• Satsang or “gathering for the truth”
• Different approaches to satsang
• Satsang and Satguru
• Satsang in our day

Satsang or “gathering for the truth”

One of the most used tools in Hinduism , Buddhism and other dharmic religions for the dissemination of knowledge and the dispersion of ignorance is satsang . 

This Sanskrit term is the union of two words that respectively mean ” truth ” (Sat) and “a ssemblance, community, sit together, reunite “: the word satsang, in fact, indicates the act of sitting together in the presence of a teacher to ask specific questions .

The presence of a teacher, a guru , is fundamental, because satsang  does not only mean “ coming together to seek the truth ”, but also (and perhaps above all) “ gathering around someone who embodies the truth ”. It is not a discussion circle between equal minds that we are therefore talking about.

Different approaches to satsang

In India and neighboring countries, satsang is a traditional activity of spiritual practice , centuries old and prescribed by all religious disciplines that suggest (when they do not impose) that the researcher or disciple surrounds himself only with satya people, that is to say real people. , authentic, living in conformity with the truth of being, with the Self and not with the ego.

Surrounding oneself with people who gravitate to the lower vibrations of the
ego and its bondage to desires, the disciple’s vibrations will also tend to become low and dark. By extension, satsang comes to mean “to be surrounded by the right people “, not necessarily wise, but above all good, because  simple mental knowledge is not enough but also the knowledge of the heart (goodness) is fundamental for spiritual growth.

People who tend to be more mental, like most Westerners, interpret satsang more as an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from a spiritual master , while in the East this aspect remains secondary, as the most important thing is art. to surround oneself as much as possible with people who embody the self  and grow within by resonating to their purity. 

Satsang and Satguru

The so-called ” consortium principle “. The Western model of satsang revolves around a satguru , or a sattvic guru , who embodies balance, purity, brightness and whose words can dispel
the inertia of ignorance and calm the passion of desire.

Satsang in our day

Satsang has now become one of the most practiced spiritual and yogic practices by “mass gurus” who address the general public and who often travel from one country to another or from one city to another to
devote time to the various disciples scattered around the globe. 

Jiddu Krishnamurti made extensive use of it in his day, and today individuals such as Sadhguru , Mata Amritanandamayi , Mooji , Eckhart Tolle and many other more or less famous masters or pseudogurus often resort to the practice of satsang. Not infrequently, we see it nowadays practiced online in a streaming version .