How I Came to Vedanta | Dr. Jeffery Long

[@jamestiburon443]

Thanks for sharing. Similar background. Born in the late 60's Bronx. Last of the White Irish Catholics. Father left me (Male), and 2 sisters to survive, while he married his true love. When I was 9, my overwhelmed Mother went on a date with a flashy Corvette Guy. Drinking, Death. Overnight, the "Great" father comes to get us 3 kids, arriving, in the morning, in his Pink Cadillac. We arrive to a young StepMother who resented us from the beginning. Survived, but damaged, as all Seekers are. Started searching with Hermann Hesse at 14, started working as a busboy in restaurants at 14 just to get away from "HOME". On Long Island, NY. Kept working, reading. Always searching, alone, nobody in the family ever read a book. Went to a State University and studied philosophy, and a Spanish minor. Was going to get a doctorate in philosophy titled "THE EXISTENTIAL MARXISM OF JEAN PAUL SARTRE ". LOL. That is where my head was at at age 24, trying to make sense of WHY?? I was born into such a hard life. My only answer, at that time, is that life is just a random flux of materialism, and there certainly is NO GOD, NOR MEANING. Well Friends, like Dr. Long, I "Have long Suffered the Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune", and am 60. With Grandchildren coming in NOVEMBER. I have been a high school teacher for 25 years, a searcher always, tried to make Christianity work, but never could accept the fundamental point...The Atonement. Read theology deeply. Discovered the great Dr. Hans Kung, and love him, but disagree. But he taught me much. Been in the Vedanta Philosophy perspective since age 50. I have not found any higher wisdom and remain there.

[@oln3678]

Wow that's some story you have there friend. I've always been fascinated with the USA and its history and culture 🇺🇸 especially around 60s, 70s , 80s and have nostalgic feelings for it. Why I don't know.. perhaps a past life. Now im a middle aged indian guy from South Africa - you never know what you gonna get 🤷🏽😂 Your story and timelines seems to have triggered some of those feelings. I came to Vedanta too... lost, and its really helped me let go of a lot. Have to say i have a strong affinity to Jesus Christ also perhaps impressions from a past life. Find myslef tonight reading Imitation of Christ (cos it was admired by Vivekananda). Yeah.. Sarvapriyananda, Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada have really helped me when I found the Vedanta Society. Good luck to you ! I pray you find what you looking for 🙏🏽

[@redrawkblue]

When you are ready the teachings appear. That's such a beautiful mystery in itself. ♥

[@dmr80121]

Just discovered Dr Long on YT and spent all day listening to his discourses, which are one of the best I've heard. I've just bought a couple of his books and can't wait to dig into them!! Dr Long, please keep sharing your discourses and thoughts. Namaste from Colorado and Goa🙏 Dan

[@PhillyBoy264]

Professor Long taught me so much about Vedanta, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism he truly is a brilliant man.

[@ritabinamajumder4234]

This is a very new thing that how the devotees came to Vedanta movement it will inspire our spiritual life and inspire others to join this.The Vedanta movement will be preached more and more.I request to the authorities of Vs New York and other centres to make such videos more and more..

[@chendaforest]

Love Dr Long. His book on Jainism was excellent.

[@dasamlan9874]

@@Meghdootam tu pagal hai??😂😂

[@addictrogue516]

@@Meghdootam sab moh maya hai !

[@geetachoudhary3842]

Marriage is a kind of Sadhana! Excellent sir.

[@captainchumbuwumba5835]

Thank you Vedanta Society ! (:

[@theeternal6890]

nice name

[@Rish0716]

Yeaa George Harrison was in Hinduism .. Following path of ISKCON (Hare Krishna movement).. ISKCON is also great spiritual movement started 🙏💕..yaa Bhagvad gita is essence of all Vedas🙏..Each and every solution book 💕❣️..

[@maharaja8099]

That is what you have been told and your propagating the first thing that should be understood that nobody will turn into your space monkey because you say so bhagwat Geeta it is a great scripture no doubt but there were jogis Avatar off your Maha Vishnu and tremendous Yogi one of them is known as the mahaguru the guru of all dattatreya guru vashisht guru kashyap all these great beings of crystallized consciousness came before there was the geeta before dwapara Yuga there are non scriptural ways to get to that point Gautam budddha matsyendranath and padmasambhava were made without scriptures but by yoga meditation and evolution of consciousness ......if anyone who reads Geeta or vedas become Gautam buddha or dattatreya then moksha is false reading gains good karma moksha is freedom from any karma any heaven god hell and else as moksha is known as nirvan or nothingness it cannot be somethingness

[@Rish0716]

@@maharaja8099 Yaa bro I can understand what u are saying..I am just saying Bhagavad-Gita is great✌️..Yaa der isn't problem in meditating and yoga..I not only meant to say Bhagavad-Gita but any religious book Can help man to grow..or even he can do meditation on formless aspect of lord or any path he can choose..✌️..Just paths are different destination is same👍

[@maharaja8099]

@@Rish0716 100 percent agree this was first told by ramakrishna paramamsa .....good to hear😊😉 and I have grown up eating malpoa in janmasthami my mother is a vaisnav father a shakta me a shaiva and I love Buddhism......first invest in yoga then in karma-sri Krishna

[@Rish0716]

@@maharaja8099 Ooo nice bro✌️..

