About the Guest

Shambhavi Sarasvati is the spiritual director of Jaya Kula, a nonprofit community in Portland, Oregon. Her principle training is in the View and practices of Trika Shaivism—also called Kashmir Shaivism—and the Dzogchen tradition of Tibet. 

Shambhavi is known for her humor and for making complex teachings about the nature of the self and reality understandable, practical, and always relevant to our lived experience. Her teachings are grounded in forty years of study, daily practice, and personal retreats.

Shambhavi holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Mills College and a Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University. She is the author of six books about spiritual life and practice.

In this episode, Shambhavi and Jacob discuss:

• how the war on Gaza amounts to a crack in time that is fundamentally reorienting us in this moment
• our relationship with the “other”
• how the nature of reality is a dynamic play of “wisdom-virtue”
• what the Mahabharata has to teach us about the war in Gaza
• how we each can connect to our own unique impulse to be of service in this moment
• the obstacles people encounter that keep them from speaking up, and how to move through those obstacles
• how to embody the “wisdom of the heart”

Shambhavi has created a reading list as a resource for those interested in deepening their understanding around the historical and political circumstances between Isreal and Palestine. You can find that reading list here: https://jayakula.craft.me/palestine-learning

Shambhavi and the Jaya Kula community gather for satsang and kirtan every Sunday at 3:30pm Pacific. Satsang is live in Portland Oregon and live-streamed. Visit jayakula.org for more information.

Quotes from the Episode

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