Inquiry Into the Seer & the Seen

Who am I? What is God, exactly? How can sorrow be overcome, and is permanent happiness possible at all? These are the questions at the heart of Inquiry Into the Seer & the Seen, a spiritual workshop with Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY. It is an invitation to follow a single, simple question to its profound conclusion: who is it that sees?

The retreat is a careful study of the Dṛg Dṛśya Viveka, a classical Sanskrit text of 46 verses on the discrimination between the seer and the seen. The eye sees form, the mind sees the eye, and behind the mind is the ever-present witness: pure awareness, unchanging and free. Rooted in the teachings of nonduality (Advaita Vedanta), the inquiry points toward transcending suffering and finding fulfillment.

If these fundamental questions of human existence feel alive for you, this course of study is for you. All are warmly invited, whether Vedanta is familiar territory or new.

What to Expect

This is a three-day retreat of careful looking. Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches the text with rigor and warmth held together in equal measure, guiding participants to examine what is already true in their own experience and to let that examination become the ground of understanding.

- Systematic study of the Dṛg Dṛśya Viveka, verse by verse
- Teaching that points to direct experience rather than doctrine or belief
- Quiet time for shared study, silence and reflection, which gives the text room to do its work

The retreat begins on a Friday evening and closes on Monday at midday, so the teaching unfolds over a long weekend.

About the Lineup

Swami Sarvapriyananda is a Hindu monk of the Ramakrishna Order and the Minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York, a role he has held since January 2017. Born into a Bengali family in Kolkata and raised in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, he joined the Ramakrishna Order at age 23 in 1994 and received his monastic vows (sanyasa diksha) from Swami Ranganathananda in 2004. His service within the Order has included work as an acharya at the Monastic Probationer Training Center at Belur Math, as vice principal of Deoghar Vidyapith Higher Secondary School, and as principal of Ramakrishna Mission Shikshanamandir.

Venue & Logistics

The workshop takes place at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY. Tuition covers the workshop itself, and accommodations are booked separately. Guests can stay on campus, with housing that includes meals and use of campus facilities and amenities, or commute from off campus. On-campus options range from cabin rooms to dorm and tent cabin lodging. Some dorm and tent cabin stays ask guests to bring their own sheets and towels or a sleeping bag. Omega's registration team can advise on accessible rooms.

Tiered tuition pricing is offered, and Omega members receive a reduced rate. Members of the Vedanta Society of New York receive a discount on tuition with the code provided by the organizer.