' This is an invitation to shift your allegiance from the activities of your mind to the eternal presence of your Being.' Gangaji    India is timeless, a great place to step out of time  and back into the Self...  Going there is a deep and special experience   that leaves nobody unaffected On this page: Poona, Rishikesh, Bombay, Goa, Amritapuram, Tiruvannamalai, Auroville, Rishikesh and Kulu Manali, Dharamsala. Although satsang originated in India and several Indians came to the west to give satsang, we now have a reversed situation. Many western teachers who give satsang go to India and organise their retreats there. There are many places in India where retreats and satsangs are given regularly. Photo: holy cow satsang in tiru Reistip: Seva India Reizen in Reek is een klein gespecialiseerd reisbureau op India, het biedt goede service van Vanja en prima tarieven. Tel. 0486-712013 Poona In Poona the big Osho Commune International is still going strong. It offers such much that is is hard to tell: meditations, workshops, groups, video lectures from Osho, but also zennis (zen-tennis) a large swimming pool good restaurants, etc. truly Club Meditation. A visit is worth while. Several people give satsang in Poona: Dolano is living in Poona and gives satsang. Sometimes other teachers who are not connected with Osho, like John de Ruiter and Aziz Kristof pass by and give satsang. Kiran, a disciple from Osho and influenced by U.G. Krishnamurti: Kiranbhai, 150 Mukundnagar, Pune. He passed away in 2006. Osho Nisarga (near Dharamsala) Nestled amidst lush green nature, singing streams, Osho Nisarga is the name of a new meditation center built near Dharamsala, with a scenic backdrop of the majestic Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas. Ecological in concept and design, and already functioning as a new model of Osho's holistic vision of life, Osho Nisarga is being established as a true 21-century oasis. It lies at 1100 m, bordered by pine forests, orchards and farmland; it spreads over about 6 and a half acres which are being landscaped to harmonize with the natural features of the land -trees, huge black boulders and an idyllic mountain stream which flows through the property. Our international team is dedicated to developing Osho Nisarga into a unique Himalayan paradise, which pays homage to Osho's message- that meditation; healing and aliveness are most easily nurtured in the 'temple of nature'. Whether simply a base for your exploration of this part of India, or a place where you can participate in meditation retreats, therapy groups, and rejuvenation cures and trainings, your stay will be unforgettable. Osho Nisarga. Village: Shilla, Post Office: Pantehar, District: Kangra Dharamsala, HP - 176057, India Tel:+ 91 - 1892- 275592, 275730 Email: info@oshonisarga.com Mumbai  (Bombay) In Mumbai Ramesh Balsekar, former president from the Bank of India and author of many books on advaita. His teacher was Nisargadatta Maharaj, author of the advaita classic: 'I am That'. Ramesh left the body on sept, 27 2009 at an age of 94 years. Adress: Sindhula House, N. Gamadia Road. (1 km north from Chowpatti Beach, very close to Breach Candy hospital). In the main street is a place where visitors meet before and after the satsang, have a tea or enjoy their idly's for breakfast. In wintertime you might very well meet Leonard Cohen in satsang, he has been a regular visitor for many years The Mahalaxmi temple at the seashore is worth a visit, on the road leading to it, in the beginning on the left site, is a interesting spiritual bookshop. Ranjit Maharaj, an enlightened student from Ramesh Balsekar: 45 Narayan building, Mumbai 40004 Phone 022-3886906. Regular satsang. Goa In Goa you will mainly find satsang going on during the winter months. Cuckoo, a Taiwanese Zen master lives in Candolim and regularly gives Zendialogues. Be ready for a good hit on your ego! You will find him 1 km north from the busy tourist beach, behind the beach shack Mama Cecilia in his restaurant 300 meters the beach. The Zen Garden restaurant offers delicious carefully prepared Taiwanese food, do not miss it! Most likely you'll find Cuckoo surrounded by a bunch of sweet giggling Taiwanese girls. On the nothern part of Candolim beach are two beach shacks, Pete's and D Mellows next to it, where sannyasins and other seekers meet. Samdarshi gives meditation and satsang in feb. and several people give satsang etc. during wintertime. Arambol is one of the places in Goa where mass tourism has not yet entered. Lots of backpackers though. You will find many people from the Osho commune in Poona coming over for a holiday. In the wintermonths you can find Gopalji, a dutch guy, like Shanti Mayi connected with the Indian guru Hans Raj from Rishikesh, giving satsang as well as Neeru, a german Osho sannyasin who lives on the cliff near the sweet water lake..                                      