Episodi
-
Why is âlightâ used as a metaphor for âgoodâ, while âdarkâ means âbadâ? How does that blind us and what might we do about it? As Mariana Alessandri writes in Night Vision, difficult feelings such as anger, sorrow, grief, depression and anxiety can be sources of knowledge, so we need to embrace them as part of humanity.
Her book is not a gloom manifesto. Instead, it seeks to clarify why we feel bad about feeling bad. This is an outcome of social pressure to look on the bright side, so telling each other âdonât worry, be happyâ causes shame. As a philosopher, Mariana explains that the problem has ancient roots, which are entangled with positive thinking. She also highlights alternative sources with more helpful messages.
Our conversation explores practicalities, including how to strike a balance between acceptance and change â both individually and as a society. We touch on overlaps with yoga, such as the fusion of older ideas with Western âNew Thoughtâ (whose original âmind cureâ shapes modern-day âmanifestingâ). And we consider ways of seeing beyond dark and light to more diverse perspectives.
Night Vision is out now in paperback, ebook and audio â itâs engagingly written, but with scholarly rigour. For a taste of Marianaâs work, try this New York Times essay on the childrenâs TV host Fred Rogers, whose âbelief that we should validate emotions, not suppress them, is wisdom for all agesâ.
đ Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.
đ To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe -
How did Westerners first get involved with Eastern teachers, and is the age of the guru now over? In his latest book, The Nirvana Express, Mick Brown presents a colourful cast of seekers, writers, mystics, tricksters and chancers â he reveals peopleâs flaws without obscuring the sincerity of spiritual quests.
Alongside portraits of better-known subjects, from Vivekananda and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to Rajneesh, Mick notes the influence of Western occultists, and early interest in Ramana Maharshi â an exemplary sage who inspired The Razorâs Edge by Somerset Maugham and A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton.
Our conversation explores the significance of these stories, alongside others from an earlier book, The Spiritual Tourist, which recounts Mickâs engagement with mystical teachers. In his day job, he works as a journalist â reporting in detail on guru abuses â so we talk about the value of critical thinking, while considering the merits of genuine teachers, who can only awaken what's found in oneself.
đ Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.
đ To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe -
Episodi mancanti?
-
How does someone heal an addictive mind? Matthew Hahn is a co-founder of Recovery Dharma, which uses Buddhist methods to overcome addictions. He also contributes to the Boundless Freedom Project, teaching mindfulness, ethics and compassion to people in prison and on their return to the outside world.
Our conversation explores how Buddhist principles and practices empower those in recovery to find inner wisdom. We consider how this differs from â12 stepâ approaches, which enlist the help of God, while noting the importance of community to both. Another part of Matthewâs work is to advocate for changes in carceral policy that make transformation more widely accessible.
These commitments grew out of his experiences, both as an addict and convicted felon. Matthew has been sober since 2005, but his earlier escapades earned him ten years in prison. That story is worth a whole podcast in itself (see this episode of How to Human for a fuller exploration). Put simply, his life turned around after stealing a safe, and his response to what he found inside reduced his sentence.
Matthew describes his own recovery in this essay, included in the second edition of Recovery Dharma, which is available for free download here. He posts on Instagram, TikTok and X / Twitter with the handle @hahnscratch.
đ Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.
đ To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe -
What can we learn from over 2,000 years of fascination with the East? Chris Harding explores this question in The Light of Asia â a book that shares its title with a poem about the Buddha from the nineteenth century. His focus is on characters whose personal engagement with Asian traditions shaped Western perceptions.
Our conversation reflects on the impact of efforts to reconcile different viewpoints. Does one way of seeing predominate? What guards against cherry-picking? Among many other topics, we also consider:
* The early influence of Jesuits in spreading ideas
* Alan Watts as a priest, blurring multiple boundaries
* Bede Griffiths and inter-religious experiments in India
* The importance of community to spiritual practice
* What it might mean to âdecolonise philosophyâ
Chris is a cultural historian at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in modern India and Japan. He contributes regularly to the BBC, and a range of publications, including Aeon and Unherd. He is also the author of IlluminAsia.
đïž Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.
đ To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe -
Does yoga really mean union? As ZoĂ« Slatoff explains in this fascinating chat about philosophy and Sanskrit, the simplest answer is probably âsometimesââŠ
ZoĂ«âs PhD explores how yoga became entangled with non-dual VedÄnta, blurring distinctions between the two systems. One important catalyst was the popularity of physical practice, whose aims were framed in terms of oneness. So gnostic teachers adapted its methods, which were slowly combined with Patañjaliâs yoga.
We discuss how this happened through the prism of a text the studied (called the AparokáčŁÄnubhĆ«ti, on which more here). And since ZoĂ« is also the author of a Sanskrit textbook for yoga practitioners, we talk about the challenges â as well as the pleasures â of learning the language. Even just a little bit can make a big difference.
Zoë has practised yoga since the 1990s, teaching it for much of that time. She's now a professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and offers online courses in Sanskrit via the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
đïž For a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities, join me online for The Path of Knowledge.
đ To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe -
Who are we really, beyond our ideas about ourselves and the world? After more than half a century as a Buddhist practitioner, Kamalashila (Anthony Matthews) reflects on his life and impending death â he was recently told he had four months to live.
As he wrote back in April: âWhat is happening to me happens to everyone and it will happen to you, so think about that too and practice some dharma.â Our conversation explores what this means from a range of perspectives, drawing inspiration from a lifetime of inquiry. Among many other topics, we discuss:
* His early experience of insight through LSD
* Encountering Buddhism and meeting his teacher
* The benefits of celibacy and living off-grid as a hermit
* Some of the drawbacks to âWestern Buddhismâ
* Fear of death, and how to alleviate it
In passing, we mention an essay by Kamalashila (âMy Dharma Lifeâ, posted here), and criticisms of his teacher, Sangharakshita (on which more here). Thereâs an overview of Triratna, formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, on his website. And if youâve never heard of Suella Braverman, hereâs some context.
đïž To explore yogic wisdom in depth, join me online for The Path of Knowledge.
đ Please consider supporting the podcast as a subscriber, or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe -
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
What makes people wary of getting immersed in the Bhagavad GÄ«tÄ? To start with, itâs set in a war zone, where God issues edicts to kill and upholds social hierarchy. Yet its message is also inspiring, making yoga compatible with everyday life, and developing a loving awareness that sees all beings equally.
This podcast with Hari-kirtana das explores his new book on the GÄ«tÄâs teachings, which is subtitled A Guide to Exploring Timeless Principles of Transcendental Knowledge and Integrating Them Into Your Life. As we discuss, how we interpret the text depends on our worldview. Although it features a personal God, is devotion mandatory?
In addressing this question, we consider distinctions between subjective experience and objective facts, and the extent to which religion is compatible with different ways of seeing. We also talk about historical misconduct in devotional lineages, and how the GÄ«tÄ counteracts misguided thinking.
Finally, we ask whether some of its passages might need ignoring â instead of trying to update them with more palatable readings â or whether cherry-picking undermines the text. For more from Hari-kirtana, follow him on Instagram or YouTube.
đ€ż To dive deeper into a hybrid of practical insight and critical thinking, join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic ideas.
đ To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
What makes for good translations from an old language? For Suhas Mahesh and Anusha Rao â co-editors of How to Love in Sanskrit â it's âa game of compromiseâ. Rather than fixating on âexcessive attention to irrelevant detailâ, they focus instead on making words come alive. So a female lament from 2,000 years ago becomes: âDear God, make him hang out with other women more. He does not seem to realise what a catch I am.â
This is a rich conversation about life in general, not just linguistics. We talk about why monks write love poems, the pitfalls of marrying academics, and all sorts of other topics, including:
* What to look for when choosing translations.
* The extent to which Sanskrit is a living language.
* Where to find advice on love beyond the KÄma SĆ«tra.
* Whether some ancient words are untranslatable.
* Why Rumi quotes are rarely what they seem.
Indian readers can buy the book here â or try here if youâre in the U.K., or here in the U.S. You can also email Suhas here and Anusha here if you have any suggestions for future translations â theyâre already at work on the next compilation.
đ€© If you'd like to get immersed in yogic traditions from a modern perspective, join me for a course called The Path of Knowledge (early bird rates end June 15).
đ To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
Which qualities might help us to thrive In a turbulent world? For Elizabeth Oldfield â who hosts a podcast called The Sacred â the key is to prioritise values that bring us together and strengthen relationships.
"I want to be growing into faith, hope and love â not out of them," she explains in this discussion about her new book, titled Fully Alive. Its framework for moulding one's character might sound surprising â the seven deadly sins. However, as Elizabeth clarifies, the point is to rethink "sins" as unhelpful tendencies blocking connection, which leads to a focus on developing their opposites.