[@awesomeisasawesomedoesyo182]

I really enjoy Dr. Long. Thank you Vedanta Society.🙏

[@satyajitkanjilal3674]

You are nurtured by Guru Kripa. That is my experience ever since I was initiated in the Ramkrishna Mission order by Prabhu maharaj in 1976. My life since then has gone on with the usual ups and downs. But I have kept my focus on Sri Ramakrishna and my joy has kept on increasing!

[@vjayaraman1]

Me too! I lost my father at my 13 years, and I started questioning my own existence...leading to Advaita. Wonderful experiences, Vedanta answers all my questions....to the extend I conduct satsang and making a difference in others lives and speak in churches...

[@CHAMOMILE.BLOOMS_]

Appreciate you so much, sir. Even after being a westerner you know so much more than many many of us hindus. You all are graced souls from different parts of the world who are in turn guiding us to the knowledge we all need to know. Thank you !🙏

[@RAIRADIO]

If Vedas and Sanskrit wasnt restricted to just one class, many of the Hindus would have also known.

[@honestcitizen90]

@@RAIRADIO We the BILLION or more Indian Hindus are still learning about our venerable, cerebral, seeking culture. Education of a billion takes time, especially because we were subjugated for a thousand years or more. You can try to separate us all you want to, but Indians, not just Hindus, are using smartphones more than anyone else on Earth!

[@premamyname4300]

@@RAIRADIO oh is it. It's restricted to classes that's why west is learning!? What do you in about history to blame entire Brahim community. Reality i will tell you, vedic Brahims are translators, of this scriptures. And during Goa inquisition, Vedic Brahims, culture and gurukuls were destroyed by Portugese Invaders. First get the deeper knowledge on history. Anyways Nobody is stopping now. Read and teach others. All are learning only.

[@pillettadoinswartsh4974]

What I don't accept from Christianity, besides the existence of places of eternal reward and punishment, is that there is this being called "God" who decided to create all of this, including you and me, without asking any of us. Then, in turn, we are expected (demanded) to worship him, and yet, he's not responsible for evil. "He" is responsible for EVERYTHING. Complete and utter responsibility. How else could it possibly be? And yet, Christianity places that responsibility onto individual people, at the possible cost of eternal suffering. "Just" is not a word that describes that "God" Neither does "he" take responsibility for his creation. He lays it on beings who had no choice of being here or not. That's a slave-owner, not a "God"

[@seekthetruthandthetruthwil2388]

Pilletta Doinswartsh God created a perfect world. But when Adam eve decided to eat of the tree of knowledge of good /evil/ they became gods declaring what’s good/evil and chaos and death filled the earth. But through Jesus we have eternal life. It’s a father child relationship. God desires that each of His children come back to Him, but some of us will choose to live in a place that’s devoid of His presence and He will honor it.

[@matthewkopp2391]

That is your interpretation. My interpretation is that God is being itself, so human beings created a God that resembles being itself both good and bad, suffering and beneficial. God was also imagined as being a God of judgement in the Old Testament but a poor judge because he did not know what it meant to be human. Christianity is an atonement with the existential reality of God. Because Jesus was human who atoned with God as a son. He not only reformed a God of judgement to a God of grace and forgiveness, he offers human being the opportunity to reform and transform themselves from human beings of judgement to human beings of forgiveness and grace. No metaphysical heaven or hell. But we certainly create our own heaven and hell on earth if we can or cannot find grace and forgiveness in relationship to each other and reality in general.

[@rainbrain7802]

Very interesting comment, you have just given me something I look forward to contemplating, funny how my catholic upbringing I believe brings my guilt to the surface for the thought of contemplating such seemingly proper and wise comments such as yours. Thank you. 😊

[@rainbrain7802]

@@matthewkopp2391 😊

[@RAMESHKOTIKALAPUDI]

The relationship between God and human beings is not something that can be logically explained. In fact in the Vedanta tradition, that's only experiential, which is often called Moksha. It's experiencing the cause of creation. Secondly, God is not a slave owner. n some cases it's actually the opposite. He makes the heart beat on regular schedule, makes the extremely complex nervous system function and provides the experience we get from the senses. Human beings take all this for granted and question the little things. The worship is being grateful for the body and the sensual experience that can be gained from it. This is my understanding. For anybody who wants to question, the first step is to return the body that's freely given and maintained back to God. I'm not willing to give away the sight from one eye let alone all the senses and all the body.

