SELF ENQUIRY LIFE FELLOWSHIP

THE NONPROFIT, SELF ENQUIRY LIFE FELLOWSHIP (SELF) MAINTAINED THE GUIDESTAR PLATINUM SEAL OF TRANSPARENCY IN 2024. ADDITIONALLY, FOR THE TWELFTH YEAR IN A ROW SELF WAS AWARDED THE HONOR OF BEING A "TOP-RATED" NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BY GREAT NONPROFITS, THE RATINGS AND REVIEWS WEBSITE FOR US NONPROFITS. THIS AWARD WAS GRANTED DUE TO EXCEPTIONAL REVIEWS OF SELF'S PROGRAM SERVICES BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. THROUGH ITS PUBLIC FELLOWSHIPS, SELF DIRECTLY SERVES THE PUBLIC. MANY OF THESE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ROUTINELY RECEIVE SERVICES AND PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAMS DELIVERED BY SELF, SUCH AS SPIRITUAL SERVICES WITH DISCOURSES, PERSONAL SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE, SACERDOTAL BLESSINGS, GUIDED MEDITATIONS AND WISDOM TEACHINGS THROUGH REGULAR CONGREGATIONS AND REGULAR LIVESTREAM BROADCASTS. A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF ASPIRANTS PARTICIPATE IN SELF'S PUBLIC FELLOWSHIPS, WHICH INCLUDE INVITED LECTURES, THEMATIC DISCOURSES, WORKSHOPS ON MINDFULNESS AND BREATHING (PRANAYAMA), MEDITATION RETREATS, HEALING PRAYER SERVICES OR PEACE MASSES, INITIATIONS INTO HIMALAYAN MEDITATION, AND AUTHENTIC VEDIC FIRE CEREMONIES (HOMA). THESE EVENTS CONSTITUTE "SPECIAL" FELLOWSHIPS. TO THIS EFFECT, SELF HAS HOSTED 642 PUBLIC "SPECIAL" EVENTS OR FELLOWSHIPS THROUGH AND INCLUDING 2024 IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION AND WORLDWIDE. THIS NUMBER DOES NOT INCLUDE THE "REGULAR" FELLOWSHIP SERVICES WHICH ARE ALSO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, WHERE THE NONPROFIT HAS ITS HEADQUARTERS, "REGULAR" FELLOWSHIPS AND MEDITATION SERVICES ARE LED BY HIS HOLINESS SWAMI VIDYADHISHANANDA. ABOUT HALF OF THE PUBLIC EVENTS WERE OFFERED FREE IN 2024, THUS ALLOWING LOW- AND MODERATE-INCOME FAMILIES TO PARTICIPATE. IN ADDITION, THE ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN STEADY AT SELF'S REGULAR FREE FULL MOON EVENTS, MONTHLY LIVESTREAM BROADCASTS AND GROUP MEDITATION SERVICES. THE MONTHLY LIVESTREAM BROADCASTS OFFER A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THE MEANING OF ANCIENT SANSKRIT VERSES AND APHORISMS OF SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY, HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE TEACHINGS IN DAILY LIFE AND LIVE BY THE VALUES OF THE SCRIPTURAL TENETS. IN 2024, REGULAR MONTHLY LIVESTREAM BROADCASTS AND OTHER SPECIAL ONLINE EVENTS WERE ATTENDED BY A LARGE GLOBAL AUDIENCE. DURING THESE LIVESTREAM BROADCASTS, OUR SPIRITUAL FOUNDER AND HEAD MONK, HIS HOLINESS SWAMI VIDYADHISHANANDA REVEALS SANSKRIT SCRIPTURAL WISDOM. DISSEMINATION OF SUCH WISDOM IS ATTAINABLE ONLY BY THE DISCOURSES FROM A GREAT SEER. THE WISDOM SHARED DURING THESE BROADCASTS SUPPORTED PARTICIPANTS IN MAINTAINING A REVERENTIAL ATTITUDE WITH FAITH IN GOD'S LOVE AND PROTECTION.OUR 2024 ANNUAL FAMILY-FRIENDLY GURU PURNIMA FULL MOON RETREAT WAS HELD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND ENABLED DEVOTEES AND THEIR FAMILIES TO GATHER FROM AROUND THE WORLD ON THIS MOST AUSPICIOUS OCCASION TO HONOUR OUR BELOVED SPIRITUAL LINEAGES. AT THIS RETREAT, CHILDREN WERE TAUGHT SPIRITUAL VALUES AND ABOUT GRADUATING WITH VALUES. BESIDES THE LARGE IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE, DISCOURSE AND CEREMONIAL SESSIONS WERE BROADCAST LIVE TO FACILITATE WIDER PARTICIPATION FROM REMOTE AND INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS. OUR 2024 ANNUAL MEDITATION RETREAT WAS HELD ONLINE WITH OUR HEAD MONK GUIDING REVIEW SESSIONS 7 WEEKENDS IN A ROW WITH THE MEDITATORS WHO WERE DIVIDED INTO 4 GROUPS. THIS ONLINE MEDITATION RETREAT WAS DESIGNED SO THAT THE MEDITATORS COULD USE A DAILY PLANNER OF PRACTICES THAT COULD BE INTEGRATED WITH THEIR OWN DAILY WORK ROUTINE. THIS ONLINE UNIVERSITY-LEVEL COURSEWORK WAS ATTENDED BY INITIATES OF FOUR PATHS OF THE HIMALAYAN SIDDHA MEDITATION. THIS MASSIVE PROJECT DIGITALLY CODIFIED THE ORAL TRANSMISSION OF LINEAGE-BASED HIGHER MEDITATION CURRICULUM