Our conversation explores a number of overlaps with yoga philosophy, as well as other traditions of timeless wisdom. To consider these parallels in more depth, join me for an online course at truthofyoga.com.
đ To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
What was haáčha yoga before it meant postures?
As the scholar Jason Birch explains, medieval yogis used a three-part sequence of physical methods to raise vital energy and empty their minds (video here). Their ultimate goal was transcendence of death.
Our conversation discusses Jasonâs book, The Amaraugha and Amaraughaprabodha of GorakáčŁanÄtha: The Genesis of Haáčha and RÄjayoga. We also explore other questions, including:
âą What might practitioners learn from this system, and other recent findings?
âą Is haáčha yoga needed for liberating insights? What does it mean to become immortal?
âą Are the subtle components of yogic anatomy always involved? Do different approaches reach similar goals?
âą Is academic work informed by practice, or are the two separate?
đ You can read Jason's publications at academia.edu, or via The Luminescent, which he co-founded with Jacqueline Hargreaves.
đ For more on the history of haáčha, as well as immersions in texts and traditions, join me for an online course at truthofyoga.com.
đ€© To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
What does it mean to âstudyâ yoga, rather than âpractiseâ? The two arenât mutually exclusive, explains Amy Landry, whoâs hosting a series of online discussions on how to combine them. The Study Yoga summit runs live from April 29 to May 3, with replays available. There are more than a dozen contributors â one of whom is me â and the interviews are shaped by Amyâs extensive experience as a teacher and practitioner of yoga and other Indian disciplines, including classical dance and Äyurveda.
Amy also hosts a podcast called Living in Alignment, which weaves together wisdom for everyday life based on yogic inquiry. We talk about this and her forthcoming book, as well as the transformative power of knowledge in various forms â from scholarly research to experiential insight. Join me to explore these themes in an online immersion in early UpaniáčŁads. It runs live from April 29 to May 26, with Q&As on Sundays.
To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
When John Donne wrote âno man is an islandâ, his alternative was to be âinvolved in mankindâ. Francesca Ferrando has broader ideas. As a philosopher and âleading voice in the field of posthuman studiesâ, Francesca's aim is to get us to think in terms of life.
The Art of Being Posthuman â Francesca's new book â is a string of meditations about how to do this. Our conversation considers connections with Indian traditions, and in the process discusses (among other topics):
* Why life is diverse, non-hierarchical and interdependent
* Why humanity is more about relationships than individuals
* Why people canât say what they want, or how much is enough
* How it helps to embrace the maxim: âmy life is my work of artâ
* Whether life is a game, and if so how to play it successfully
To explore some of the overlaps between "posthuman" thinking and yogic traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. An UpaniáčŁads immersion starts on April 29.
And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
A different sort of podcast this week â the recording of a panel at the Oxford Literary Festival. The topic is "Religion and Animal Welfare", based on a book by the former chief executive in Compassion in World Farming, Joyce DâSilva.
I shared some yogic perspectives on non-harming, speaking between Amir Khan â a wildlife advocate, broadcaster and Muslim â and the former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton.
Iâve since become a signatory of the CIWF Vision for Fair Food and Farming, which I recommend reading. We also talked about the Charter for Compassion â see here for more details.
To explore how yogic traditions relate to modern life, and alleviate suffering, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
Yoga philosophy deals with three kinds of pain. These relate to ourselves, to how we interact with others, and to powerful forces beyond our control. This podcast engages with all of them, and highlights communal approaches to healing.
Matthew Green works as an editor for DeSmog, an investigative website. He also writes Resonant World, a newsletter about collective trauma, and Toxic Workplace Survival Guy, which offers advice on how to navigate challenging office environments.
We talk about his transition from working in war zones to seeing how the world is a toxic environment, shaped by traumatised people and inhuman pressures. We also discuss a few remedies â including meditation and psychedelics, and other modalities used to treat trauma.
To explore how yogic traditions relate to modern life, and alleviate suffering, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
Whatâs love got to do with a world in crisis? Everything, says Oren Jay Sofer in his new book, Your Heart Was Made for This. No matter how overwhelming things might seem, we can cultivate capacities that help us to respond with sensitivity and strength.
Oren teaches Buddhist meditation, mindfulness and communication (the subject of his last book, Say What You Mean â which I found very helpful when running a men's group). We touch on all these topics in a wide-ranging chat about ways to awaken in everyday life, while also working to transform the world.
