Advaita or yoga teacher/ashram without too many rituals or guru worshipping, anyone?

Dear reader,

Since a few months back I booked my ticket to Mumbai for coming june the 30th. I will stay in India for 2 months, do some travelling and possibly visit an ashram. Since I booked the ticket I have been searching and searching for a right ashram or advaita teacher, but somehow I have still found nothing that suits my needs. Many ashrams, like the one of Ramana Marharshi, seem to me having lost the true meaning of his words by placing a statue of him in the ashram and doing rituals to worship him. I was really interested in coming to Ramesh Balsekars teachings in Mumbai, only to find out he passed away three years ago. So I would like to find an ashram or teacher that teaches advaita or yoga in its most simplistic form, without rituals.

Is there anybody that has had good experiences with with advaita teachers or ashrams in India?

Thanks!

Roy

Roy, if spiritual self-inquiry interests you, then try Jedu Krishnamurti's study centres. There are many study centres in India and there is one around 4 hours drive from Mumbai also. The below sites will give you the information.

http://www.kfionline.org/study-centres/other-centres

http://www.kscskfi.com/ (The centre near Mumbai)

Thank you for your reply Rajeev! Seems like a good option, I will definitely keep it in mind. Although I would rather go to a centre or ashram where there is a teacher (guru) teaching, however if I don't find anything else, this looks nice too.

Be careful;
http://www.enlightened-spirituality...._balsekar.html

Would a true Advaita Guru, have anything to teach?

Rajeev's suggestion is good. J Krishnamurti was spouting Advaita in disguise,but was he trying to teach anything? The core message was "you can't do it!"

KK

Thank you kullukid, is there any place you can suggest?

I would recommend going to Thiruvannamalai & spend some time around Arunachala (it's a powerful place for those who are receptive) no need to stay at the Ashram,but you can still wander in & out of there as you please & you'll meet lot's of like minded people,there are also a few western teachers hang about there & give Satsang (but beware of Neo Advaita, it's missing something)trouble is when you go is not really Thiru season. Just read things like Viveka Chudamani,Patanjalis Yoga Sutra's & Upanishads & do regular meditation,if you are meant to meet a teacher you will,but like i said before a true advaita teacher will not teach you anything,it's there job to unlearn you.KK

The TRUTH and the WHOLE TRUTH lies in UNDERSTANDING this LINE.

Thuli Swami is a purely advaitic teacher based in Tamilnadu. You can try to meet him.

http://www.gurusfeet.com/guru/thuli-baba

Teachings:


It's not something that can be reached from outside. No, no, no. Inside. You're it. This is not a subject that you can get that Guru gives his followers. This is not such a thing. There is no distance that could get to it. It's not so much that is somewhere to be, and you need to get there, that would get this.
http://www.onespiritualsoul.com/?ind...ayout=metadata

http://premanandasatsang.org/en/sats...diaretreat.php

Thanks guys, your words make sense! I will keep this in mind and will most probably travel to Thiruvannamalai.

Yes I agree with Kullukid, go to Tiruvanamalai! This place is so powerful that you won't need a teacher, the place itself and the presence of Ramana Maharshi will lead you towards meditation. *Go to the meditation rooms behind the big hall at the ashram and sit there in silence.

But why are you so against the rituals? Keep your mind open and you will really enjoy this place, and India in general. *How can you enjoy India without enjoying the rituals? They are everywhere. *Rituals have a purpose and the energy that they create is real but undescribable.*

You can find more information about Tiruvanamalai and Ramana Maharshi ashram in this link:
http://path2yoga.blogspot.com/2010/0...hi-ashram.html

Another option is to visit Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama ashram in Rishikesh. Just google it.*

Hello Marco, thanks for the reply! You guys got me convinced that I will be visiting the ashram of Ramana Maharshi. Maybe I am a little bit against rituals because I think they distract people from experiencing self realisation, allthough I might be wrong here. However, I am opening my mind for the experience, the way you and others describe this place sounds really good to me! What I was looking for in the first place may have been a too narrow and unrealistic.

Anyways I am excited to go! Two more days untill I will be off to India for the first time in this life. I fly from Mumbai to Kochi on the 4th of july and will go to Tiruvannamalai after I have experienced Kerala.

Will keep you guys updated with my experience!

Now that I am in an internet cafe in Delhi sickening out, here's a little update for those interested! So combining a backpackers travel I have been to Tiruvannamalai as suggested by you guys above. It was a good experience! I did indeed meet some like minded people who I had some interesting chats with. Also the place itself was nice and I did the walk around Arunachala using the inner path and the hike to the top.

Both these hikes did not go very smooth though! I strayed from the inner path because I thought it was going away from the mountain and thus in the wrong direction, however, I found myself getting stuck and lost surrounded by millions of thorn bushes. The thorns were occasionally going through my flip-flops, which was not really a nice feeling Then later, back on the path it started raining heavily! The hike to the top didn't go smoothly either, I wore the same flip flops and did not go the path of skandashram but another. I found it a really though way to walk, a lot of the time through bushes. This would be an ok path, but it was not so nice using flip-flops. Even more so because one of the strings of one of my flip-flops broke and the temporary fixations didn't last very long! haha. On the way back it got dark, although I had a little led flashlight. All in all they were hard, but good hikes! The views of Arunachala during sunset were amazing!

I think that I will be ready to start moving again tommorow, since I'm not that interested in Delhi and the intestinal system is starting to feel better. I'm thinking of going to Rishikesh to the sivananda ashram. Someone recommended it in Tiru, he had been working there for 5 years. However, accommodation is full but I can attend the ashram's activities. If anyone has some other suggestions for a place (doesn't have to be in Rishikesh) please let me know

Hope you liked reading this a bit

Traditionally you are supposed to do it barefooted,maybe something was trying to tell you something.
I think you'll like Rishikesh. KK

Haha maybe Arunachala was communicating with me Good to hear that, I'll book my bus ticket tonight. How much should an ac bus deluxe / volvo cost? Is volvo a lot better?