Three Ways to Study The Master Course

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1. Supervised Study

The Master Course Trilogy

As of December, 2018, Himalayan Academy’s Supervised Master Course Study is offered as an online course with daily lessons that can be accessed on either a computer or a mobile device. Being online, the course is able to utilize many of our rich digital resources.

The daily study centers around a ten-minute “Spiritual Workout.” This daily practice period follows the format given in the Hinduism Today Publisher’s Desk article “A 10-Minute Spiritual Workout.” The “Spiritual Workout” is also available as a free mobile app that you can use to guide your ten-minute session. You can download it on Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.

  • Worship - two minutes
  • Introspection - two minutes
  • Affirmation - one minute
  • Study - five minutes

During the five-minute study portion, a daily lesson from one of the Master Course trilogy books is read. Course videos, audios, apps, etc. may be enjoyed at leisure, while commuting or relaxing in the evening, for example.

The Master Course Trilogy

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami’s 3,000 page Master Course consists of the three textbooks Dancing with Siva, Living with Siva and Merging with Siva. The Trilogy is a legacy of profound, approachable teachings in three realms: philosophical, cultural and mystical. Dancing with Siva, the first book of the trilogy, lays out the philosophical, Vedic-Agamic beliefs, attitudes and expectations of the Saivite Hindu religion, which are so necessary to understand, adopt and uphold in order to make true progress in the areas discussed in the other two books. Living with Siva, the second book of the trilogy, explores Saivite lifestyle, culture, family life, character-building and overcoming uncomplimentary habits. Merging with Siva presents Gurudeva’s teachings on meditation, metaphysics and the deeper sadhanas and realizations. In addition, the home-study course draws on the writings of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami.

These teachings will strike students differently according to their religious background. Hindus raised in the traditions of Saivism will appreciate the emphasis on worshiping at the home shrine. Those raised in other Hindu traditions will enjoy learning the core beliefs and practices of the Saivite denomination of Hinduism. Non-Hindus will have their first encounter with ashtanga yoga, also called raja yoga, according to the traditions of our lineage, the Nandinatha Sampradaya’s Kailasa Parampara. All students will be practicing ashtanga yoga as taught in the Saivite denomination of Hinduism.

Program Requirements

Himalayan Academy’s Supervised Master Course Study requires that you own the three books of the trilogy. Other assigned books and articles can be read in a digital form. Gurudeva explained the importance of reading from the physical book in a mystical way by saying that these books have been magically impressed into the akasha and having the physical books helps you intuitively connect to their source and absorb their knowledge.

This program takes a little more than two years to complete. It is open to those of any religion or spiritual background. Students make no commitments other than to themselves to do the daily readings and follow the specific practices to the best of their ability. This is Himalayan Academy’s public service to help all who wish to learn about Saivite Hinduism and strengthen their spiritual life. Read inspiring testimonies from students

After completing this study program, those who seek to receive initiation and become a shishya (formal disciple) of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami in his Saiva Siddhanta Church continue their learning about Saiva Siddhanta Church and make formal commitments, including taking simple vows. Read more about qualifying to enter Saiva Siddhanta Church

Do you have questions before enrolling? Email Us

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2. Independent Study

You can also read the three books without following the Supervised Study worksheets. Begin your daily reading with Dancing with Siva, shloka one and its bhashya. Then open Living with Siva and read Lesson One. Next, turn to the Nandinatha Sutras in Part Four of Living with Siva and read the first sutra. Finally, open Merging with Siva and read the first lesson. Reading each day's lesson from the three books of the trilogy takes about twenty minutes. Because there are only 155 lessons (shlokas and bhashyas) in Dancing with Siva, when you complete lesson 155 of this book, begin again at the beginning. Then, when you complete the second reading, totaling 310 days, begin again with lesson one, and continue reading until lesson 55, to coincide with lesson 365 of Living with Siva and Merging with Siva. If you study these lessons each day for a year, you will have completed a profound sadhana, a personal odyssey into the interior of you and on into the depths of Hinduism, a practice sufficient to transform your life by transforming the way you look at life itself. The Master Course trilogy of Dancing, Living and Merging with Siva can be enjoyed by the entire family year after year after year, studied personally and read aloud at breakfast, dinner or in the shrine room after the morning puja. Proceed with confidence and without delay.

Read the Books

3. Independent Digital Study

The Internet course begins anew on the first day of the Hindu year, April 13. But feel free to jump in and get started at any time. You need not wait for day one of the calendar year to roll around. Start with the current lesson, which might be number 132, and consider your year complete when you reach Lesson 131. You will find the lessons filled with philosophical, practical and soul-stirring information potent enough to inspire even a skeptic to change his ways of thinking about life and the ultimate goal of existence on this planet. Begin now. Today is the most auspicious time.

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