Vedic Study Circle
A living circle of sacred study, inquiry, and practice
Free study. Donation-supported. Open to all sincere seekers.
The Vedic Study Circle is not a course to complete, but a path to enter. Rooted in the Sarayu Parampara of North India, it offers sustained engagement with the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the living tradition of Advaita Vedanta.
Here, study is not intellectual accumulation. It is a disciplined inquiry into the nature of the Self, undertaken in community, guided by lineage, and anchored in daily life.
Participation is offered in the spirit of donation. All sincere seekers are welcome.
The Inquiry That Brings Seekers Here
Is there something in me that does not change, even as everything else does?
The Vedic teachings address this question through lived recognition, pointing beyond the changing mind and perishable body toward the unshaken Self.
Who this is For
This circle is for those who feel called to deeper study.
It is for seekers who are ready to sit with scripture slowly, to question sincerely, and to apply insight to lived experience. No prior background in Sanskrit or Hindu tradition is required. What is required is steadiness, humility, and a willingness to reflect.
You may enter, observe, and discern whether this way of study resonates with you. If it does not, you are free to step away without explanation. True study begins with inner consent.
The Rhythm of Study
The Vedic Study Circle unfolds through:
• Live weekly and monthly teachings grounded in scripture
• Guided contemplation and applied reflection
• Community dialogue in a moderated forum
• Access to recorded teachings for sustained review
Study is cumulative. Insight ripens through repetition, inquiry, and integration.
The Four Yogas:
A Complete Path
Study within the Circle integrates the four classical yogas. Each addresses a different dimension of the seeker, yet together they form one continuous path.
Bhakti invites the heart to trust a wisdom greater than the small movements of the ego. Through devotion and humility, we learn to rest in a higher Intelligence.
Karma Yoga trains the hands, heart, and mind to act in alignment with dharma. We engage fully, yet without becoming entangled in the outcome, trusting that a larger order is at work.
Upasana refines the inner instrument. Through meditation, prayer, and discipline, we turn toward that Intelligence within and learn to abide in its stillness.
Jnana completes the journey. What was first trusted, then served, then contemplated, is finally recognized as one’s own true Self.
Together, they form a complete path — not separate roads, but four movements of one unfolding realization.
The Enduring Structure of Study
The Vedic Study Circle is structured around ten core areas of study, providing a stable framework for sustained inquiry and long-term understanding.
01
Community and Ongoing Support
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Areas of Study and Practice
Active Community Forum
A moderated space where students share reflections from lived practice, fostering connection, warmth, and shared inquiry within the study community.
Atma Dance
A practice of conscious movement and embodied listening, helping students return to the body as a place of awareness rather than pressure.
Atma Art
Creative reflection arising from inner knowing rather than skill, supporting assimilation, insight, and clarity through quiet expression.
Video Archieve of Teachings
Access to a curated archive of recorded teachings by Acharya Shunya and lineage teachers, offered for steady study and reflection rather than consumption.
Reflection Pods
Peer-supported monthly dialogue spaces that offer continuity of study, shared inquiry, and companionship on the path.
Bhakti Yoga
Cultivating a living relationship with the sacred through prayer and reverent attention, offering refuge for the heart amid stress and daily life.
Karma Yoga
Living dharma through right action and service, supporting clarity in action and freedom from inner conflict.
Upasana Yoga
Preparing the mind for subtle attention through mantra, meditation, and daily sadhana, cultivating inward reverence and steadiness.
Jnana Yoga
Guiding inquiry into the distinction between the Self and the non-self, cultivating clarity by recognizing what endures amid change.
Samsara Surfer Support Group
A facilitated space for applying yogic understanding to everyday life, offering grounding and shared perspective amid work, relationships, and family life.
These foundational offerings are open to all and supported through voluntary giving, offered in the spirit of dana.
The Foundations of This Circle
Our Guiding Values
The Vedic Study Circle is an ongoing space of serious study.
Understanding matures by staying close to the source teachings, through a relationship with truth and sustained inquiry over time.
Rooted in Source Texts
This study is rooted in direct engagement with the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and classical Advaita commentaries. Emphasis is placed on careful reading, reflection, and discernment, not inspiration alone.
Relational Study
Study here unfolds as a living relationship with the teachings. What is asked is sincerity, patience, and the capacity to stay present with complexity, without pressure to resolve or conclude.
