diverse topics as Superconscious Meditation, Yoga in Daily Life, Guru-Disciple Relationship, Women Saints and Masters, Samadhi, Mantra - Advanced Practice & Philosophy, Introduction to Christian Meditation, Philosphy of Contemplation, Self, Gayatri and the Chakras, Yoga Concept of God, Training Program for Counselors, Meditations from the Upanishads, and the 7-volume, 110 hour advanced course on Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali.
For the past six years, Swami Veda has been engaged in intensive practice at Swami Rama's ashram in Rishikesh, India. Swami Veda imparts the teachings of Yoga through his inspiring presence, wisdom, and ecstatic poetry. His knowledge comes primarily from two sources: from a deep understanding of the 5000 year old wisdom of the Vedas, and from the experience of Yoga initiations given to him by his revered Master - Swami Rama -- a privilege that is seldom granted outside the Himalayan caves.
Swami Veda is the founder of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis, where more information can be obtained on his present North American tour from April to August 1997, which will include the following cities: Honesdale, PA (April 11 - 23), Minneapolis (April 23 - May 13), Regina (May 13 - 19), Calgary (May 19 - 28), Vancouver (May 28 - June 3), San Francisco (June 3 - 18), Toronto (July 2 - 9), Pittsburgh (July 9 - 13), Indianapolis (July 13 - 17), Minneapolis (July 17 - 30), Milwaukee (July 30 - August 5), and a final stop in his United States headquarters in Minneapolis (Agust 5 - TBA) before returning to Rishikesh, India.
Lecture topics and exact dates will be set locally. The most recent information can be obtained by contacting The Meditation Center in Minneapolis, 631 University Avenue N.E., Minneapolis, MN 55413, telephone (612) 379-2386. Also, a limited number of individual appointments may be scheduled through the center.
Those interested but unable to attend some of Swami Veda's lectures personally, may write for a free catalog of his unique audio tape lectures to: West-Art Publishers, 10545 Main Street, Clarence, New York 14031 (telephone 716-759-6078).
We recommend these books:
Mantra and Meditation, by Usharbudh Arya (now Swami Veda Bharati)
Science of Breath, by Swami Rama
God, by Usharbudh Arya (now Swami Veda Bharati)
Light of Ten Thousand Suns, by Swami Veda Bharati
Living with the Himalayan Masters, by Swami Rama