Vedic Worldview

Latest Episodes:

Is Everything Random or is There Perfect Order? Jul 18, 2021

Show notes

Does perfect order exist or is everything random? Pour yourself a cup of your favorite beverage and take a seat because you’ll want to lean into this episode.

Thom shares a fascinating exploration of entropy and order, ‘randomicity,’ the laws of thermodynamics, levitating trains, superfluids, superconductors, multitasking, learning to drive, and much more.

You’ll learn how Vedic Meditation can help you defy the laws of thermodynamics and, most importantly, how you can use meditation to answer the question of orderliness vs. randomness through your own direct experience.

Episode Highlights:
[00:40] Something is Ordered. Something is Not Ordered.

[02:52] Entropy - Decay

[04:37] Advantages of Order vs Disorder

[06:55] The Second and Third Laws of Thermodynamics

[08:42] Absolute Zero

[10:45] A Theoretical State

[11:46] Helium as a Superfluid

[13:07] Uncontainable

[14:20] Zero Viscosity

[15:43] Zero Resistance

[16:34] Lead as a Superconductor

[18:07] Infinite Electrical Circulation

[19:32] Levitation

[21:18] Restoring Order Through Vedic Meditation

[22:59] A Superconscious State

[24:20] The Physiological Advantage of a Meditator

[25:33] Professor Ilya Prigogine and the Thermodynamics of Living Systems

[27:29] Is There Such a Thing as Disorder and Order?

[29:01] Suspending the Second Law of Thermodynamics

[30:34] Superconsciousness Coexisting With Specificity Consciousness

[31:17] Multitasking

[32:38] Learning to Drive

[33:38] Relegation

[34:34] Our Brain is a Massive Computer

[36:21] Developing Cosmic Consciousness

[37:51] Transcendence and Thinking Simultaneously

[39:23] The Fifth Consciousness State

[40:48] Recognizing Order

[42:22] A Perfect Hiding Place for a Snake

[43:08] The Cosmic Perspective

[45:01] The Creation Operator

[45:42] The Maintenance Operator

[46:05] The Destruction Operator

[47:58] Evolution is the Only Thing That’s Happening

[49:29] Does Entropy Exist?

[50:26] Accurate Expectations

[51:25] Perfect Order is All That Exists

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My Maharishi - Who Was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi? Jul 11, 2021

Show notes

Continuing the occasional series of My Maharishi episodes, Thom gives us a few very brief highlights of a truly accomplished life.

Thom shares how Maharishi was larger than life in spite of his small and gracious appearance. He tells us how his title of “The Giggling Guru” contrasted with his ability to satisfy questions about the deepest and most serious aspects of life.

Thom describes how Maharishi embodied the teachings of his own teacher, Guru Dev, and how he became a guru himself.

He also shares how Maharishi first came to teach the meditation practice that we teach today, and why teachers of Vedic Meditation, before teaching a new student, always acknowledges our lineage of teachers that have come before us.

It’s a short but delightful episode that will give insight into the origins of what has become a worldwide phenomenon, the practice that is raising consciousness throughout the word.

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] Guru - Remover of Darkness

[02:32] Balletic Grace

[04:12] The Giggling Guru

[05:51] Learning by Osmosis

[07:25] A Body as an Agent of Evolutionary Change

[08:38] Big, Important and Urgent

[09:30] Rameswaram

[11:00] The Grace of Guru Dev

[12:19] Folded Hands Everywhere

[14:00] I Want to Replicate Myself

[15:24] Knowledge That Has Stood the Test of Time

[16:30] He Made Me

Jealousy, Selfishness and Polyamory Jul 04, 2021

Show notes

Our first Ask Thom Anything episode was such a hit that we’re making it a regular feature.

In this episode, Thom talks about how to respond to the jealousy of others when we’re following our own evolutionary path, including a delightful background story to how Guru Dev stubbornly followed his own evolutionary path at a very young age.

He also discusses the self-love trend and how to recognize the distinction between self-ish-ness and Self-ness.

Polyamory and monogamy are also addressed, with Thom taking the opportunity to outline the role of a ‘love alliance’ and shared mission in intimate relationships.

If you’d like to have Thom answer a question on the podcast, you can submit your questions here.

Episode Highlights:

[00:57] Q - How Do We Balance Following Our Own Charm With Jealousy That Might Arise In Others

[02:22] We Can’t Control the Experience of Others

[03:05] Jealousy Is…

[04:38] Envy Gone Horribly Wrong

[06:04] A Pathetic Consciousness State

[07:38] I Have to Go to the Himalayas

[08:59] Running Away From Home (At the Age of Six!)

[10:07] The Shankaracharya

[11:30] They Have to Trust That You Know What You Are Doing

[12:49] Occasional Frank Conversations

[14:09] What Are You Doing For Your Own Evolution?

[15:27] Growing Out of Social Relationships

[16:19] How Can We Know the Difference Between Self-love and Selfishness?

[17:26] Upper-Case S Self

[18:21] Lower-Case s self

[19:18] Self-ish-ness and Selfness

[20:34] Expanded Consciousness is the First Priority

[21:43] Giving Beyond Conscious Receptivity

[22:53] The Apparent Need for Reciprocity

[24:28] Overcompensating

[25:39] I Am the Fulfillment State Seeking the Need of the Time

[26:45] How Love Evolves

[27:39] Q - What’s the Vedic Worldview on Polyamory and Monogamy?

[28:10] A Love Alliance

[29:04] Shared Mission

[30:10] Differing Standards

[31:30] “Dating”

[32:38] A Field Full of Potential Confusion

[34:00] A Mere Relation-Ship

[34:55] Be Honest About It

What is Evolution? And What is Our Role in Evolution? Jun 27, 2021

Show notes

We’re all familiar with the term evolution, but few of us spend time contemplating what that means and, perhaps more significantly, what our ‘role’ is when it comes to evolution.

Evolution has been happening in a continuum, and will continue to shape the Universe forever, where then do we fit into the picture? How can we be an active participant?

As Thom explains in this episode, evolution happens regardless of our awareness of it, and in spite of our attempts to control it. In fact the most active role we can play is to relinquish control and to enjoy the ride.

Viva la evolution!

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] The Agenda of the Entire Universe

[01:59] A Need to Become Conscious of Itself

[03:09] The Genesis of Life

[04:09] The Not Living Became Living

[05:37] All the Laws of Nature in One Word

[07:09] Complexity vs Complicated

[09:02] An Evolutionary Life

[10:44] Growing in the Direction of Cosmic Consciousness

God, Gods and Goddesses Part 3 Jun 20, 2021

Show notes

In this episode Thom puts a fresh perspective on the phrase “Oh my God” and shows us how there is more to this term than meets the eye.

Having given us a solid foundation to the subject in Part 1 and Part 2, Thom uses this episode to set us up for our own personal experience.

He explains that while there are many commonalities of archetypes across cultures, each of us shapes our experiences of “god” based on our own personal model of the world.This even includes those that have the view that there is no such thing as a god or a deity.

Importantly, he explains that our own experience will be based on our own observations rather than requiring faith of any sort. It’s a paradigm that will provide relief for those who have struggled to make doctrines fit their experience.

In the final analysis, you get to choose your own adventure, and there’s no hurry to come to a conclusion one way or another.

Episode highlights:

[00:40] Experiencing the Celestial Layer

[02:15] Sleeping, Dreaming, Waking

[03:02] Turiya - The Fourth State

[05:10] Colorfast Consciousness

[06:43] Enlightenment Begins

[09:29] Archetypes of Experience Emerge

[11:32] God Consciousness

[13:39] See No Evil

[17:00] Observation Based vs Faith Based

[18:44] A World of Beings

[20:17] Normalizing Capability

[22:29] Grades of Experience

[23:57] Cultural Biases Constructing Deities

[25:33] Lakshmi and Saraswati

[27:37] Surya AKA Apollo

[29:30] Universal and Undeniable Archetypes

[31:10] Same Same But Different

[32:42] Unity Consciousness

[34:10] Sally From Kansas City

[35:04] Ishwara - Supreme Being

[36:03] Ishta Devata

[37:51] Your Call to Action

[38:33] That Dusty Old Podcast

[39:56] The Pinnacle of Human Development

[41:35] Choose Your Own Adventure

[43:11] What Kind of Universe Do You Want?

How Do I Choose A Meditation Teacher? Jun 13, 2021

Show notes

There’s no shortage of options when it comes to choosing a meditation technique, let alone a teacher to learn from. Many don’t choose a teacher at all, and go the do-it-yourself route, perhaps with the help of an app, or an audio or video found online.

