Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Mar 29th, 2026.

List of questions with timestamps:

00:00 - Invocation and opening

01:32 - Why Vedanta first says you are consciousness and not body-mind if everything is Brahman anyway.

22:05 - How to distinguish pure Self from awareness that seems to arise through body and mind.

50:48 - If I am only consciousness and a witness, what is the meaning of life and experience.

01:00:48 - Why Vivekananda’s emphasis on service can seem different from Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings.

01:11:43 - Why profound inner experience should point to one universal Atman rather than only a local conscious state.

01:24:24 - Where Ananda fits into the description “Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma.”

Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Dec 28th, 2025.

List of questions with timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:30 - How can there be "pure experience", if there is no object to experience?

17:19 - Does this enlightened one have the ability to manipulate time?

21:32 - Can consciousness truly be objectified and recognized directly?

33:32 - What should I do if I want this to be my last birth? Is God with form part of Maya?

53:06 - Who is experiencing qualia?

01:02:14 - It seems possible that AI could create conscious beings, but it could never create pure consciousness. Why then is there debate about this issue?

01:13:17 - If AI incorporates living cells, could it then be conscious?

01:15:34 - Does Indian philosophy have a position on AI?

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ABOUT VEDANTA

Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions.

28,001 views Oct 31, 2025 AskSwami Q&A | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Oct 19th, 2025.

List of questions with timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:52 - If Brahman is the only reality, doesn’t “Neti, Neti” also reject Brahman?

17:52 - What is the link between Brahman and Jiva?

38:28 - Are not the theories you are discussing also limited?

41:54 - How do we apply Vedanta in our day-to-day life?

51:02 - Why is consciousness considered to be different from the mind?

01:09:24 - Is ChatGPT enlightened?

01:29:10 - Isn’t AI relative consciousness? How could it become enlightened?