Photo: Satsang with Gopalji   Kerala, Amritapuram Although it is not really satsang in the advaita sense but more 'hug'sang than you should not miss the ashram from Ammaji on the beach in Valickavu. You will pass the ashram when you make the backwatertrip from Aleppy to Quilon. Ammaji (Mata Amritanandamayi) travels a lot thru India in wintertime so you better check out the schedules on her website on order to find out where she is. Ammaji's ashram (left) and sunset meditation on the beach with Ammaji. (below)             Tiruvannamalai Around the ashram of the late Ramana Maharshi (with Nisargadatta Maharaj the best known teacher in the advaita tradition), different teachers like James Swartz, Mooji, Karl Renz, Pamela Wilson, Tathagata, Nukunu, Werner, etc, are giving satsang in wintertime. There are many western teachers who were with Poonjaji, the 'Lion from Lucknow', who was a disciple from Ramana. The holy mountain Arunachala, with the Virupaksha cave and the Skanda ashram where Ramana both lived for many years, lies right behind the Ramana Ashram on the mountain (see picture)                               The map The map shows the Arunachala mountain and the Pradakshina road, the road around the mountain. During each full moon thousands and thousands of pelgrims walk around the mountain. (picture) Along the Pradakshina road you do find very many temples, ashrams and shrines. There is an inner path around the mountain, starting right behind the Ramana Ashram.                              Click on the map and you will see all the details. The Ananta Niketan Ashram on the Chengam Road 5km from the Ramana ashram,.is a great plays to stay if you like to be out in nature and in a very quiet place. Gopi And Krishna run the place, simple accomodation & simple good food. Next door is the Singing Heart Ashram. Photo: Arunachala seen from from the Ananta Niketan Ashram. Shiva Shakti Very close to the Ramana ashram is the Shiva Shakti ashram. Shiva Shakti, an elderly woman, gives silent satsang once a day. Times: in the morning at 10. o'clock. It is not far from Usha Hotel, the popular restaurant close to the Ramana ashram. Free admission. It is also possible to rent rooms in the ashram.  James Swartz, an 70 years old American, gives advaita vedanta teachings from dec. till the middle of february. He is a direct student from Chinmayananda, a great Vedanta master who lived in the last century. Info www.shiningworld.com Radha Radha, a beautiful young woman gives satsang in a temple at the foot of the mountain. (see picture) Radha died in march 2011 Werner Werner is a German guy who lives in Tiruvannamalai, just a few houses past the Shiva Shakti ashram. He has been with Amaji, the hugging mother for many years. He lived 7 years in isolation in a cellar, meditating. Werner became like an Indian sadhu, wearing orange and not even using a chair when giving satsang. A friendly very sweet guy, he gives satsang twice a week followed by a silent meditation. Admission free.   Ganeshan is an old Indian who met Ramana when he was still young himself. He spent a lot of time taking care of old devotees of Ramana as his sadhana; his spiritual practice. You can meet him every morning from 9.30-11.00 in Ananda Ramana. His house 2 km away from the ashram in western direction. Besides being with Ramana he has been with Nisargadatta and Krishnamurti. Mooji Mooji is the satsang tophit in Tiruvannamalai sinds 2007 his satsangs attract hundreds of people His warm presence and wisdom attracts very many people, truly satsang from the heart. Usually he lives in London. See also Inspiration page for a satsang video! Arunchala Ramana is an elder American teacher who teaches is the lineage of Ramana, He has an ashram in America and spends the winter in his ashram in Tiru, the Aham ashram which opened its doors in 2001. Satsang twice a week on tuesday and friday. Info: www.aham.com (in 1973 Arunchala Ramana was instantly and irreversibly Awakened from the dream of birth and death by the grace of Ramana). Died in 2010, the ashram is still there and offering retreats. Libraries. There are a few good libraries in Tiru. One is the library from the Ramana Ashram, you will find it nearly opposite the ashram just a bit to the left when you leave the ashram. The other one, the Ganapati library is a library which is run by a few people who live in Tiru, it has been established by Helga, a German woman who lives in Tiru. It is located next to the Ramana Ashram in a small compound. Just ask around and you will find out about it. The Quo Vadis Centre has a library as well, it is located behind Usha hotel, the restaurant opposite Sheshadri ashram. (In their restaurant they serve great dosa's and idlies) All libraries have good collections. Photo : Arunachalaleswara temple in Tiruvannamalai as seen from the Skanda ashram on the mountain itself.   Places to stay There are very many places to stay around the ashram from Ramana. In the ashram you can stay for a few days but that is only possible if you have applied for it before. Next door is the Seshadri Ashram. Here you can rent a room for a very reasonable price. There are lots of guesthouses around and when you stay for a longer time you can rent a house yourself. The Ananta Niketan Ashram is a good plays to stay if you like to be out in nature and in a very quiet place, it is 5 km outside Tiru on the Chengam road, every riksha driver knows it (80 rupees from the Ramana ashram). Photo: The Virupaksha cave, one of the places where Ramana lived. Nightlife in Tiru There are lots of places to eat, usha hotel, a german restaurant, tasty cafe, rooftop restaurant etc. . Later on in the evening there is not much to do. The Manna Cafe is the only place which has some action in the late evening. Often there is life music which can go on into the early hours. Every full moon night though the city is totally alive all night long, pelgrims walk around the mountain all the time and shops and restaurants are open. Internet & travel Sh@nti is a well known internet cafe and travel agency. You can phone them before and have a taxi waiting when you arrive in Chennai airport/station or Bangalore. Ph. 0091-4175-236035 kumar@shantionline.com) They have a great library with dvd's, you can rent them and play them on your laptop.)                                