The Jason Gregory Podcast

In this podcast, we will review The Social Dilemma documentary, the negative impact of the internet on mental health, and strategies for digital detox to reclaim our health and sanity. We have accepted social media and smartphones without questioning how they are affecting our lives, to the point where people will defend digital devices and their social media habits as if they are our close friend...

As the world increasingly becomes oversensitive, it is common for an individual to be emotionally triggered and annoyed by people in general based on their own isolated worldview of how the world and others should be. What is the cause behind this new form of madness? In this episode of Ask Jason , I will answer this question and explain the strategies you need to apply to your life so that you ne...

In this podcast, we explore the mystical fourth state of consciousness of the great sages. In the sacred text of the Upanishads this fourth state is known as Turiya. The Turiya, along with Atman and Brahman, is one of the main concepts to understand in the nondual path of Advaita Vedanta. To understand the knowledge of the great sages, especially Shankara and Gaudapada, we have to understand Turiy...

In this podcast, we will dissect the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching to give you ultimate clarity on the meaning of the chapter. This is the first episode of the 81 Meditations of the Tao Te Ching, a series where we will explore each chapter of the Tao Te Ching. Each episode will be released periodically along with our other podcast episodes on other topics in Eastern spirituality. In the first...

In many of the world's spiritual traditions there is a prophet figure who stands as the pillar of perfection and who we should worship. But is this framework the same when we explore Taoism? In this episode of Ask Jason , I will answer a question about if there is a prophet figure in Taoism and if either of the great sages Lao-tzu or Chuang-tzu are who we should worship. When we think of Taoism, i...

In this podcast, we will explore why the ancient cultures of the East are more important now than ever before. Unfortunately, when Eastern spirituality was imported to the West it went through an intense cultural appropriation that stripped the traditions bear of any cultural knowledge and flavor. The significance of culture became secondary to how these new and exotic traditions can benefit our o...

In this podcast, we will explore the famous Zen riddles known as Koans and why they facilitate enlightenment. One of the bad habits both East and West is the general thinking of life in a rational linear way. Zen Buddhism, on the other hand, is focused on the present moment where time and thinking evaporate. The Zen way essentially is an embrace of the irrational outside conventional logic. Koans...

In this podcast, we will explore the amorality of Taoism and why morality itself is immoral. Taoist philosophy explains that when we operate from partiality and create standards, we instantly create its opposite. Essentially, a standard is its opposite in another form and that is especially the case in regards to morality, making any attempt of morality an act of immorality. We cannot escape that...

In this podcast, we will explore why self-help and motivation doesn't transform ourselves or alleviate psychological problems and how Eastern spirituality actually does create the change we are longing for. In a world suffering from an exponential growth in stress, anxiety, depression, and suicide, many people are turning to self-help and motivational gurus to hopefully pull them out of the darkne...

In a world hypnotized by opinions and beliefs, it is hard for the sincere spiritual seeker to not be sucked into worldliness. We've all slipped on the path because of the ignorance and foolishness of those individuals who are asleep. In this episode of Ask Jason , I will answer a question about how to deal with insults and foolish people. I will explore if meditation is a sufficient method and str...

In this podcast, we will explore the wheel of life and the cycles of Samsara in our own lives that bind us to the wheel. In Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism there is a belief in the many lifetime's theory. This view of cyclical time and existence is based on nature and includes our sense of self, which experiences life after life until there is an abiding in that which is beyond the wheel. But how c...

In this podcast, we will explore the ancient fasting the mind teachings. Drawing on the spiritual philosophies and meditative practices of classical yoga, Vedanta, Buddhism, and Taoism, we will explain how fasting the mind directly impacts your habits and way of being in the world to create peace and calmness in your life as well as allow you to build a firm psychological defense against the incre...

