Ancient Futures Daniel Simpson

What makes people wary of getting immersed in the Bhagavad Gītā? To start with, it’s 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 Gītā’s 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 Gītā counteracts misguided thinking.
Finally, we ask whether some of its passages might need ignoring – instead of trying to update them with more palatable readings – or whether cherry-picking undermines the text. For more from Hari-kirtana, follow him on Instagram or YouTube.
🤿 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.
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What makes for good translations from an old language? For Suhas Mahesh and Anusha Rao – co-editors of How to Love in Sanskrit – it's “a game of compromise”. Rather than fixating on “excessive attention to irrelevant detail”, they focus instead on making words come alive. So a female lament from 2,000 years ago becomes: “Dear God, make him hang out with other women more. He does not seem to realise what a catch I am.”
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 Kāma Sūtra.
* Whether some ancient words are untranslatable.
* Why Rumi quotes are rarely what they seem.
Indian readers can buy the book here – or try here if you’re 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 – they’re already at work on the next compilation.
🤩 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).
🙏 To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Which qualities might help us to thrive In a turbulent world? For Elizabeth Oldfield – who hosts a podcast called The Sacred – the key is to prioritise values that bring us together and strengthen relationships.
"I want to be growing into faith, hope and love – 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 – 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.
🙏 To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

What was haṭha 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 Jason’s book, The Amaraugha and Amaraughaprabodha of Gorakṣanātha: The Genesis of Haṭha and Rājayoga. We also explore other questions, including:
• What might practitioners learn from this system, and other recent findings?
• Is haṭha yoga needed for liberating insights? What does it mean to become immortal?
• Are the subtle components of yogic anatomy always involved? Do different approaches reach similar goals?
• Is academic work informed by practice, or are the two separate?
🔗 You can read Jason's publications at academia.edu, or via The Luminescent, which he co-founded with Jacqueline Hargreaves.
🎓 For more on the history of haṭha, as well as immersions in texts and traditions, join me for an online course at truthofyoga.com.
🤩 To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

What does it mean to “study” yoga, rather than “practise”? The two aren’t mutually exclusive, explains Amy Landry, who’s 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 – one of whom is me – and the interviews are shaped by Amy’s extensive experience as a teacher and practitioner of yoga and other Indian disciplines, including classical dance and Āyurveda.
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 – from scholarly research to experiential insight. Join me to explore these themes in an online immersion in early Upaniṣads. 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 public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

When John Donne wrote “no man is an island”, his alternative was to be “involved in mankind”. Francesca Ferrando has broader ideas. As a philosopher and “leading voice in the field of posthuman studies”, Francesca's aim is to get us to think in terms of life.
The Art of Being Posthuman – Francesca's new book – 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 can’t say what they want, or how much is enough
* How it helps to embrace the maxim: “my life is my work of art”
* 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 Upaniṣads 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 public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe