The Vedic World View

All of us want to be known for something heroic, but who decides who are the heroes and who are the villains? And do the villains perhaps think of themselves as heroic? Would the heroes even be heroes if there were no villains? In this episode Thom, once again, shines a new light on a subject that has been with humankind since we first developed the ability to create and share experiences and stories.He explains that it isn’t an either/or argument and offers an alternative option. One that we can all aspire to without the pressure of ‘taking sides’…Episode Highlights:[00:40] The Trichotomy of Evolution[03:12] Writers of History and Drawers of Maps [04:28] Consciousness Drives Behavior[06:18] Semi-Omnipotence [08:11] Bifurcation - Breaking of Symmetry [10:09] Elevational Theater [12:02] The Supersymmetric State of Contentedness [13:37] The Fall From the Status Quo [15:13] A Sawtooth Pattern of Plateau [16:55] Succession [17:45] An Eternity of Torture [19:23] Saved From Hell [20:50] Were the Romans Villains? [2

This is a question that can be answered in three simple words, but listen in for a complete and satisfying explanation from Thom.Using an analogy that we can all relate to, Thom explains that the discomfort caused by not meditating should be enough to inspire us to keep practicing regularly, twice a day.It’s a short and concise episode that should strengthen your resolve to keep your meditation practice regular.Episode Highlights: [00:40] A Little Device Was Invented[01:59] It’s Not a Chore[03:19] A Kind of Anathema[04:03] No Harm[04:51] Superseding Other Techniques[06:10] Six Weeks and You’ll Never Look BackUseful Links: info@thomknoles.com https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles/https://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

In this bonus episode, ahead of an upcoming visit to New York City, Thom runs through the process of learning Vedic Meditation.He explains the rationale of spreading the course over four days so you can embed the experience and commence a sustainable daily routine, and develop a deeper understanding of the mechanics and expected results of Vedic Meditation.He also explains why Vedic Meditation should be taught in person rather than online, and why it’s worth your investment of time and effort to find a teacher who can teach you face to face.If you’re in New York City or nearby, Thom will be visiting late September (2021) and holding free Introductory Talks ahead of some courses in October. This is a rare opportunity to be taught by Thom, who will have limited capacity while he is there, so please register here for an Introductory Talk.And if you are not near New York City, or are reading this afterwards, you can find one of many Vedic Meditation teachers trained and approved by Thom to teach the technique by

Mindfulness has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years. There’s no shortage of teachers, books, apps or other tools to help us practice mindfulness. But how does mindfulness compare with Vedic Meditation? Is there a comparison at all or do they have different functions altogether?Thom explains the difference between the two in a way that leaves no doubt as to which one has the most profound effect.Episode Highlights: [00:40] Vedic Meditation Isn’t Really Meditation[01:58] Going Beyond Thought [03:05] A Doing That You’re Doing [03:58] A Charming Mantra [05:10] Comfort is Key Useful Links: info@thomknoles.com https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles/https://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/ 

What are the Vedas? Or should that be what is the Veda? Because you can’t put a finder on it, the Veda is hard to define as such, except to say it is the totality of the laws of Nature.So rather than trying to define what the Veda is, perhaps a more pertinent question might be, “How do I access the Veda and make use of it?”For that Thom has a solution. Listen in or read the transcript below to find out how you can tap into the limitless knowledge that is the Veda.Episode Highlights: [00:40] The Knowledge Available to Everyone[02:04] What Should I Do Now?[03:22] The Mechanism of Desire[04:46] Dharma[06:16] Self-Referral Knowledge[07:17] A Unique Approach to Morality[08:09] Overloads of Experience[09:31] Unbinding You From the Past[10:55] Universal Human KnowledgeUseful Links: info@thomknoles.com https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles/https://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/ 