[@oldtimeoutlaw]

I have very recently become interested in Hinduism. Trying to start to learn and study is difficult, but I am doing my best. Thank you for this vid, I hope you continue to make more vids on this subject. Peace.

[@muralidharareddy2096]

please refer to "Who am I" by "Ramana Maharshi", the most simple way of knowing the absolute truth

[@billkotas9049]

Consider that "Hinduism" may arguably be better than any other systems of "spiritual" thought but it's better to strike out on your own with the base of what you have learned from world traditions

[@thinktankindia5145]

Amazing

[@r3b3lvegan89]

I’m still just reeling from the fact that there’s 2 Jeff Long’s lol. One working in IANDS and this guy. This Jeff should help IANDS realize what non duality is. Love this rabbit hole

[@Aatish_A_P]

Great Views. It becomes so easy if you understand it. But most of us live a natural common man's life. But the great teachers and the scripts or book's help us realise our true blissful happy all pervading all existing nature. However very few can detach themselves from a max possible 100 year's body existence and understand the unchanged unborn immortal soul or aatman or the aatma or brahman in vedic terms. Thanks Sir. Great Views. Thanks Vedanta. Thanks Swami Ji. Om.

[@brigittetaquin9270]

Beautiful story ! Thank you !

[@aksharma4304]

Happy Thoughts...

[@vyagrahpada8031]

Thank you ! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@Karticks7]

A very critical point from the ocean that is Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) well explained by Dr Long especially when it comes at the back of his own experience and motivation to study this pulosophy.

[@ploutarkhos]

🕉️🙏 great speech in these time 😌

[@jaijoshi5876]

All practitioners of Abrahmnic religions must listen to this.Why would a compassionate merciful God punish a human for his follies for eternity?That is not merciful at all,is it nor God like

[@satishbabu6940]

Incredibly useful!!

[@Freyathrith]

Beautiful.

[@r.a.h.175]

“Part of the perfection of existence is the existence of imperfection within it, were there no imperfection, the perfection of existence would be imperfect.” -al-Shaykh al-Akbar Ibn ‘Arabi

[@theeternal6890]

That makes kinda sense.

[@Hanmantkendre]

Om Namah shivaya We are followers of dharam (righteous duty /action in karma) God given everyone freedom of karma.. Your karma is your Identity.. And you are responsible for your own Karma's fruits.. Sanatan dharma (eternal righteousness )not a religion,its way of life.. Religion a rules against women, animals and other faiths.

[@prateekpandey4392]

The wise lament neither for dead nor alive. This line is stuck in my mind what should I do?

[@drnilimajain]

Well explained

[@ugc1784]

Now that you are so much into indian philosophy, there is very little doubt that you have not gone into the six departments of hindu philosophy and also 'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramhansa Yogananda who spent more than half of his life in America amidst his hundreds of thousands of American deciples.

[@thethirdenergy8152]

Everyone should at least get an opportunity to know that there exists such a wonderful book...of course nothing happens before time !

[@kris4117]

The Wise are not delusioned by Changes

[@SivaPrasad-zy1ci]

The Body is a Virtual Reality Gadget to feel the Virtual Reality(Maya) of the Creation. Our problem is we don't know who we are?.

[@stevenjfrisch]

Nice!

[@jamiej.tilleyphotographyar5177]

🙏

[@gv9652]

🙏🙏

[@subramanyam2699]

Can that make sense without having to invent God or soul that passes from body to body?

[@billkotas9049]

OK great but "eastern thought" maybe considered as a subcategory of "thought" itself...consider it

[@gangarajgowda3701]

Dr Jeffrey, Gandhi was never a true hindu. Vedanta says, one must fight for the dharma. When Britishers conquered, it was our right to fight, but what Gandhi did was, he put the whole of Hindus in to the mode of tamasik. Therefore he put, all hindus in to adharma.

[@DobbinZachary-m3r]

Wilson Cynthia Walker William Wilson Margaret

[@kaavyasri2705]

The western who took X as ultimate and changed billions into X, now started thinking about what did they really miss

[@alukuhito]

Wait a minute... Ghandi the movie came out in 1982. He said he saw it when he was 13. That means he has to be 50 or younger. This guy looks 65 to me.

