INTRODUCTORY COURSES
First Year Curriculum
With option to earn a Certificate in Hindu Studies
(prerequisite for the Diploma in Applied Theology)
Foundations and Approach (6 Module / 3 Units)
Online course (October 12th - November 17th, 2025.
Instructor: Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, DMin
Explore the history, ritual standards, philosophical framework, and theological approach of Kali Mandir and Ramakrishna Seminary, which allows for a committed spiritual focus and a radical religious pluralism. This 6-week course consists of 20 hours of recorded video class-lectures, assigned readings, written assignments, and interactive online discussion. This course is worth 3 Units, which can apply towards RKS certificate and degree programs. Students can take the course either for credit or no credit. Students choosing no credit are not required to turn in written assignments or a final paper, but are still expected to participate in online lectures and discussions and keep up with assigned study materials.
Tuition for this course ($500) has been reduced to $250 in consideration of the financial strain that many are experiencing due to COVID-19. (Tuition waved for our founding students.)
Module 1. Founding and History of Kali Mandir
Module 2. The Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Module 3. Our Holy Trio - Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda
Module 4. Bhakti and the Mother-Child Relationship
Module 5. Lineages and Influences
Module 6. Ritual and the Language of Devotion
Textbooks:
Kali, the Black Goddess of Dakshineswar
Elizabeth U. Harding, Nicolas Hays, 1993
Return to the Source, Collected Writings on Spiritual Life
Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, Kali Mandir, 2016
Hindu Thought and Practice (8 Module / 3 Units)
Online course
Instructor: Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, DMin.
Explore the broad foundational aspects of Hinduism. This eight-week course consists of 24 hours of recorded video class-lectures, assigned readings, written assignments, and interactive online discussion. This course is worth 3 Units, which can apply towards RKS certificate and degree programs. Students can take the course either for credit or no credit. Students choosing no credit are not required to turn in written assignments or a final paper, but are still expected to participate in online lectures and discussions and keep up with assigned study materials.
Tuition for this course (originally $500) has been reduced to $350 in consideration of the financial strain that many are experiencing due to COVID-19. Registration required.
Textbooks:
Hinduism, A Very Short Introduction
Kim Knott, Oxford University Press, 2000
Module 1. Sanatana Dharma – Hinduism and its self-understanding
Module 2. Hindu Cosmology – cycles within cycles
Module 3. Textual Traditions — the scriptures and their commentaries
Module 4. Sects and Lineages – unity and diversity
Module 5. Sad Darshana – classical schools of Indian philosophy
Module 6. Karma, Reincarnation, and our final destination
Module 7. Varna and Ashram — ancient ideals of dharma and their modern challenges
Module 8. Purushartha – the four goals of human life
Sangita Yoga ~ The Yoga of Music (5 Module Course)
Schedule to be announced
Instructor: Kamalakanta (Naren K. Schreiner)
Sangīta is a compound word in Sanskrit defining instrumental music, singing and chanting. It is a divine art that can lead to God-realization. This course delves into the sacred foundations and practical application of India’s sacred music. It begins with the voice as an instrument of vibration, speech and song, with correlations to the subtle body. A basic introduction to north Indian classical music will give an understanding of rāga and tāla. The goal of the course is to give an understanding for and appreciation of the various sadhanas of devotional, contemplative and classical music in different traditions, with a focus on North Indian traditions, especially those originating in Bengal. In keeping with the focus of the Ramakrishna Seminary, practical application of chanting, kirtan and devotional bhajans will be introduced.
This five-week course consists of 10 hours of recorded video class lectures, assigned readings, written assignments, and 7.5 hours of interactive online instruction via Zoom webinar. Students will also have access and to a private Schoology page for information and updates about the course; downloading supporting material; and a forum for discussions on readings with instructor and fellow students. Registration and tuition required.
Module 1. Vāk: The Sacred Voice. The voice as an instrument of vibration, its correlation with Nād Brahma, the chakras, the nādi, and bhāva.
Module 2. Bhāva, Rāsa, Rāga and Tāla: The heart of India’s music is bhāva, which is manifested from the rāsa that is created with rāga and tāla.
Module 3. Shyamasangeet: The Songs of Kali Worship.
Module 4. The Dharma of Chanting
Module 5. Bhajan and Kirtan
Textbooks: TBA
Simple Kali Puja (1 Module Practicum)
Home Study
Instructor: Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, DMin
This intensive will be presented live online over two evenings. Students will be taught the method of performing a simple ritual worship Goddess Kali, as outlined in "Simple Kali Puja" published by Kali Mandir. Registration and tuition required.
Textbook:
Simple Kali Puja, Instructions for Ritual Worship of Dakshina Kali
Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, Kali Mandir, 2011
Sri Ramakrishna and the Spiritual Renaissance (8 Module Course)
Scheduled to be announced
Instructor: Swami Ambikananda Saraswati
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886), the great world-teacher and incarnation of divinity, who taught the universality of religion, the motherhood of God and the mystical path of love, is considered by many as the central force behind the spiritual awakening of this age. In this course students will learn about his unprecedented spiritual disciplines and subsequent spiritual realizations that revealed the depth of God-consciousness that transcends all time and place and that shines at the heart of all religions.
This eight-week course consists of 16 hours of recorded video class lectures, assigned readings, written assignments, and 13 hours of interactive online instruction via Zoom webinars. Students will also have access and to a private Schoology page for information and updates about the course; downloading supporting material; and a forum for discussions on readings with instructor and fellow students. Registration and tuition required.