While one can certainly receive some benefits from these approaches, Thom shares in this episode that the goal should be to get maximum impact from your meditations, rather than just ‘some’ impact.

Thom explains the value of using an ancient technique, one that’s been proven for thousands of years and used by millions around the world.

He also describes the rigorous process that aspiring Vedic Meditation teachers go through when learning from Thom. Apart from the thousands of hours of practical and learning experience gathered over a number of years, the trainee Initiator also has to prove they can meet and maintain the standard required by the Shankaracharya lineage that has passed down the technique over the years.

Thom’s teacher’s teacher, Guru Dev, once famously said, “You deserve the best…” (see above for the full quote), and if you follow the advice Thom shares in this episode, you can be sure that’s what you’ll be getting.

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] Getting Maximum Impact

[01:49] An Ancient Tradition

[03:27] Step Beyond Thinking Entirely

[04:57] Healthy Skepticism

[06:19] Mood Making and Pretty Thoughts

[07:21] Rigorous Prerequisites for Becoming a Vedic Meditation Teacher

[09:20] Intensive Training for Vedic Meditation Teachers

[10:29] Graduation as a Vedic Meditation Initiator

[12:03] Effort Well Spent

[13:17] The Promise of Self-Sufficiency

The Process is the Outcome Jun 06, 2021

Show notes

We all know that goals are transient. They might bring us some short-term pleasure but the periods between the goals, the goals we actually get that is, are often peppered with consistent feelings of lack, frustration and disappointment.

Despite knowing this, we still live lives where we’re mostly striving for, and only occasionally arriving at, a state of fulfillment. It’s a hamster wheel that’s kept billions of us busy through countless lifetimes.

In this episode, Thom explains that we do this because we’ve got our achievement process backwards. He exposes the ‘fulfillment fallacy’ and gives us a practical method whereby fulfillment becomes an input into the process, rather than being a result of the process.

So if you’re ready to get off the hamster wheel, this episode is just what you need.

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] Did I Make a Difference?

[03:02] How Do You Get What (You Think) You Want?

[04:49] Creativity and Action

[06:51] Achievement… Then What?

[08:12] What is the Source of Thought?

[09:47] Thought Has Energy

[11:22] Thought Has Measurable Energy

[12:55] Thought Has Intelligence

[14:24] Consciousness Has Thought

[16:20] The Purpose of Thinking

[18:02] Self-Generating Charm Through Vedic Meditation

[19:36] Nothing Gets Better Than This

[21:06] Being - Complete Fulfillment

[22:38] AKA Samadhi

[24:39] How Desperate Are You?

[26:00] The Fulfillment Fallacy

[27:41] Collateral Damage

[29:02] What Needs to be Done?

[30:36] Let It Go

[31:55] An Evolutionary Agenda

[33:46] Exporting Fulfillment

[35:55] The Need of the Time

[38:36] Stirring the Warm Bath

[40:00] You Won’t Get Fulfillment From That

[41:41] Scaling New Heights

[42:56] Baseline Happiness First

[44:12] Stop Seeking It Where It is Not

[46:21] One Percent

[47:52] An Ingenious Thing

[49:36] Living the Outcome While Engaged in the Process

Manifestation, Relationships, PTSD, Cancel Culture and Using Funk to Empower Yourself May 30, 2021

Show notes

Thom tackles the “cancel culture” of today’s world, and empowers us to make ourselves useful if we find ourselves in a funk. He shows us how to let go of anxious attachment in relationships and puts PTSD in perspective, while giving us the tool to address it.

If you’d like to have Thom answer a question on the podcast, you can submit your questions here.

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] Q - Please Comment on Our Culture’s Obsession with Manifestation

[01:14] Charm - The Mechanism of Desire

[04:30] Cosmic Management

[06:52] Manifestation and Desire are Related and Simultaneous

[07:56] Q - How Do You Know When to Leave a Relationship?

[08:19] Surrendering Preferences

[10:22] Self-Sufficiency

[12:01] The Business of Creating Memories

[12:11] Q - What’s Thom’s Take on Cancel Culture?

[13:23] Our Source of Identity

[16:10] Do People Like Me?