Your Heart Was Made for This weaves personal stories with activist history to talk about techniques for relating more skilfully to one another, and to ourselves. In the process, it highlights 26 qualities from the Buddhaâs teachings, including practical guidance on how to develop them, and reflections on their links to social change.
To explore some of the overlaps between Buddhism and yogic traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com. And if you'd like to support the podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
Why do so many of us feel so exhausted these days? What can we do to avoid burning out, or to help us recover? Anna Schaffner is a scholar-turned-coach, whose new book is Exhausted: An A-Z for the Weary. It offers timeless inspiration, noting âwe still have much to learn from the ancients, and from other cultures.â We talk about crossovers with yoga philosophy and Buddhist ideas, and in the process consider (among other topics):
* Why thereâs so much social pressure to work too hard
* What drives perfectionism, and why itâs not always âbadâ
* How keeping busy helps people to bury unwanted feelings
* Ways to focus on what we control and accept what we canât
* The transformative power of enjoying a hobby, just for fun
If you enjoy the conversation, and want to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
What does it mean to make yoga accessible? Jivana Heyman first used the term when he started to train disabled teachers. But its significance is broader, pointing students towards something subtler â their own true nature beyond mind and body.
As Jivana explains in his latest book, The Teacherâs Guide to Accessible Yoga, thatâs a goal more aligned with traditional texts than performing contortions. But does it set the bar high to reveal the true self? And if itâs found in all beings, does it also teach us universal values? Along the way, our conversation explores (among other topics):
* The importance of ethics and peer support networks
* If âyoga has always been politicalâ, as a headline once said
* Potential limits to arguing âif itâs not accessible, itâs not yogaâ
* Whether âcultural appropriationâ is a helpful framework
* The pros and cons of self-publishing for yoga authors
If you enjoy the conversation, and want to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated, as I explained in a recent article!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
What can we learn from an ancient text about war and peace, among the many other topics in the MahÄbhÄrata? Or as a new adaptation puts it: âIn times of division, how do we find wholeness? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors? And how can we build a new world when we have nearly destroyed this one?â
The productionâs co-author, Miriam Fernandes, also stars as a storyteller â a key role in the MahÄbhÄrataâs own story. Itâs been told and retold in many different forms over the centuries, and part of its appeal is that it leaves us with questions, inspiring us to think for ourselves what to do with its message.
Among other topics, our conversation explores:
* Why dharma â or doing the right thing â is âa slippery fishâ
* What this says about contemporary problems such as ecocide
* How to end cycles of revenge in which both sides feel righteous
* The extent to which fate and free will define human activity
* Who gets edited out, and which themes are prioritised
Links to resources discussed in the podcast are posted here. Meanwhile, stay tuned for a retreat based on the MahÄbhÄrata â more news soon at danielsimpson.info.
If you enjoy the conversation, and want to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
How do we relate to the problem of suffering? Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body (to quote Still Ill by The Smiths)? Are there ways to get more comfortably entangled, or is the answer to renounce all attachments?
Ranju Roy and Dave Charlton have been practising yoga since the 1980s, and teaching together for 20 years. Theyâre also co-authors of a book titled Embodying the Yoga SĆ«tra, sharing practical insights on yoga philosophy. Our conversation explores what theyâve learned about life in the process.
One recurring theme is how things are connected, and yet not necessarily âall oneâ. As Ranju and Dave put it in their book: âtwo things remain two things. They are united only in the sense of being linked and it is in their interaction and relationship that there is yoga, not in them merging together inseparably.â
If you enjoy the conversation, and want to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
-
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com
What are the benefits of studying yoga academically? Is critical thinking a practical obstacle? Are the two ways of seeing complementary? Expanding on a recent essay, I talk about these questions â among many others â with Graham Burns.
Graham has been teaching yoga for more than 20 years. He holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London, and wrote his thesis on the Vedic UpaniáčŁads. He also taught on the M.A. in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation, to which I contribute.
As I explain in the introduction, I never imagined that Iâd find myself doing that when Graham and I spoke at the start of this year. Back then, I didnât have a proper podcast, so Iâm sharing it now for those who missed it. Among other topics, we discuss what weâve learned from intellectual engagement with yoga, as well as from practice â and how to strike a balance between both perspectives.
If you enjoy the conversation, and would like to fuel more, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!
- Mostra di più