Module 1. "Need of the Age", Life and Times of Sri Ramakrishna
Module 2. Spiritual Longing - Ramakrishna's Sadhana and Realizations
Module 3. "My Mother", Ramakrishna and Goddess Kali
Module 4. "Remain in Bhavamukha"- Ramakrishna as World Teacher
Module 5. Words of Nectar - The Ramakrishna Kathamrita
Module 6. Light on Spiritual Practice
Module 7. Development of the Ramakrishna Tradition
Module 8. Ramakrishna as Guru, Ishta and Avatar
Textbooks: TBA
The Hindu Goddess (8 Module Course)
January 6 -Februaryt 29, 2024
Instructor: Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, DMin
This three-unit course consists of eight modules, one module per week (with a break for Holy Week & Easter). Materials for this course will be a combination of original content (live webinars, recordings, and writings from the instructor) and curated content (PDFs of articles, essays, and selections from books and journals, readings from textbooks, and links to online videos and articles). Each Monday students will gain access to the new module’s study material via the Student Portal of the RKS website. Each Sunday at 3pm (Pacific Time) there will be a live webinar via Zoom that will include a 90-minute class lecture followed by 30 minutes for discussion. Recordings of webinars will be posted within a few hours of the live meetings for those who cannot attend the live broadcast. Students will also have access to a dedicated “Student Page” (on Google Classrooms) for up-to-date information, handouts, study questions, turning in assignments, and discussions with fellow students and faculty.
Module 1. The Ancient Mother: History and development of the Hindu Goddess traditions
Module 2. Sources of Knowledge: The scriptural and oral traditions of Shaktism
Module 3. Adoring the Mother: Goddess worship in popular Hinduism
Module 4. Re-membering the Goddess: Pilgrimage and the Śakti Pīṭhams
Module 5. Devī: Goddesses of the Hindu pantheon
Module 6. The Tantric Goddess: Yantra, mantra, & tantra in esoteric Hinduism
Module 7. The Dark Goddess: Kālī and Her symbolism
Module 8. “My Mother”: Sri Ramakrishna and the Motherhood of God
Textbook:
Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition
David Kinsley, University of California Press, 1988
The Guru Tradition (8 Module Course)
Scheduled to be announced
Instructor: Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, DMin
This eight-week course consists of 16 hours of recorded video class lectures, assigned readings, written assignments, and 13 hours of interactive online instruction via Zoom webinars. Students will also have access and to a private Google Classroom page for information and updates about the course; downloading supporting material; and a forum for discussions on readings with instructor and fellow students. Registration and tuition required.
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Module 1: ACHARYA ~ The Guru in Vedic and Classical Periods
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Module 2: NAKED IN ASHES ~ The rise of asceticism & the role of the sadhu
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Module 3: MATHAS, PEATHAMS & GADHIS ~ The development orthodox seats of authority
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Module 4: VĀK UVĀCHA ~ Women saints, ascetics, & gurus in the Indian tradition
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Module 5: DIKSHA ~ The Importance of the guru in Tantra, Yoga, and Bhakti
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Module 6. CHARISMA ~ Modern gurus and their missions.
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Module 7: SEX, MONEY & POWER ~ Dangers and challenges in the guru-disciple relationship.
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Module 8: SAMPRADAYA ~ Linage, identity, and the stream of tradition
Subtle Anatomy (8 Module Course)
Instructor: Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, DMin
August 5 - September 29, 2023
Explore a variety of subtle anatomical considerations as understood by Eastern systems of thought and practice such as Yoga and Tantra, focusing on the transformative dynamics of spiritual discipine.
This eight-week course consists of 16 hours of pre-recorded video class lectures, assigned readings, written assignments, and weekly Zoom webinars. Students will also have access and to a private Google Classroom page for information and updates about the course; downloading supporting material; and a forum for discussions on readings with instructor and fellow students. Registration and tuition required.
Module 1: THE TANTRIC WORD ~ Tantra, Yoga, and Cosmic Evolution
Modue 2: INNER LANDSCAP ~ Antarkarana, Koshas, Prana, and Nadis
Module 3: THE SERPENT POWER ~ Kundalini and the Chakra System
Module 4: STEERING WHEELS OF PRANA ~ Asana, Bandha, Mudra, Pranayama, and Kriya
Module 5: HIDDEN IN THE BREATH ~ Svara, Svara Yoga, and Yogic Therapy
Module 6: INNER PURIFICATION ~ Bhuta Shuddhi and Tantrci Ritual
Module 7: INNER TRANSFORMATION ~ Puja, Mantra, Dharana, and Dhyana
Module 8. VISUALIZING THE DIVINE ~ Subtle Anatomy in Tantric Imagery and Myth
Textbooks:
Tantra, the Path of Ecstasy
Georg Feuerstein, Shambhala, 1998
Chakras, Energy Centers of Transformation
Harish Johari, Destiny Press 2000
Ramakrishna Seminary is an educational ministry of Kali Mandir, a California 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit religious organization founded in 1993 that runs a traditional Hindu temple, ashram, monastery, and seminary dedicated to the worship of the Divine Mother Kali in the devotional tradition of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Learn more>>
All courses, certificates, diplomas, and degrees offered by Ramakrishna Seminary are religious in nature and meant for the personal, spiritual, and professional enrichment and training of mature spiritual seekers. Prior to enrollment, students should not assume that credits will be accepted by other schools, businesses, or governmental agencies. Learn more>>
P.O. Box 4700, Laguna Beach, CA 92652 USA | RamakrishnaSeminary@KaliMandir.org. | (949) 715-6712