214 episodes
Vedic Worldview Thom Knoles
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- Religion & Spirituality
Join philosopher, educator and celebrated speaker on the cognitive sciences, Thom Knoles for inspiring insights and wisdom to support your personal evolution. Thom is an renowned expert on the relationship between quantum physics and human consciousness, and on the 5,000 year-old body of wisdom known as The Veda. For over 50 years, he has personally taught Vedic Meditation to tens of thousands of students and consulted to governments and private corporations throughout the world.
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You Deserve the Best
Sacrificing the comforts of life is often seen as part of the “spiritual path,” so it might seem unusual to hear from a Vedic master that, “You deserve the best.”
Yet this is one of the key teachings of Swami Bramhananda Saraswati, Thom’s master’s master, also referred to as Guru Deva.
In this episode, Thom clarifies the meaning and intent of Guru Deva’s quote, reconciling the notion of deserving the best with the “pervasive guilt” that often holds us back from claiming or accepting the best. It’s an episode you deserve to listen to…
Episode Highlights:[00:45] Your Birthright
[02:38] In the Best Interests of All
[04:12] Pervasive Guilt Consciousness
[05:37] Living Your Best - Tat Wale Baba
[07:46] A Dark Cave in the Jungle
[09:19] As You Sow, So Shall You Reap
[11:08] Lean Into the Best
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Embracing the Sweet Truth
“The truth hurts!”... or so we’re often told. Many of us have no problem being truthful, even if the recipient gets hurt in the process.
After all, isn’t honesty the best policy?
On the other end of the spectrum, for those who have difficulty telling the harsh truth, a “white lie” can often be a compelling and justifiable alternative.
In this episode, Thom argues the case for something in between—the sweet truth—not only because it has a more unifying effect, but because the “truth” itself, isn’t as black and white as we like to think it to be.
Episode Highlights:
[00:59] The Idea of Sweet Truth
[02:55] Dressing Up Truth
[04:35] The Absolute Truth
[06:57] The Only Truth: Unified Field of Consciousness
[08:44] Trotaka's Story
[11:10] Temporal Nature of Truth
[13:15] Absolute Truth Without Cruel Truth
[15:41] Embrace Sweet Truth With Meditation
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Mind, Intellect, Ego
What’s the distinction between mind, intellect and ego? And what are their functions? Unlike many modern psychological approaches, the Vedic worldview honors and celebrates the role of all three.
While they may not always function perfectly – like the 'mistaken intellect' often discussed by Thom – each of these elements plays a specific and essential role in our evolution.
Thom explains in this episode, that rather than putting our efforts into “getting rid of the ego,” we’re best served by enlisting our ego as a cooperative component in our quest for enlightenment. Ironically, it’s allowing the ego to transcend itself, that gives it the ability to truly know its ultimate, unchanging essence.
Episode Highlights:
[00:45] Vedic Psychology on Mind, Intellect, and Ego
[02:32] Manas
[03:53] What Remains Unchanged Within Us?
[05:21] Mind Stays the Same
[06:39] Two Elements of Manas
[07:49] Buddhi
[08:54] Ego in Western Psychology
[11:47] Vedic Ego (Ahaṃkar)
[13:32] Intellect's Role in Ego Formation
[14:41] The Ego Structure
[16:22] Ahaṃkar in Vedic Meditation
[18:03] You Minus All the Thoughts
[19:24] True Nature of the Self
[20:48] When Mantra Surpasses Ego
[22:31] Ego's Experience of The Unbounded Field
[24:03] Ego + Cosmic Consciousness
[25:57] No Ego, No Enlightenment
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My Maharishi - A Paragon of Abundance and Self-Sufficiency
When most people think of abundance or self-sufficiency, they think of cash and assets, having the wealth to do what they want when they want it. In fact, for many people, it’s a driving goal to become “financially independent” so as to have more choices in their lives.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi took an alternative approach, demonstrating that true freedom and true abundance actually require us to surrender our sense of choice and to simply follow the call of Nature.
Through this approach, he was able to accomplish more in half a lifetime, than most of us would accomplish many lifetimes over, all while remaining ”penniless” himself.
Thom shares some real-life examples from his experiences with Maharishi in this episode, giving us a taste of the true meaning of wealth.
Episode Highlights:
[00:45] Five Blind Men and an Elephant
[03:11] Different Perceptions of Maharishi
[04:31] Maharishi's Simple Possessions
[08:34] Wooden Sandals and Shahtoosh
[10:19] Traveling the World Without a Penny
[12:08] Maharishi's Persuasive Consciousness State
[13:55] Why Maharishi Didn't Have to Think Before Acting
[15:54] Follow Charm and See What Happens
[16:53] Helicopter Came
[17:46] Simple, Natural and Innocent
[19:12] Charm, Action, and Results
[20:17] The Inexorable Forces of Nature
[22:01] Be a Maharishi Yourself
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Intervention, Evolution, Contribution, Equilibrium
We’re celebrating episode 200 of The Vedic Worldview by featuring more questions from listeners and answers from Thom. The questions cover a variety of topics…
To what extent should we intervene when we see someone potentially harming others, especially young children?Will enlightenment for all mean an end to humanity?How do we meet the demands of the moment?How can we counteract toxic masculinity?It’s a mixed bag, with each question and each answer having relevance to us all, Enjoy…
Episode Highlights:
[00:45] Q - How to Deal with Loved Ones Causing Suffering?
[01:18] A - Become an Inspiration
[02:57] Silence for Wise Influence
[04:44] Align Knowledge with Inquiry Levels
[06:40] Responsible Intervention in Egregious Situations
[08:27] Foster Inspiration for Societal Change
[09:27] Q - Will Enlightenment for All End Humanity?
[10:08] A - The Cycle of Evolution and Reincarnation
[11:51] Impact of Human Enlightenment on Reincarnation Patterns
[13:26] Q - How to Discover My Purpose and Contribution?
[14:06] A - Spontaneous Right Action
[15:48] In the Zone with Vedic Meditation
[17:32] Changing Course to Stay on Course
[19:35] Strategy, Tactics, and Frictionless Flow
[21:41] Q - How to Balance Masculine and Feminine Energies to Counteract Toxic Masculinity?
[22:07] A - Masculine and Feminine Archetypes
[24:08] Break the Symmetry
[25:53] Avoid Lopsided Perspectives Through Transcendence
[27:39] The Secret to Removing Toxicity
[29:43] Achieving Balance with Regular Meditation Practice
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Vedanta - The Final Conclusion
Modern science and ancient Vedic wisdom often take different routes to reach the same destination.
Many of the concepts of Ayurveda, for example, have been known and understood for millennia, yet modern science is only just now catching up with some of these principles, and explaining them from the scientific point of view.
Perhaps the most profound slice of Vedic wisdom, Vedanta, is another frontier that modern science, quantum physics specifically, has only recently crossed.
There is only one thing. This has been the final conclusion of The Veda, Vedanta, for well over 5,000 years, and now quantum physics has come to the same conclusion.
Thom explains Vedanta, and its correlation with quantum physics, in this episode, and shares the technique we can all use to not just understand Vedanta at a theoretical level, but to embody it at an experiential level.
Episode Highlights:
[00:45] Meaning of Vedanta
[02:57] Physics and Vedanta
[04:50] "You Are It"
[06:56] You Are the Unified Field
[09:02] The World Embodies Vedanta in Unity Consciousness
[10:24] The Greatest Challenge of Unity Consciousness
[12:06] Defining Empty Space
[15:27] The Purpose of Vedanta
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