In this episode, another in our ongoing series of Ask Thom Anything, Thom explains the distinction between wellness and relaxation activities and why they don’t deliver the same impacts as Vedic Meditation.He also explores “The dark night of the soul” and describes how contrasting experiences of the mind and body lead to an unstabilized vision.He gives us some insights into how we can respond when someone is in the dying stage of their life and the advantages we have as Vedic meditators during this stage. And finally, Thom explains a practical approach to diet when we’re on a spiritual path.If you’d like to have Thom answer a question on the podcast, you can submit your questions here.Episode Highlights: [00:57] Q - Can ‘Wellness Activities’ Be as Effective as Vedic Meditation for Releasing Stress? [01:47] It Depends on Consciousness [03:09] They Might Be Relaxing But... [04:27] An Opportunistic Brain[05:55] Absolute Unboundedness of Being [06:51] A Consciousness-Led Approach [08:00] No Special Environment Re

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

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 b

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. Polygamy and mongamy 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

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 Useful Links: info@thomknoles.com https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles/https://

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

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 famousl

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 En

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 N

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 UnderstandingUseful Links: info@thomknoles.com https://thomknoles.co

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

As you might expect, Thom is never short of a few words to say on the subject of God, gods and goddesses. He held a ten-day retreat on the subject several years ago and, more recently, published Part One of a three-part podcast series on the subject. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, we invite you to start there as it lays the foundation for this episode, Part Two of the series.In this episode Thom explores the seven states of consciousness and how they impact our experience and perception of God, gods and goddesses. He explains how shared experience evolves through the different levels, culminating in the ultimate shared experience of all, Unity Consciousness.Thom reminds us that our experience of God is a personal experience having nothing to do with faith or belief and everything to do with our perception.As with Part One, you’ll probably want to listen to this several times over to really let the message sink in. Episode Highlights: [00:54] Your Experience is Your Own Consciousness State [02:01

The “hustle” culture of modern life has put extra emphasis on the pursuit of goals and attaining them through ever increasing busyness and unrelenting productivity.While goal setting is not a problem, per se, Thom explains that the level of importance people place on them can be problematic.The challenge lies in the notion of, “I’ll be happy when…” This is a false premise. The thought that something outside of us might bring us happiness is a recipe for disillusionment and a misguided search for external fulfilment.A better approach might be, “I’ll be happy, then…” or’ “I’ll be happy, and…” Rather than making happiness an outcome of a goal, make it an input into a goal.Episode Highlights: [00:43] The Relevance of Goal Setting[02:05] The Problem With Goal Setting[03:03] I Am an Exporter of Happiness[04:03] Rigid Attachment is a Bad Habit[05:08] A Trifecta of Ideals[06:36] Find Fulfillment FirstUseful Links: info@thomknoles.com https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles/https://www.facebook.

Outside of India, the word yoga has come to mean various forms of dynamic exercises that test your flexibility and strength. Yoga is in fact much more than just these physical exercises, which are more correctly referred to as asanas. And believe it or not, asanas weren’t created to make us look good in lycra! Asanas were first created to help prepare the body for meditation and union with the Absolute.In this episode, Thom explains how asanas, pranayama and Vedic Meditation are used in combination, also called ‘rounding,’ to give us ‘industrial-strength meditation’ and to accelerate the benefits we get from ‘standard’ meditation.He talks about the importance of proper instruction and supervision so we can truly let go and, if necessary, have the support we need if deep stresses are released.If you haven’t already, talk to your local Vedic Meditation Initiator about learning rounding and attending a rounding retreat so you can enjoy some industrial-strength meditation yourself. And if you are fortunate enough

Thom Knoles was blessed to spend many years as a student of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, travelling to many parts of the world both as a student and an assistant in Maharishi’s work.  In that time he gathered many fond memories worthy of sharing.  This episode is the first of a “My Maharishi” series where Thom will be sharing some of those memories over the months to come.He tells of his first experience hearing pundits chanting Samaveda.  You might also recognize the ‘sloka’ or hymn that Maharishi chanted before the meal, as the same sloka that Thom sings at the beginning of each podcast episode.Enjoy.Episode Highlights:[00:00] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi - The Great Seer[02:39] On The Water[04:15] Between Spain and Portugal[05:26] A Barge and a Tugboat[06:30] A Vedic Sloka (Hymn)[07:53] Chanting of the Samaveda[09:29] The Dawn of a New EraUseful Links: info@thomknoles.com https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles/https://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles