Tiruvanamalai India -The Home of Self-Knowledge.
Living in tribal villages in the jungle of Odisha, sleeping on concrete floors in central Tamil Nadu, travelling north, south, east and west after making friends with sampradayas and paramparas, different sects and lineages of India’s ancient Sanatana Dharma, John finally met his Master.
Making India his home, for the next seven years he studied Atma Vidya आत्मा विद्या and practiced Asta Yoga of Rishi Agustya the Yoga of the Tamil Siddhas.
Ashram Life – Self-Knowledge Village Thiruvanamalai India
As part of India’s gurukula system students are invited to join their guru on his ashram. Breaking with tradition, in 2007, John was invited him to join the two year brahmacharya course at his Master’s Ashram in Thiruvanamalai. Joining the small group of young students, Swamiji, a modernist with a PhD in English, broke with tradition further by taking all the classes in English.
Under Arunachala, the Holy mountain of Shiva in Thiruvanamalai and on the banks of the Holy Mother Ganges in Rishikesh, John received his formal education and initiation in Para Vidya (परा विद्या) Knowledge of the Supreme.
Studying with his guru and his Param Guru, Pujya Swami Sri Dayananda Saraswati (1930-2015) acknowledged as one of the greatest Advaita Vedanta scholars and teacher’s of our time and ‘guru of gurus’, it is through the grace of his Vedanta guru’s and the parampara (lineage) that John is able to assimilate the timeless wisdom and share the deep transformative knowledge of the Veda/Upanishads.
Bhoganathar Siddha the Great Guru of Babaji and Param Guru of Patanjali Siddha.
Bhoga received initiation in Para Vidya (Supreme Self-knowledge) from his Master Kalinginatha whom he followed to China. RecognIsed as the founder of the TOA (see article) in China Bhoga is known as Bo Yang Lao Tsu.
Visiting Kolliemalai with Sri Lasri Sivananda Pulippani Pathira Swamigal, the dynastic head of the Bhoganathar Siddha Parampai. Swamigal gave John his name Siddharthan सिद्धार्थन and invited him to represent the dynastic Bhoganathar Siddha lineage abroad. Read More
Kali Nath Aghori Baba
Meeting the Aghori Baba John spent precious time with Kali Nath Aghori Baba in Nepal. A disciple of Dr. Ram Nath Aghori Baba one of India’s greatest yogi’s and supreme guru’s of our time, Dr Ram Nath Aghori was the living Guru of the Nath Siddha Sampradaya.
(photo taken on a disposable camera John gave to Kali Nath which Kali Nath then mailed to John in South Africa)