Welcome to a journey into the profound spiritual insights of Tom Das, a seeker who has navigated the realms of science, spirituality, and self-discovery to understand and teach the essence of liberation and non-duality.
From an early fascination with both the scientific world and the enigmatic teachings of Jesus, Tom’s quest for truth took a pivotal turn with the discovery of Swami Vivekananda’s “Raja Yoga.” This book sparked a realization in him that divinity is not merely to be believed in, but can be directly experienced. His path deepened through the transformative writings of Jiddu Krishnamurti and the powerful teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi.
In this exclusive interview with MysticMag, he shares his journey and the insights that have profoundly shaped his approach to teaching and spiritual exploration.
What led you to explore and teach the concepts of liberation and non-duality?
Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated by life and questions about it, and this led me to a keen interest in science. As a young child, I was also, alongside my interest in science, intrigued by Jesus and his teachings, but found I was unable to take that leap of faith that was asked of me. I really liked what Jesus was saying but I found many of the Church’s teachings hard to believe – much of it simply didn’t make sense to me.
Later my world was turned upside down after finding a copy of Swami Vivekananda’s book Raja Yoga on my parents’ bookshelf. He introduced the revolutionary idea to my conscious mind that God was not something that you had to believe in, but something that could be experienced directly. Up until this point, I had always been told that God was something you had to believe in. This notion of the possibility of having a direct experience of God really got my seeking juices flowing. I wanted to know God.
Next on my spiritual hit parade was Jiddu Krishnamurti – I encountered some of his books in my mid-teens and was instantly hooked. Something about his writings deeply resonated. I read practically everything I could get hold of of his and it was when reading one of his books that I had my first conscious spiritual awakening aged 18. Everything was seen to be one, the sense of personal self fell away and I had a deep sense that what I truly was was not the limited being that I commonly took myself to be. This experience was short-lived and further fuelled my seeking. I wanted to try to re-experience it again. I think because this experience happened in the context of reading a book, I subsequently developed a voracious appetite for reading spiritual texts. I read books on everything such as on Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Mystic Christianity, Vedanta, Dzogchen, and the core texts of each, as well as many self-help and new-age type books. I never had a strong yoga or meditation practice but continued to meditate and practice yoga on and off.
As well as my spiritual search for truth, I also had a keen interest in science and mathematics and my studies took me along this route in school. I later got married and now have two wonderful children. Alongside my studies, career, and home life, the spiritual seeking continued for 15-20 years.
One other notable teacher on my journey who I want to mention is Sri Ramana Maharshi whose teachings I fell in love and for whom a sense of overwhelming love and devotion developed quite by itself – the idea of devotion towards a guru was not something that sat well with me so this sense of devotion rising up within me took me very much by surprise. I consider Sri Ramana to be my guru and my love for Him and His Teachings often pervades the way I express myself.
Ultimately it was through the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi that all my questions and doubts were resolved, and I now love to share and point people towards his teachings. Here is a video in which I talk more about my own awakening: https://youtu.be/c_vGM1diOlI?feature=shared
How do you approach guiding individuals towards self-inquiry and understanding their true nature?
Everyone is different and my approach is to intuitively work with people. What does this mean? It simply means I meet with people and then we see what happens. I am always amazed at how the right teaching seems to emerge at the right time. The exact teaching that emerges is different for each person I meet with. I wish I knew exactly how I did this, but it all happens through Ramana’s Grace (or God’s Grace, or via Spirit – use whatever word you want!). I feel blessed to be able to share and be a conduit for such a wonderful and transformative teaching.
Can you share insights into the importance of Satsang in the journey of spiritual awakening?
When I first started to teach I used to say that Satsang is not necessary for liberation, and strictly speaking, that is true. However, I find myself more and more recommending people regularly attend Satsang with me (if they resonate with what I share) as over the years I have seen how beneficial regular attendance at Satsang is.
The Power of Satsang is potentially incredible. The teachings work not just through words, but also through Silence and Presence – in fact, the deeper teachings work on a level deeper than words, in our hearts, and this is why regular attendance at Satsang can be so beneficial for both daily happiness and spiritual realization.
How do your teachings reconcile traditional spiritual practices with modern life challenges?
Fundamentally, even though I have studied many of them in-depth, I have never been interested in traditional teachings per se – I have only been interested in what works to reduce and ultimately remove suffering – and that’s all. Just because something is traditional that doesn’t mean it is necessarily good.
However, I have, through my own experience, seen the power of the traditional teachings, particularly those of Advaita Vedanta and various schools of Buddhism. I should caveat this by stating that I have discovered many modern teachers of these traditions don’t actually accurately teach these traditional teachings, but instead, some teach distorted versions of these teachings which are not in themselves liberating (which doesn’t mean they are not beneficial). This is a bit like discovering that many Christians do not actually teach what Jesus himself taught – I hope it is not too controversial that I am saying this. But this is what I have found.
Incidentally, of all the teachings I have come across, I have found the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi to be by far and away the clearest and most direct. Contrary to what some say, I have found his teachings to be the true Vedanta teachings and the easy and direct way to liberation. When we explore the traditional Advaita scriptures, we find the same teachings there. The essential teaching has not changed for thousands of years. To this end I have compiled a list of free resources on tomdas.com including a recommended reading list (most of the books can also be downloaded for free as ebooks from tomdas.com), so please take a look.
In terms of how to bring these wisdom teachings into our daily life, a combination of listening to teachings, reading teachings, regular attendance at Satsang and actually putting the teachings into practice is a wonderful and holistic way to bring these traditional teachings into our daily life. The key thing is to find a teacher that you resonate with and trust and learn from them. If your desire for truth is earnest, and if you are not too gullible (ie. be discerning), this desire for truth and innate intelligence and discernment will surely guide you.
What role does meditation play in your teachings, and how do you recommend beginners start their practice?
Meditation can be done for many reasons, such as reducing stress or attaining Spiritual Enlightenment. For those interested in spiritual liberation or enlightenment, meditation, specifically self-inquiry, is the cornerstone and essential feature of all genuinely liberating/enlightening spiritual teachings. Without meditation/inquiry, liberation will not occur (although for some it may occur spontaneously without even calling it ‘meditation’ or ‘self-inquiry’). I have written a guide for complete beginners which also can be found on my website www.tomdas.com.
Like any True Art, the deeper Art of Meditation cannot ever be fully explained in words, hence the need in most cases for a teacher. Much of the more subtle aspects of meditation are taught mysteriously through Silence and other means during direct contact with the teacher, so my recommendation is to read the articles on tomdas.com, and find a teacher you resonate with and spend time with, learning the True Meditation in this way, integrating practice into your daily life.
