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Our Teachers

Vivekji

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Having experienced much of what the world has to offer, from traveling to fifty countries to managing a multi-million dollar business, Vivek still sought more.

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For over two years, Vivek lived and studied as a monk under the guidance of Spiritual Master, Swami Tejomayananda in Chinmaya Mission’s monastery in India.

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Discovering the only purpose of life is to be independently joyous, Vivek continues to explore this purpose by sharing the same with others.

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His unifying and universal vision has led him to communities and organizations all around the world, including The Pentagon, Amazon, Cognizant, Des Moines University, Parkwood Institute and more. He was even recruited to be

the first Hindu Chaplain of the United States Department of Defense, a position he declined in order to serve Chinmaya Mission fully.

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Vivek is the Resident Teacher of Chinmaya Mission Niagara and Deputy Director of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra West, a wing of the organization dedicated to empowering youth and young adults.

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With a speaking style of insight and inspiration, Vivek makes philosophy relevant and reachable to people across cultures and generations. He uniquely weaves the sacred into the secular, revealing that a life of independent joy is

possible.

Shankarji

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Shankar was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He was a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in Economics, just trying to figure out his way through life when he was first introduced to the simple, yet most profound teaching of Vedanta. Shankar was told that there exists a permanent state of independent joy accessible to all. This one idea took hold of his mind and completely reshaped his priorities.


If such a state is truly possible to reach, what other pursuit could possibly take precedent? In an effort to abide in this state of independent joy, he sought to gain clarity in understanding this Supreme Knowledge by studying in the Vedanta course under a guru. He recently completed the course under the guidance of Swami Prakashananda in November of 2018 and is now residing and serving in the Pittsburgh area.

Sumanji

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​Having grown up always hearing from his parents, "we want you to be happy, we want you to be independent," Suman strove to do just that in all the ways society and the world had to offer. Leaving medical school in hopes of achieving more fulfillment through a career in IT, Suman found himself still wanting, wondering what it meant to be truly happy, truly independent. It was clear happiness was what everyone desired for themselves and each other, but it still remained ever elusive. It was then that Suman went to his first Satsang in Pittsburgh and met Shri Vivek Gupta, who shared with him the knowledge of Vedanta.

 

Convinced and compelled that he, too, could experience this for himself, Suman joined the two-year residential Vedanta course under the guidance of Pujya Swami Prakashananda at Chinmaya Mission’s ashram in Trinidad. Returning in 2018, Suman now lives in Pittsburgh, PA, where he works full-time as an analyst in the IT insurance space. He serves Chinmaya Mission Pittsburgh through various classes and study groups, and travels every opportunity he gets to share the message that gave his life meaning: that perpetual, independent joy is one’s nature.

Message from Vivekji

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