Lineage Led
Transmission in this circle is lineage-led rather than personality-driven. Teachings are guided by parampara, with the focus resting on the wisdom itself, not on the individual teacher.
Sustained by Donation
Study here is offered freely and sustained through voluntary giving, so that no sincere seeker is turned away for financial reasons.
The Inner Sanctums of Study
Spaces of Inward Inquiry and Abidance
Within the Vedic Study Circle are inner sanctums dedicated to sustained engagement with the tradition’s deeper teachings and practices.
Entry is invitational, as readiness matures through alignment.
Sanctum of Advaita Scripture Study
This sanctum is devoted to sustained engagement with the foundational texts of Advaita Vedanta. Through careful listening and reflection on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and classical commentaries, study matures into clarity of understanding and discernment of the Self.
Sanctum of Inner Upsana Practice
This sanctum supports long-term dhyana and upasana, guiding attention toward inward steadiness. Through sustained individual and shared practice, the mind naturally settles into stillness and silence, beyond effort or technique.
Sanctum of Nirguna Nonudal Abidance
The most subtle sanctum is dedicated to Advaita sadhana oriented toward Brahman beyond form. Here, attention is refined toward nirguna Reality as sat, chit, and ananda, as symbol and support fall away and worship matures into abiding presence.
Participation in the Inner Sanctums is by invitation, arising naturally as commitment and readiness mature.
The Rhythms of Transmission
Study within this circle unfolds through a living rhythm of transmission. The teachings of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita are unfolded by the Acharya with clarity and care and carried forward by senior practitioners through companion study, review, dialogue, and example. Over time, students are invited to test and examine these teachings in their own lives, until what was first heard is no longer repeated, but quietly recognized as one’s own knowing.
Voices from Inside the Circle
The Vedic Study Circle brings together sincere seekers from many walks of life, united by shared inquiry, respect, and commitment to study.
Susan Brown
"Receiving the Bhagavad Gita through Acharya Shunya has been life-changing, answering a lifelong search for meaning."
Nidhi Sharma
"Acharya Shunya’s teachings on the Bhagavad Gita have strengthened my discernment and given me a steady guide through life’s challenges."
Bruno Campos
Elizabeth Cohen
"In our time, Acharya Shunya carries rare and ancient wisdom with grace, making self-knowledge accessible to sincere seekers everywhere."
“Acharya Shunya’s teachings meet me personally, bringing clarity, groundedness, and a steady sense of safety through life’s ups and downs.”
Ozlem Tokman
David Horn
“Through Acharya Shunya’s guidance, I’ve learned to meet even difficult moments with inner light, steadiness, and freedom.”
"Before discovering Acharya Shunya’s teachings, I felt caught in life’s dramas. Slowly, the veil lifted, and I learned to rest in peaceful observation."
Mrijke Vancoille
Nidhi
"The Vedic Study Circle feels like the sacred tree under which I gather with the teachers and fellow seekers, igniting the Light within."
"Acharya Shunya’s teachings on the Bhagavad Gita have given me clarity and a reliable inner compass through life’s uncertainties."
Rachelle Geneau
"Through the Vedic Study Circle, I have learned how to walk the spiritual path step by step, with grace, confidence, and a deep sense of blessing."
Maria Kristic
Derek Cousineau
Kristen Pope
“Acharya Shunya’s teachings arrive with rare authenticity, anchoring me in timeless wisdom that nourishes, uplifts, and quietly guides modern life.”
“Through Acharya Shunya’s teachings, I am learning to live wisely, finding health, gratitude, and happiness by recognizing that the life I have is already enough.”
"Through Acharya Shunya’s deeply human and wise teaching, my life has grown more peaceful, joyful, and authentically my own."
Before You Apply
Before applying, take time to reflect.
This circle is not entertainment, nor is it self-improvement in the conventional sense. It is a return to foundational inquiry.
If you feel drawn toward steady, lineage-based study, you are welcome. If your life is currently too full for sustained engagement, you may wait. The tradition is patient.
Stewards of the Circle
This circle is held by Acharya Shunya and by senior students who have studied, practiced, and served within the Vedic Study Circle over many years.
These teachers, known as sadhvis and sadhyas, have studied and practiced within this lineage and guide study, dialogue, and shared practice with care and discernment.
All guidance offered in this circle remains rooted in a single source: the Vedic tradition, the parampara, and the living teachings transmitted here.
