Our Guide

Shri Vivek Gupta

Recognized as a singular voice among contemporary spiritual teachers, Shri Vivek Gupta invites people of all ages to pursue lives of purpose and independent joy. Over the last fifteen years, Vivekji’s unique blend of formal monastic training with the hard-earned wisdom of life experience has made philosophy relevant and reachable across cultures and generations. 

He is relatable and engaging precisely because he understands where we come from. Despite following society’s rubric for success like many of us — first attending a prestigious business school and later managing a multimillion-dollar business — Vivekji found himself profoundly dissatisfied. Driven to seek more from life, he joined Chinmaya Mission’s residential monastery in India, where he lived and studied as a monk for more than two years under the spiritual master, Swami Tejomayananda.

Having discovered that the only purpose of life is to be independently joyous, Vivekji continues to share his insights on this unifying and universal vision through weekly courses, interactive workshops, and international retreats. Also trained as a Hindu chaplain, he has spoken at events at the Pentagon, Amazon, Intel, and numerous universities across the U.S. and Canada, including Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Case Western University.

His dynamic talks reach audiences through a multiplicity of mediums. Live Vedanta, his podcast of over 240 episodes, has reached seekers in 151 countries with over 190,000 downloads since its introduction in 2018. Similarly, his talks on the Chinmaya Mission Niagara YouTube channel, with over 90,000 views, deliver insights on practical self-development for all demographics.

Shri Vivek is the author of two books, most recently The Seeker’s Wordbook (2021), which is considered an indispensable introduction to 100 core concepts of meaningful living. Individuals around the world tune in for his daily Meaningful Mornings sessions on Facebook and Instagram, which explore timeless insights in unforgettable 15-minute doses. Vivekji currently serves as the spiritual guide of Chinmaya Mission Niagara Falls; he has also started centres in London and Cleveland and supported centres in Albany and Pittsburgh.

Vivekji lives in Niagara Falls, Canada, with his wife, Sheela, and their two children.