This is Eknath Easwaran speaking on The Perennial Philosophy using Hindu terms ("the Atman"). Eknath founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in 1961 in Berkley, California and also taught as a professor at UC Berkley.
In his most well known series of translations, he defines the Perennial Philosophy as follows:
"(1) There is an infinite, changeless reality beneath the world of change; (2) this same reality lies at the core of every human personality; (3) the purpose of life is to discover this reality experientially; that is, to realize God while here on earth."
His series Classics of Indian Spirituality is a fantastic place to start exploring Eastern spirituality. I'd recommend the Bhagavad Gita to begin...
