10/03/2026
Samadhi: The Foundation of Meditation, starts this Thursday! Visit sunshinecoastgnosis.org/currentevents for tickets!
"What if meditation were not only about relaxation or stress reduction—but about discovering the deepest ground of consciousness itself? This three-week course explores the ancient teaching of samādhi, often described in classical yoga as the stillness in which the movements of the mind fall silent. Yet across the world’s contemplative traditions this state points to something far deeper: the direct recognition of consciousness itself. Rather than treating meditation as a modern wellness technique, the course returns to its philosophical and mystical roots, exploring how different traditions understood samādhi as the foundation of awakening.
Across three weeks, the course unfolds as a gradual exploration of awakening itself. It begins with the classical foundations of meditation and the stilling of the mind, then expands into the dynamic and ecstatic dimensions of consciousness described in mystical traditions, before culminating in teachings that understand awakening as the integration of stillness and living energy. Each stage reveals how different cultures have approached the same fundamental question: what happens when consciousness begins to recognize its own nature?
Drawing on a wide range of philosophical and spiritual traditions, the course explores insights from classical yoga and the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, the contemplative teachings of the Upaniṣads and Advaita Vedānta, the non-dual philosophy of Kashmir Śaivism, and Ta***ic traditions that explore the awakening of Śakti and kundalinī. It also examines parallel ideas in Vajrayāna Buddhism, the Dionysian mysteries of ancient Greece, and the philosophical reflections of Plato and Nietzsche, alongside mystical expressions found in Sufi, Bhakti, and Christian contemplative traditions.
Through philosophy, sacred texts, and comparative exploration of East and West, participants encounter a striking insight shared across cultures: the deepest awakening is not merely the quieting of thought but the recognition of consciousness as the living foundation of existence itself. In this light, samādhi is not simply a rare meditative state—it is the ground from which the full transformation of human awareness begins."
Throughout history, humanity has sought to understand the mysterious terrain of dreams and the possibility of conscious experience beyond the physical body. Long before modern psychology began cataloguing sleep cycles and neural activations, esoteric traditions described the dream state as a doorway...