BY HIS HOLINESS SWAMI VIDYADHISHANANDA. SUCH PROFOUND TEACHINGS LEARNT DIRECTLY FROM A REALIZED HIMALAYAN MEDITATION ADEPT ARE RARE AND IMMENSELY UPLIFTING AND A TESTAMENT TO THE POTENTIAL FOR TECHNOLOGY TO SERVE HUMANITY IN POSITIVE WAYS. SELF'S CONGREGATION HAS CONTINUED TO GROW IN SEVERAL CENTRES NATIONWIDE (PLUS CENTRES IN EUROPE). IN ADDITION TO GATHERING FOR THE ABOVE-MENTIONED 642 SPECIAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR THE PUBLIC, THESE CONGREGATIONS TYPICALLY GATHER, WHETHER ONLINE OR IN-PERSON, AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH FOR REGULAR FELLOWSHIPS AND FOR THE MONTHLY LIVESTREAM FELLOWSHIPS. THERE WERE 41 TOTAL IN-PERSON AND ONLINE FELLOWSHIPS HELD IN 2024 THAT DELIVERED PROGRAMS TO OVER 4000 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. IN ADDITION, REGULAR FELLOWSHIPS HAVE BEEN HELD CONSISTENTLY SINCE 2009 AT OUR MEDITATION CENTRE IN SANTA BARBARA WHICH HAS RELOCATED TO PENN VALLEY SINCE 14TH JUNE 2024. THE HEAD MONK OF SELF ENQUIRY LIFE FELLOWSHIP, HIS HOLINESS SWAMI VIDYADHISHANANDA, IS ROUTINELY INVITED BY ESTEEMED INSTITUTIONS FOR HIS PRESENCE AS AN EMISSARY OF PEACE AND RELIGIOUS HARMONY. SINCE THE INCEPTION OF SELF THROUGH 2024, 107 INSTITUTIONAL FELLOWSHIPS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED BY HIS HOLINESS AT INVITING INSTITUTIONS. HIS HOLINESS SWAMI VIDYADHISHANANDA IS TYPICALLY INVITED BY INSTITUTIONS TO DELIVER A DISCOURSE OR FOR A CEREMONIAL SERVICE AS A MESSENGER OF PEACE. THE TOTAL OF THESE TWO CATEGORIES OF SPECIAL FELLOWSHIPS THROUGH 2024 IS 642, WHICH IS AN AVERAGE OF MORE THAN TWO SPECIAL EVENTS OR SPECIAL FELLOWSHIPS PER MONTH OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC SINCE THE ORGANIZATION'S INCORPORATION. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR FELLOWSHIPS AND LIVESTREAM FELLOWSHIPS HELD ON A MONTHLY OR WEEKLY BASIS. IN 2024, SELF CONTINUED TO ADD NEW CONTENT TO ITS TWO MAIN WEBSITES, EACH WITH EXTRAORDINARY RESOURCES OF AUTHENTIC WISDOM. THE WEBSITE AND MOBILE APP, HANSAVEDAS.ACADEMY, HAS ENABLED SELF TO SHARE GUIDED MEDITATIONS, MINDFULNESS CLASSES, AND DISCOURSES BASED ON ANCIENT VEDIC WISDOM FROM THE SANSKRIT HERITAGE. BY THE CLOSE OF 2024, 429 UNIQUE RECORDINGS TOTALING ABOUT 200 HOURS WERE AVAILABLE ONLINE. OUR MOBILE APP IN 2024 REACHED AN AVERAGE OF 321 SUBSCRIBERS IN 62 COUNTRIES. THIS CRITICAL MASS OF CURRICULUM SERVES AS THE SEED FROM WHICH TO GROW OUR LONG-TERM VISION FOR AN ONLINE UNIVERSITY OF SANSKRIT HERITAGE. BY THE CLOSE OF 2024, OUR GUIDED MEDITATION RECORDINGS HAD BEEN PLAYED OVER 166,974 TIMES SINCE BEING PUBLISHED ONLINE IN 2016, ATTESTING TO THE EXTRAORDINARY VALUE OUR ONLINE CONTENT REPRESENTS TO ASPIRANTS WORLDWIDE. SELF'S MAIN WEBSITE, HANSAVEDAS.ORG, CONTINUES TO BE A RESOURCE FOR ARTICLES, VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS, INCLUDING ABOUT 100 HOURS OF ARCHIVAL DISCOURSES IN HINDI (SEE HANSAVEDAS.ORG/HINDI-DISCOURSES).IN SUMMARY, SELF ENQUIRY LIFE FELLOWSHIP CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: (A) GROWING THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE MEDITATORS; (B) INCREASING THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS BY TRAINED SERVERS; (C) MAINTAINING THE MAILING LIST DATABASE; (D) INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF CONTENT AND NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS ON OUR ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM (HANSAVEDAS ACADEMY); (E) INCREASING THE NUMBER OF LIVESTREAM VIEWERS; (F) GROWING THE NUMBER OF VEDIC CLASSICAL MUSICIANS WHO COLLABORATE WITH US (HANSAVEDAS.ORG/MUSIC); (G) CONTINUING THE SUCCESS OF VEDIC FIRE CEREMONIES CONDUCTED FOR PEACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EMPATHY; (H) STRENGTHENING OUR NETWORKING WITH ALIGNED INSTITUTIONS WHO SUPPORT OUR BOOK PROJECTS; AND (I) IMPLEMENTING OUR NICHE HOLISTIC CURRICULUM FOR MEDITATION. OUR SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS BEAR THE CAPACITY TO BE LIFE-CHANGING CULTIVATING MINDFUL INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY TO MODERN SOCIETY.