Vedic Worldview

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...

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 wh...

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 he...

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 Mahar...

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...

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...

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 “...

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...

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...

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 Com...

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 ali...

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...

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 thi...

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 somet...

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 Ab...

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 experie...

What is Karma?  Despite popular belief, it’s neither punishment nor reward, neither good nor bad.  It’s simply nature’s way of steering us back onto a more evolutionary path. In this short episode, Thom explains the true meaning of karma, and gives us a short introduction to kriya, evolutionary action. He tells us how we can think of karma, and karmic behavior, without lacing it with judgement tha...

Does God exist?  It’s a question that’s puzzled humankind for millenia and the answer, from the Vedic worldview, is sure to both surprise and delight you, even if you are a hardened atheist. This is not your standard philosophical debate on the idea of God, gods and goddesses but a matter-of-fact exploration that will liberate you from any dogma surrounding the subject or any social indoctrination...

Apart from the Veda, one of the many gifts of ancient wisdom from India is the Upanishads.  The Upanishads consist of several short parables that give us insight into how we can behave in ways that support our personal and collective evolution. In this podcast episode, Thom shares the story of a man in a lake who, while immersed in more water than he’d need in a lifetime, remained thirsty.  This i...

Stress is very much misunderstood.  Most people think of stress as something that happens ‘to us,’ that our stress is caused by outside situations or stressful circumstances, but this is not the case.  We know this because we can all react differently to the same situation.  What makes you stressed might cause no reaction at all in someone else, thus demonstrating that it’s ‘the victim’ that is th...

The subject of reincarnation arouses a lot of curiosity and debate.  Those who ‘believe’ in reincarnation seek to understand the mechanisms behind it, and those who don’t, look for ‘proof’ before they consider it a possibility.  In this episode, Thom explains the Vedic worldview on reincarnation, putting forward a case to satisfy both the believers and the ‘scienticians.’ He explains that the proc...

As Vedic meditators we regularly experience evidence of being more than just a physical body.  We can use this to our benefit when it comes to tackling the subject of death, or even tackling death itself; our own or the death of a loved one. In our twice-daily practice of Vedic Meditation, the connection we experience in The Absolute, the Unified Field of Consciousness, reminds us that we are cons...

Dharma, like many other Sanskrit words and phrases, is not well understood by many with an interest in Vedic wisdom.  It is often simplified to such an extent that it loses its true meaning. ‘Purpose’ is perhaps the most common misinterpretation of the word dharma .  Many try to narrow their dharma down to a specific mission or purpose that they hope becomes a legacy for which they will be remembe...

Everything is always evolving thus, by definition, everything is always changing.  Yet many of us resist change.  We prefer the comfort of the status quo and get distressed when things meet their natural end. The Vedic worldview however, recognizes all aspects of the evolutionary process, creation, maintenance and destruction, not reluctantly, but with reverence.  So much so that each aspect is as...

All of us aspire to attain freedom in one form or another, but for most of us, we craft our idea of freedom based on an expected set of circumstances - time, money, power, environment, relationships, and more. The trouble with this approach is that circumstances are subject to change and inevitably lead to disappointment.  Freedom through acquisition of circumstances can never truly deliver on its...