ADVAITA IN ST. PETERSBURG

Advaita, non-duality, is the core of the greatest spiritual teachings of East and West. It's a direct experience of the fact that there is one absolute and perfect goodness in, above and beyond all of the uncountable conflicting and divided parts and particles comprising the world we all live in, and this goodness is the only Truth, the only Self and the only unchangeable Reality.
This perfect goodness has been perceived by some as fullness, the entirety of all, by others as emptiness; It has been praised and worshipped by still others as the one and true God, the Creator and the Lord of all there is, of this entire creation.

Advaita, if seen both in its Asian and in its Biblical manifestations, is a universal path, the most esoteric teaching and the supreme goal of all spiritual practices and endeavors. It's the way to see the true nature of all things, the divine nature of all bits and pieces, of all the living entities of this Universe who appear to be separate, ignorant and mortal. Advaita is the way to be that very Self, to unwaveringly, unshakably remain THAT WHICH is pure, still, imperishable, to remain true to THAT under all circumstances, expressing in all of one's outer and inner outcomes THAT and only THAT, with ITS simplicity, wisdom and compassion, which are natural expressions of the one Self that everything and everyone truly is.

A small group of Advaita practitioners, living in St. Petersburg, Russia, created this web site for everyone who would like to come together in the Truth of what has been stated above.

Be sure to sense that this Path is not only about perennial truths or philosophical abstractions having nothing to do with the "real life", but it's mostly about the actual state of mind and about all the actions coming out of it that people spend their whole lives immersed in. The practicality of this Path is in the irrevocable transformation of the state of consciousness of an individual, inevitably leading to transformation of consciousness of the humanity as a whole.
Putting all the subjective assertions about one's inner states aside, we just speak about the outer expressions of the inner purity, of the immaculate state we strive for, which are profound sanity in any interpersonal relationships, integrity and consistency of one's actions driven solely by love and compassion for all others, by sincere care about the greatest good of all.

When we take an immovable stand in the non-duality, what's then expressed outwardly is an absolute commitment to act out of love and compassion and not out of selfishness. After this understanding dawns upon the individual, he/she ought to live the life not to selfishly cause suffering to the others, but to serve the Will of God in this world which is salvation, enlightenment, resurrection, liberation of every single bit of this world. The advaita practitioner's sole concern is to see this Oneness, Perfection, Goodness, God Almighty consciously joined by all Its particles that still in their ignorance insist on being separate and alien to THAT. Its both one's conscious choice and the burning passion inside that one can in no way resist or disregard.
We seek to learn, to experience and to communicate to everyone interested this very message: the precious harmony of a part reunited with the Whole, the unconditional surrender to the Source of existence where the part and the Whole finally merge. As Shri Ramana Maharshi put it: "The flow of the river stops, once it reaches the ocean and becomes one with the ocean. Likewise, if one's mind is always meditating on the Self, eventually it becomes "Atmamayam" [that is, it will be of the same nature as the Self]." At some other occasion he said: " The natural name of every person is "mukti" [liberation]". And: "He is a real man who does not let go his hold on the Self state while he is attending to whatever problems come of their own accord and without his desire."
It was attempted to represent the incredible peace, joy and clarity of a human consciousness surrendered to and merged in the One and Only Reality by the beautiful pictures of nature that you can see on this site. By clicking some of those pictures you may find out something else about our work here or you may enter right into the Unknown.
Any questions pertaining to this subject can be emailed to Michael Momot and will be gladly answered. Also, if you would like to find out about:

"WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT?, a semiannual magazine offering a penetrating and compelling investigation into the most important spiritual questions of our time, featuring dialogues with today's leading spiritual teachers, thinkers and visionaries;

	- international activities of IMPERSONAL ENLIGHTENMENT FELLOWSHIP inspiring our spiritual practices and our inquiry into the most important questions of life;
	- written teachings explaining the Path, free from archaic rituals and traditional camouflage, as seen both from a viewpoint of an individual and from a viewpoint of evolution of the whole human race;
	- original Indian advaita-vedanta as represented by the outstanding sage of our time, Shri Ramana Maharshi, his teachings and life, teachings and interpretations by his disciples in India and in the U.S.
	- luminous insights: meditative photography by Julia Sorokina ("Every drop carries the harmony of the Whole")
	- information about and contacts with serious spiritual practitioners in St. Petersburg, Russia (non-denominational, non-sectarian, no cheap "crazy wisdom" gimmicks, no self-proclaimed gurus or saviors of the world), contacts to different Christian organizations in St. Petersburg, including a Christian radio station.

don't hesitate to email at michaelm@spb.cityline.ru in English, German or Russian, and we'll be happy to share with you what the Grace has revealed to us so far.

We are not seeking to impose any fixed doctrines or ideas upon anyone, but are just willing to instigate spiritually interested people not to stop in their search, but to keep going, to investigate the Path further, to look most seriously into the possibility of really accomplishing what we have all been born for.

We believe that there is a way to live in full compliance with the Truth revealed by the glorious spiritual teachers of the past.
We also feel that sense of urgency that does not allow all this remain just a hobby for our leisure time, that makes us devote our whole life to this pursuit, which has been always the same and is ever new.

The primary source of inspiration for this website is to be found at www.andrewcohen.org

╘ photos and design by Julia Sorokina

╘All texts by Michael Momot, Saint Petersburg, 2000

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