In this episode of Enlightenment Today , I will explain the Taoist cannibal thief Robber Zhi found in the Zhuangzi text. Robber Zhi is one of the least known and understood in the Zhuangzi text. He is the embodiment of the Taoist attitude towards life, but people confuse this passage with historical events rather than seeing it as a parody. In the story, the moralist Confucius seeks to change Robb...

In this podcast, we will explore the fundamental question of our existence, what am I? When Westerners first started translating ancient Eastern texts, this question was framed incorrectly into "Who am I?" which has affected our way of understanding the depth of Eastern philosophy. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism are spiritual paths designed to go beyond the person, beyond the "Who am I" to the fun...

In this podcast, we will explore the path and practice of renunciation in the Eastern spiritual traditions. Renouncing the world is often thought of negatively by people who feel we should acquiesce to a role and be part of society. But the problem with this form of social submission is it is counterproductive to one's spiritual process if one has not been sufficiently trained in the meditative pr...

Reincarnation within Taoism is not as clear-cut as within Hinduism and Buddhism. If one has not explored the Taoist tradition at length then ideas of reincarnation seem vague, especially if one is only familiar with the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu text. In this episode of The Sacred Word , I will explore the later teachings of Lao-tzu in a text you've probably never heard of. This secret text...

In this podcast, we will explore the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti and David Bohm. Both Krishnamurti and Bohm dedicated their lives to understanding the oneness of reality from a philosophical and scientific viewpoint. Their groundbreaking work brings to light the view of the Eastern spiritual traditions that the individual is an illusion, albeit a persistent one. We dive deep into both of their...

In this podcast, we will explore the concept of evil and Universalism from an Eastern spiritual perspective. There is a common Western view that the concept of evil is a universal concept in all of the world's spiritual traditions. This view began when Westerners started to translate Eastern spiritual scriptures through their own Western individualistic oriented cognition which is based on one lif...

Many people on the spiritual path are often perplexed as how to raise a child in the modern world, considering all of the falseness and hypocrisy that has become our materialistic culture. This is something I'm sure we all struggle with and I know many people who have children struggle to raise a child in such a false world. In this episode of Ask Jason , I will answer an interesting question abou...

In this podcast, we will explore how the great Taoist sages Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu would deal with a pandemic. One thing which has been revealed during this current pandemic is the state of mind within the world which is quite alarming. Some countries have been unified in their response and dealt with the situation a lot better than other nations who are seemingly divided based on their view that...

In this podcast, we will explore why Easterners and Westerners think differently. There is an outdated assumption, based on Western biases, that there is one universal way of thinking. But modern research suggests nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, the differences in thinking are why Westerners tend to misinterpret Eastern spirituality, leading to new age oversensationalized interp...

In this episode of Enlightenment Today , I will explain the secret of meditation. Meditation has become a useful tool for people in their people lives. We think of it as a way to manage stress and something that helps us deal with the uncertainty of life. Though these benefits are great and true, there is a secret to meditation that only usually serious practitioners of the Eastern spiritual tradi...

In this podcast, we will explore spiritual bypassing, the shadow, and the dangers of psychological dissociation and suppression in spirituality. Though these concerns have been at the forefront of Western psychotherapy, the Eastern spiritual traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism have a had a philosophical and scientific understanding of the mind to counter such psychological issues for thou...

In this podcast, we will explore why we celebrate Guru Purnima and the nature of the guru and disciple relationship and why it is important. This whole lineage of guru and disciple was propelled forward by an ancient sage known as Vyasa, who was instrumental in the birth of a classical guru and Hinduism as we know it. I will explain Vyasa's contribution to the world and the evolution of the Hindu...

In this podcast, we will explore the life and teachings of a 16-year-old boy who became enlightened and changed the world. This boy, born Venkataraman Iyer, is none other than the great sage of the 20th century we know as Ramana Maharshi. The teachings of Ramana Maharshi played a big part in the nondual spiritual path of Advaita Vedanta, and spirituality in general, becoming popular in the West. B...