Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Yogi Surajnath, guru Budhnath ji, was initiated into the Nath school of Gorakhnath by nādī guru Yogi Budhnath ji in Trimbak; and received Nath kundals from Dada guru Yogi Bijnath ji in 1992. He is from the Maaṭh of Yogi Surajnath, guru Budhnath ji, is at Pimpri Gawali, Dist. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
He is the author of “Insight into meditation and yoga” and co-authored with Bhagavan Nathji (Ian Duncan), his sincere disciple, “Gorakh Sabadi, The Sayings of Gorakh Nath”.
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Life: After completing his master’s degree from Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Sthaneshwar Timalsina opened the Department of Tantric Studies in Nepal and taught there for several years before joining Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany for his Ph.D. studies.
Dr. Timalsina completed his Ph.D. in 2005, with a focus on Advaita philosophy. While working on his dissertation, Dr. Timalsina taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and…
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
A graduate of MIT and Stanford, Rizwan Virk is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, film producer, venture capitalist, computer scientist. He was the founder of Play Labs @ MIT, and is currently a PhD candidate at the College of Global Futures and faculty associate at the Fulton Schools of Engineering @ Arizona State University. He is the bestselling author of books such as Wisdom of a Yogi: Lessons for Modern Seekers from Autobiography of a Yogi, The Simulation…
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Bita is an Iranian American currently residing in the USA. Having grown up in the Middle East, Bita witnessed firsthand the widespread human hostility and animosity, as well as the fragility of life. After moving to the USA, Bita was introduced to Buddhism, which offered profound teachings on the impermanence of life and the potential for Buddhahood within every person. This potential, however, is often lost when individuals remain trapped in the darkness of blind passions.
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Peter Cloudsley is a musicologist and writer who since 1980, has created an archive of traditional music of Peru and collected for the British Museum. He co-authored the Ayahuasca Visions of Pablo Amaringo, published 2011, A Survey of Music in Peru 1993 and The Art of the Shaman: Healing in the Peruvian Andes, 1999. He established the Amazon Retreat Centre in Mishana in 2004.
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Rubaiyat is a founding member of The Institute of Divine Illumination (IDI), a non-profit educational organization committed to facilitating the exploration and understanding of the wisdom that emphasizes the ever-connectedness of all. Moreover, IDI fosters meaningful dialogues, empowering individuals to derive purpose and forge profound soul-deep relationships.
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Life: After completing his master’s degree from Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Sthaneshwar Timalsina opened the Department of Tantric Studies in Nepal and taught there for several years before joining Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany for his Ph.D. studies. Dr. Timalsina completed his Ph.D. in 2005, with a focus on Advaita philosophy. While working on his dissertation, Dr. Timalsina taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Timalsina specializes in the areas of Hindu Studies and comparative philosophies and religions.
Since 2005, he has been teaching in both the Department for the Study of Religions and the Department of Philosophy at San Diego State University. Works: In his writings and thought, Dr. Timalsina weaves his classical training with his philological training in his own unique style of comparative and analytical studies. Dr. Timalsina published his dissertation in 2006 under the title, Seeing and Appearance: A History of the Advaita Doctrine of Dṛṣṭisṛṣṭi. In 2009, he extended his research into the area of consciousness studies, resulting in the book, Consciousness in Indian Philosophy, published by Routledge. Dr. Timalsina then shifted his attention to Tantric studies and published two books, Language of Images: Meaning and Visualization in Tantras (Peter Lang, 2015) and Tantric Visual Culture: A Cognitive Approach (Routledge, 2015). In addition to these books, Dr. Timalsina has published more than 80 articles in the areas of Hindu philosophy, Tantric studies, Yoga studies and comparative philosophy. He writes in both Sanskrit and English, his Sanskrit works reflecting classical mystic philosophers such as Abhinavagupta.
His work, Tantra Gahvara, draws upon the esoteric tradition of Tripura and synthesizes Shakta philosophy, whereas the short treatises Saṃvarttastava and Cāmuṇḍāśatakam capture essential Kaula and Krama Tantricism. In order to disseminate philosophical knowledge distilled from various Hindu schools of thought, Timalsina launched the Vimarsha Foundation in 2019 and since then, has continued to offer regular, full courses through this forum. Dr. Timalsina envisions Vimarsha as a global school (Gurukula) for learning classical Sanskrit-based philosophical systems and mystical traditions. Lastly, he was appointed as the Endowed Chair of Indic Studies at Stony Brook University, New York since 2023.
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
A graduate of MIT and Stanford, Rizwan Virk is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, film producer, venture capitalist, computer scientist. He was the founder of Play Labs @ MIT, and is currently a PhD candidate at the College of Global Futures and faculty associate at the Fulton Schools of Engineering @ Arizona State University. He is the bestselling author of books such as Wisdom of a Yogi: Lessons for Modern Seekers from Autobiography of a Yogi, The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientists Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics and Eastern Mystics Agree We Are in a Video Game, Startup Myths & Models: What You Won’t Learn in Business School, Treasure Hunt, Zen Entrepreneurship and The Simulated Multiverse. Virk is currently also a venture partner at Griffin Gaming Partners, one of the largest video game VC funds in the world, and has invested in many successful startups including Discord, Theta Labs, Upland and Tapjoy. His startups have created software used by many of the Fortune 500, and video games played by millions, including Tap Fish and games based on Game of Thrones, Star Trek, The Walking Dead, Grimm and Penny Dreadful.
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Bita is an Iranian American currently residing in the USA. Having grown up in the Middle East, Bita witnessed firsthand the widespread human hostility and animosity, as well as the fragility of life. After moving to the USA, Bita was introduced to Buddhism, which offered profound teachings on the impermanence of life and the potential for Buddhahood within every person. This potential, however, is often lost when individuals remain trapped in the darkness of blind passions.
Inspired by Buddha’s teachings, Bita came to understand that true happiness—symbolized by the blooming of a lotus flower—can grow in the heart of those who awaken to the nature of life and the human mind. Recognizing this path as the way to peace and fulfillment, Bita traveled to Japan to further deepen their understanding. For over 20 years, [Name] has been dedicated to studying and teaching the Dharma, with a mission to spread love and light across the world.
Bita hopes that more people will join in this effort to bring these transformative teachings to others.
Oct 10, Virtual Day Speaker
Rubaiyat is a founding member of The Institute of Divine Illumination (IDI), a non-profit educational organization committed to facilitating the exploration and understanding of the wisdom that emphasizes the ever-connectedness of all. Moreover, IDI fosters meaningful dialogues, empowering individuals to derive purpose and forge profound soul-deep relationships. Since her formative years, Rubaiyat has had a proclivity for self-exploration and an insatiable yearning for spiritual connection. However, it was in the later stages of her life that she fully embraced her spiritual path, Guided By The Profound Wisdom Of Divine Illumination. Rubaiyat’s current career as an educator began in 2004. She completed her PhD in Education from Queen’s University, Canada.
