What's What Vayus Media

In this episode of What's What, Chris sits down with author and philosopher Martin O'Toole to discuss his upcoming book, How To Die Happy. Cherry-picking Eastern philosophies like Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism - and introducing mindfulness, psychological practices, and tales of the miraculous healing power of ayahuasca - How To Die Happy distills the secrets to living and dying well. Part curated wisdom, part handbook, part memoir, this inspirational text offers a blend of ancient lessons, stories of real-life suffering, and a host of practical utilities to enjoy a vibrant and contented life.

The Internet is a digital abstraction of physical life and reality, and this abstraction continues to dominate more and more of our lives. In this episode of What's What, Rushi and Chris discuss social media, the metaverse, and the effects of technology on the individual mind and society as a whole.

In this episode, Rushi and Chris dig a little deeper on Alan Watts, the Sausalito Houseboat Summit of 1967, and the vision of a tribal future as the ultimate manifestation of dropping out. They also discuss the hyper-commercialized spiritual movements in Bali and the current state of the counterculture movement.

Alan Watts is best known for being one of the first to interpret Eastern philosophy and religion for Western audiences, and has been described as having the gift of ‘writing beautifully the unwritable’. Watts combined Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu teachings with his own personal philosophy - forming a unique, eloquent, and inspiring perspective on humankind, nature, and the universe. In this episode, Rushi and Chris focus on Watts’s thoughts on the course of nature and returning to our ‘original intelligence’.

In part two, Rushi and Chris discuss the legacy of Leary and Dass, the current state of the ‘revolution of consciousness’, and the next chapter in the story of psychedelic counterculture with a new generation carrying the torch.

Timothy Leary most commonly evokes images from the out of control psychedelic experimentation of the 1960s, and Ram Dass is often associated with the new age spiritual movements emerging in the west around that same time. But before they were counterculture icons, they were reputable psychologists and professors at Harvard University, and among the very first western researchers to study psilocybin. In part one of a two part series, Rushi and Chris tell the beginning of their story and how their friendship sparked a cultural revolution.