[18:05] Lord Buddha Got 500 Likes

[19:40] Q - What Do You Do When You Wake Up in an Inexplicable Funk?

[20:11] Exposure to the Unboundedness

[21:46] Expanding Our Event Horizon

[23:10] It’s Not Personal

[24:16] What Do I Have to Teach Today?

[25:51] Exemplary Behavior

[28:26] Q - How Do I Heal Anxious Attachment in Relationships?

[29:14] A Big Bag of Fulfillment

[30:18] Let Go of the Neediness

[32:07] Be Relevant to the Need of the Times

[33:31] Don’t be Overgenerous

[34:36] Reciprocation and Sabotage

[36:25] Back to Self-Sufficiency

[38:00] Q - Does Vedic Meditation Alleviate PTSD?

[38:15] Trauma is Ill-Defined

[41:00] Trauma - Inaccurate Expectations

[42:32] Vedic Meditation, Deep Rest, and Adaptation Energy

[45:14] Reaction and Recovery

Is Vedic Meditation Religious? May 23, 2021

Show notes

Vedic Meditation teachers are often asked if the practice is a religious practice. Its ancient roots and the reverence that we sometimes approach it with can have the appearance of being religious, but this is largely due to misunderstandings of what the word religion actually means.

In short, the practice of Vedic Meditation doesn’t require any belief. It works for believers and non-believers alike and doesn’t favor one over the other. Practitioners of all religions practice the technique every day, as do practitioners of no religion, all with equal efficacy.

Listen in as Thom explains the true meaning of religion and why Vedic Meditation transcends religious difference, while at the same time enhancing whatever religious understanding you may or may not have.

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] The True Meaning of Religion

[02:15] “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.”

[03:35] No Commandments

[04:33] Compatibility With Religion and Atheism

[06:00] A Better Understanding

How Enemies Are Created May 16, 2021

Show notes

While most of us like to think of ourselves as ‘likeable’, we don’t always see others in the same way. Though we may have many similarities, our differences often stand in the way of having an amicable relationship.

When our differences are too extreme, then feelings of enmity can evolve and, even without trying we can have an ‘enemy’ on our hands. This doesn’t necessarily mean we are at war with them, just noticing our differences enough to put a barrier between us.

There is an alternative. One where we follow our natural human tendency to want to relate and simply do away with enmity altogether.

Our Vedic Meditation practice helps us with this as it takes us to our ultimate form of sameness, the Unified Field, where there is no difference to be found.

Listen in or read the transcript below and become part of the solution.

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] The Easiest Thing on Earth

[01:35] Ignoring the Laws of Quantum Mechanics

[02:38] The Beginning of Difference

[03:38] “Out There”

[04:40] “I Wouldn’t Behave That Way”
[06:02] Enemies as Part of Our Storyline

[07:09] Enemies Match Our Expectations

[08:21] You Can’t Kill an Enemy

[09:37] You Can’t Even Vaporize Them

[11:10] Uncreating of Enmity

[12:25] A Grumpy Bus Conductor

[13:50] Spreaders of Happiness

[15:09] A Ripple Effect

[16:22] Reunification

[17:28] Relatability is the Enemy of Enmity

[18:44] It’s Natural to Want to Relate

[19:53] Interested in Sameness

[21:29] Unifying Access to Knowledge

[22:21] Sibling Rivalry Has Always Been a Thing

[23:08] A Better, Transcendental Parental Model

[24:21] The Weapon of Speech

[25:20] Arranging Truths to Awaken Shared Experience

[26:18] We Cannot Afford a Third World War

[27:12] Green Forests Have Green Trees

[28:15] 1% Critical Mass of Meditators

[29:51] A Turning Point

[31:06] Prepare in the Darkness to Celebrate the Dawn

[33:01] We Need to Step Into Our Power of Wisdom

[34:00] People Behaving Desperately

[35:03] The Behaviour of Happy People

[36:29] Playing the Role of the Offended One

[37:59] Utter Indifference to Negativity

[38:46] I Accept Your Consciousness State

[40:01] This is What Goes On

[40:58] Dogs Bark, Elephants Walk

[42:24] Elephantine Consciousness

[43:32] Cosmic Consciousness and the Cascades of Cause and Effect

[44:40] Royal Invincible Grace

[46:16] Making Enmity Redundant

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