[@jefferylong9643]

Thank you very much! I'm 52. :)

[@seekthetruthandthetruthwil2388]

While what Dr Long says is brilliant, Christianity offers the perfect solution in Jesus Christ God created a perfect world , but when Adam/eve desired to eat of the tree of knowledge of good, /evil, they became their own god directing what’s good /evil and hence the chaos in the world. Separation from God results in chaos and ultimate death. Through Jesus we get eternal life. The ones who choose hell do so because they want to live in a place devoid of the presence of God and He will honor it. Sincere question. When does one reincarnate if one is already in seed form in his father’s loins, grandfathers loins all the way back to the first man.

[@vedantarules2812]

Will you accept to go to jail for the evil deed done by your grand parents whether they were punished for that or not?? If that's injustice,then people going to hell for the bad deed done by Adam and eve is also ridiculous.. Even criminals get their jail punishmemt halved if they perform gently during jail period. So a Merciful "God" should not punish for the sin of not believing him... And God knew that Adam would eat the apple and still allowed him to eat so that billions of his children would go to hell for his sin!!!! This is illogical and cruel...So Christianity is definitely not true...Wake up to the real truth that is Vedanta...Help your self from reincarnating into beings of low intelligence...

[@harjotmahal8985]

@@vedantarules2812 Jesus Christ was a true vedantist. A true vedantist first of all would never even speak of reincarnation, karma etc . These are relative and dualistic concepts. when we were never born then who is to die who is to atone for whose sins and who is to reincarnate and for what? Jesus christ taught the highest and the purest teaching, :I Am that I am" And many enlightened masters like bhagvan Ramana Maharshi has said this I am that I am is the highest truth and the highest teaching! INFACT MAHARSHI even said that its a Mantra even greater than Aham Brahmasi!. But Jesus christ had to step down from the peak so to speak to tell this highest truth to the simple people in those times in the language they best understood. Thus stories that were symbolic like the Adam and eve 's which everyone easily understood had to be told to the people. People have to be shown the light by way of symbolism, metaphors etc. The truth was too abstract to be grasped by their apparent ignorant minds.

[@RAIRADIO]

No body reincarnates and nobody lives eternal life. We all die. Full stop.

[@seekthetruthandthetruthwil2388]

@@RAIRADIO the Hindu texts talk about reincarnation

[@vivekananadasaraswati2241]

One thing which is destroying my faith in advaita vedanta completely is that being a person who is not a dwija or twice born, will i be able to achieve the supreme knowledge?.. there's no scriptural support to show this.. Now my question is that the same scriptures which are teaching about the supreme truth are supporting this varna doctrine.. and after reading shankaracharya's commentary on the brahma sutras where he claims that shudras should not be imparted this knowledge.. i am seriously disheartened and i think i will never be able to recover from this..

[@vedantarules2812]

If you are sincerely devoted and can practice strict rules, you can undergo thread ceremony and learn Vedanta...Varna is decided by Guna i.e., character...If you are not lazy you can become dwija...

[@dsbdsb6637]

So for you individuals don't make the religion but Rituals do. Being Dwija mean being perfect {to a certain degree} in certain craft but as time went on & as more complications kept happening Hindus started to organize themselves along professional groups in certain regions & that's how casteism started. Start doing rituals yourself as that's what Kayasthas did to elevate their position & to challenge Brahmins claims.

[@vedantarules2812]

@@dsbdsb6637 ,Sanathana Dharma does not need humans to survive. Humans need Religion for their own sake (mukti).. Those who are disciplined enough can only read and understand Vedanta... If you take Engineering or Medicine degrees,only those people that clear respective entrance tests and study as per schedule given by Colleges will be able to become engineer or doctor... Rituals are there to help ourselves from bad forces of nature.. Rishis were not dumb to introduce meaningless rituals.

[@dsbdsb6637]

// Rishis were not dumb to introduce meaningless rituals.// lol

[@vedantarules2812]

@@dsbdsb6637 Are you an atheist or what?? If yes, I can destroy atheism within seconds..

[@AlejandroGarcia-ek3uy]

If Brahman is Sat Chit Ananda, He/She/It could have done very well without manifesting this multiverse. Talk about making no sense...

[@Ishuuuxix]

But it occurs naturally just as there's fire and heat as u have shadow satchiananda explores it infinite self

[@truedhonifan922]

Just like hair grows in your body without any intent brahman manifests into this world without any intent

[@shyamsundersharma4179]

Brahman is existence itself, you with your limited senses can never understand the absolute.

[@saum]

@@Ishuuuxix well said

[@AlejandroGarcia-ek3uy]

@@Ishuuuxix too bad He cannot help manifesting this world of misery and illusion, then He is not all-mighty, and we must struggle to realize ourselves. Makes no sense at all.

[@magma9138]

🙏