Photo: inside the Ramana ashram 'In the sacred atmosphere of 'Ramana's mountain' the invitation is to rest in the Heart and feel grounded in being.' An interesting legend, tells how the sacred hill of Arunachala came to be associated with the fire Lingam of Shiva. Mourning the loss of his wife Sati, Shiva was wandering nude in the forests of Daruvana and was seen by the wives of certain sages. The women were aroused at the sight and desired to unite with him. The jealous sages cursed the god's linga (phallus) to fall off. As it touched the earth it grew to immense size like a great shining column. The gods Brahma and Vishnu saw it when its top had reached upwards beyond the clouds and its lower end was buried deep in the earth. They decided to investigate. Taking the form of a boar Vishnu dived into the depths of the primeval ocean to reach the base of the column, and Brahma taking the form of a swan flew up to its top. When they returned Vishnu honestly confessed that he could not find the foundations, while Brahma boasted that he had reached the summit. At this moment Shiva appeared, denounced Brahma as a liar, praised Vishnu for his honesty, and declared that the column could not be measured because it was his Linga. At the request of Vishnu, Shiva left part of his Linga in its 'tejas', or fire form, on the Arunachala hill. Ramana Maharshi's Home - Arunachala Shiva on video with music from music Steven Walters Auroville is a big international community in South India, 5 km north from Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu. Around 2000 people from more than 35 nationalities are building a city of the future, based on the philosopy of Aurobindo and the Mother. A lot of attention is paid to live in harmony with nature, ecology, health food etc. The Matrimandir is the huge temple in the heart of the community. Work has been going on on it since 1973 and it is nearly finished (photo 2007) There are lots of guesthouses, (one run by a Dutch woman called Tineke) several are on the Auroville beach: Waves, Quiet Healing Center, Gokulam, Repos a Auroville guesthouse on the beach has a cafe/restaurant inside, a good place to hang out and meet lots of interesting people. Once you are on the beach do not miss to buy some good spirulina in the spirulina farm in Simplicity run by a Dutchman called Henk, it is a guesthouse as well. If you want to you can participate in the commune in many ways, working as a volunteer, taking part in the meditations in the Matrimandir, following classes etc. Auroville has great shops in the visitors center and several good restaurants, cinema's, theatre, library. In Pondicherry where the Aurobindo ashram is located, you will find some shops from Auroville as well. And, as Pondicherry has been a French colony, delicious croissants and good French restaurants like Rendezvous etc. A new great and cheap restaurant is Surguru on Mission street, close to the best supermarket in town: Nilgiri and the Focus bookshop. In Mission street, on the crossing with Nehru street, you also find Casablanca, great for shopping and good cappuchino's, oposite a big Auroville shop. Pondy has some good bookshops: Vak, J.Nehru Street 16, a spiritual bookshop (close to the Aurobindo ashram), and close by Higgmbothams, 34 Ambour Salai. (Next to this bookshop you do find two good place for croissants, coffee etc. Hot Breads and Daily Breads) Focus bookshop is a general bookshop, lots of indian literature but spiritual books as well, Mission street 204. Auroville aspires to be: 'a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.'   Photo's: Matrimandir, the heart of Auroville, Auroville beach and fishing boats next door. Rishikesh In Laxman Jhula, next to Rishikesh, Shanti Mayi, an American woman, gives satsang during the wintermonths. It takes part on the banks of the river Ganges, next to the ashram of her own guru Hans Raj. Sometimes others, like Prajnaparamtita (Susan Frank ) and Nukunu, both disciples from Shanti Mayi, give satsang in Laxman Jhula as well.   Puja at the Ganges, Rishikesh Kulu Manali In Khakhnal, 10 km from Kulu Manali in the foothills of the Himalaya, Samdarshi, an indian Osho sanyassin, is giving satsang. His Sammasati Commune also offers a program of all the Osho meditations like dynamic and kundalini. Many people find it a bit an imitation Osho happening, but the place is beautiful to stay and you are free to do what you want. The center is closed during the winter months, too cold! All info: www.samdarshi.com Phone 0091981608206           For detailed information check out the websites, you will find all the addresses under Links.