Welcome
The Self awaits recognition in you.
This website is the platform for the spiritual teachings of James Gordon Gibson.
James offers teachings, first expounded in the ancient Indian non-dual contemplative and spiritual tradition of Advaita Vedanta, in a contemporary form of satsang. On this site you will find free resources, videos and writings on Non-Duality and Self-knowledge. You will also find links to purchase James's books, attend the latest retreats, and book private one-on-one satsang sessions with James.
You can contact James with any queries related to purchases, retreats, private satsang, or send him spiritual questions via the Contact page on the navigation bar at the top of each page.
Understanding Key Terms
Non-Duality
Non-duality refers to the fundamental truth that what appears as multiplicity: countless separate objects, beings, and experiences, is actually one seamless, undivided Reality, appearing as diversity. This understanding dissolves the false perception of being a limited individual separate from everything else and separate from the world, revealing instead that all apparent differences are like waves on the ocean's surface: seemingly distinct, but never actually separate from the water itself. Non-duality is not a philosophical concept to be grasped intellectually, but rather the direct recognition of what has always been true: that the essence of what you are is identical to the essence of everything that exists.
Reality
Reality is the absolute, unchanging truth that underlies all apparent phenomena: the one existence that appears as the multiplicity of the world. It is not something separate from or beyond the world of experience, but the very substance of which all experiences are made, like gold appearing as various ornaments or clay appearing as different pots. Reality is beginningless, endless, and indivisible, though it appears to be divided into separate objects, beings, and experiences. It is simultaneously the material cause of the universe and that which transcends the universe entirely. From the absolute perspective, Reality is all there is, everything else being temporary appearances that have no independent existence apart from this fundamental ground of being. In every being, Reality abides as the Self, the very essence of each apparently limited individual.
The Self
The Self refers to your true, essential nature—not the personal identity constructed from thoughts, memories, and bodily sensations—but the unchanging, pure awareness that witnesses all these changing phenomena. It is the knowing presence that illuminates thoughts, feelings, sensations and perceptions, without being coloured or modified by any of them. It is the continuous thread of being which connects every moment of experience throughout your entire life, remaining constant while everything else transforms. The Self is not personal or individual; it is the same universal intelligence which animates all beings, appearing to be separate only from the limited perspective of the body-mind. It transcends all qualities, conditions, and experiences while being intimately present as their very source. The Self is what you most fundamentally are when stripped of all temporary identifications; pure being itself, never born and never dying, and completely untouched by the vicissitudes of life.
Self-knowledge
Self-knowledge is the direct recognition and understanding of your true nature as pure awareness. It is not intellectual knowledge about the self, but rather the immediate knowing of what you are that transcends the mind's conceptual understanding. This knowledge is unique because the knower and the known are identical; you are simultaneously the means of knowing and what is to be known. Self-knowledge eliminates the fundamental ignorance that causes suffering by revealing that you were never actually the limited, vulnerable individual you took yourself to be. Once this recognition dawns, it transforms your entire relationship to life, bringing an unshakeable peace and freedom that doesn't depend on external circumstances. This knowledge cannot be gained or lost because it is synonymous with your very being; it can only be recognised or overlooked.
Satsang
Satsang is the communication of truth that facilitates the recognition of one's true nature. Traditionally occurring between teacher and student, it represents the transmission of understanding from one who has realised the truth to one who is ready to receive it. However, at its deepest level, satsang transcends the duality of teacher and student, as the Self apparently awakens to itself through the medium of words. The words spoken in satsang are living pointers that awaken this recognition in the listener. True satsang creates the optimal conditions for Self-knowledge to dawn, serving as a mirror that reflects back the listener's own luminous nature.
To learn more about satsang, click here.
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Books
Explore the depths of non-dual understanding through written teachings that point directly to your true nature.
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Join us for immersive retreats where we explore our liberated, loving true nature in a supportive environment.
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Experience one-on-one guidance and explore your questions in a personal setting.
Learn moreAbout James
James Gordon Gibson is a spiritual teacher dedicated to sharing the direct recognition of our real nature as pure awareness. This awareness is the non-dual Reality of all things, and is of the very essence of happiness and freedom. Realising this awareness as our innermost Self grants us the liberation that is inherently our own, yet overlooked. His approach is clear, direct, and uncompromising, yet patiently guides listeners from their own level of understanding to the summit of spiritual wisdom.
Through writings, videos, retreats and private satsangs, James offers focused guidance which cuts through self-ignorance to reveal the immediate, ever-present and ever-liberated Reality we all are.
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