Ancient Futures

What do Heinrich Himmler and Mohandas Gandhi have in common? Both were inspired by the Bhagavad Gītā. As Dorothy Figueira explains, what they found in it were mental projections. So Gandhi saw promotion of non-violence, while Himmler thought it justified killing for an avatar of God called Adolf Hitler.

These interpretations – among many others – are the subject of Dorothy’s recent book, The Afterlives of the Bhagavad Gītā. As a scholar of religion and comparative literature, she shows how modern translations are often more revealing of their authors’ ideas than the texts they engage with.

With the Gītā, there are so many readings that it’s difficult to summarise where they diverge. Our conversation discusses the “decadence”, as Dorothy terms it, of Western seekers such as Allen Ginsberg. She contrasts this with meticulous colonial scholars and use of the Gītā by Indian nationalists. Detached from commentaries, it proved politically malleable, serving to justify many positions.

Some of the most shocking continue to resonate. The Nazi Gītā is resurgent online, via the writings of a European woman known as “Savitri Devi”. Although Dorothy laments these distortions, her general advice is to accept the existence of multiple readings, and to explore them open-mindedly to counteract dogma. She works as a professor at the University of Georgia.

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A shift in focus for the podcast this week to discuss a new book by Richard Seymour. Subtitled “The Downfall of Liberal Civilization”, Disaster Nationalism investigates “a struggle for our collective soul”, along with the psychology of far-right movements.

As Richard warns, these can take many forms – including the perversion of liberal and leftist agendas into authoritarianism. “There is a fascist temptation for everyone,” he writes: “we all have our jackboots.” Rather than focusing on charismatic leaders, as if defeating them might solve the problem, he highlights the trends and tendencies that they exploit, and in the process suggests how to counter them.

Richard used to blog as “lenin”, so we start by discussing his political perspective, then explore other topics from living with purpose to the limits of materialism. He’s the author of multiple books, and a co-founder of Salvage, “a bi-annual journal of revolutionary arts and letters”, which “recognises that the catastrophe is already upon us and that the decisive struggle is over what to do with the remains.”

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🧘‍♂️ N.B. the Truth of Yoga course starts this week and there's still time to join us.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

Is prāṇāyāma the same thing as breath-work? Both labels are commonly used to teach similar techniques. They’re also increasingly hard to distinguish, because of ongoing changes in methods and objectives. This conversation with Isabel Tew examines the overlaps as well as distinctions between modern systems.

Isabel started with yoga, which made her curious about prāṇāyāma – a much older form of practice than sequences of postures. However, she’s also explored modern breath-work, and some of its teachings are part of her Breath Cards (published on October 29), which present daily “practices for calm, clarity and renewal”.

Together, we reflect on a shift in yogic priorities towards well-being, as opposed to ancient goals of renouncing the world. That helps to blur boundaries between East and West, leading teachers of yoga to draw inspiration from non-yogic sources (for historical details, see this recent article by Magdalena Kraler).

As we discuss, most contemporary approaches focus on healing in some way which has parallels with earlier frameworks of transcending suffering. For an accessible overview of prāṇāyāma history, try this talk at truthofyoga.com.

🧘‍♂️ N.B. there's still join me for The Truth of Yoga online course, which runs live in November.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

This is a different sort of podcast, featuring interviews I did half my life ago. I originally planned to make a radio documentary, but the audio wound up on MiniDiscs gathering dust.

In 2001, I was a foreign correspondent searching for answers. I hoped I might find some in India at the world’s biggest gathering – the Mahā Kumbha Melā, where the Ganges meets the Yamuna. I talked to a wide range of people, asking Westerners what had inspired their journeys Eastward.

Looking back, I’ve made one myself – from drug-fuelled confusion to writing a book about yoga philosophy, and a career as a teacher. My younger self had other ideas – he tried to emulate the Melā by staging a festival on Big War Island in Belgrade. However, listening to these chats, I can hear a few echoes of what was to come – plus repeated indications of much still to learn…

The first conversation is with Scott McNamara, an American disciple of the yogi “Pilot Baba”. The second is with Susan Shumsky, who learned to meditate with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, then turned to “New Thought” – better known today as “manifesting” – whose positive psychology infuses modern yoga.

I’m still unsure about the documentary prospects – not least since I don’t work in radio, or know where to start. I also have mixed feelings about the discussions, as the podcast explains. If you have any thoughts in response, please get in touch!

🧘‍♂️ For more about yogic traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

What might it look like to live in a world that combines ancient wisdom with newer ideas about sustainable development? In his recent book Politics of Being, the social scientist Thomas Legrand explores the potential for shifts in perspective that could help us to face converging challenges.

At the heart of his vision is an inner transformation, rejecting a paradigm that fuels separation while awakening values that promote collective consciousness. Although this is rooted in a spiritual worldview, Thomas says it’s more about human ideals of freedom, virtue, truth and understanding – plus peace, love and happiness.

We discuss how his agenda for action goes beyond the personal by looking at life in relational terms. Recognising interconnection leads to more holistic policies, which Thomas describes using real-life examples. However, we also reflect on obstacles to change – from entrenched vested interests to the underlying craving that drives an economy addicted to growth.

Click here to download an excerpt from Politics of Being, or find out more via social media (he’s on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn). Thomas also writes a Substack newsletter, and currently works with the Conscious Food Systems Alliance, convened by the United Nations Development Programme.

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* Last call for The Path of Knowledge! We start on Sun, Sep 29 – join us here *

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Why is “light” used as a metaphor for “good”, while “dark” means “bad”? How does that blind us and what might we do about it? As Mariana Alessandri writes in Night Vision, difficult feelings such as anger, sorrow, grief, depression and anxiety can be sources of knowledge, so we need to embrace them as part of humanity.

Her book is not a gloom manifesto. Instead, it seeks to clarify why we feel bad about feeling bad. This is an outcome of social pressure to look on the bright side, so telling each other “don’t worry, be happy” causes shame. As a philosopher, Mariana explains that the problem has ancient roots, which are entangled with positive thinking. She also highlights alternative sources with more helpful messages.

Our conversation explores practicalities, including how to strike a balance between acceptance and change – both individually and as a society. We touch on overlaps with yoga, such as the fusion of older ideas with Western “New Thought” (whose original “mind cure” shapes modern-day “manifesting”). And we consider ways of seeing beyond dark and light to more diverse perspectives.

Night Vision is out now in paperback, ebook and audio – it’s engagingly written, but with scholarly rigour. For a taste of Mariana’s work, try this New York Times essay on the children’s TV host Fred Rogers, whose “belief that we should validate emotions, not suppress them, is wisdom for all ages”.

🎓 Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.

🙏 To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

How did Westerners first get involved with Eastern teachers, and is the age of the guru now over? In his latest book, The Nirvana Express, Mick Brown presents a colourful cast of seekers, writers, mystics, tricksters and chancers – he reveals people’s flaws without obscuring the sincerity of spiritual quests.

Alongside portraits of better-known subjects, from Vivekananda and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to Rajneesh, Mick notes the influence of Western occultists, and early interest in Ramana Maharshi – an exemplary sage who inspired The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham and A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton.

Our conversation explores the significance of these stories, alongside others from an earlier book, The Spiritual Tourist, which recounts Mick’s engagement with mystical teachers. In his day job, he works as a journalist – reporting in detail on guru abuses – so we talk about the value of critical thinking, while considering the merits of genuine teachers, who can only awaken what's found in oneself.

🎓 Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.

🙏 To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe

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How does someone heal an addictive mind? Matthew Hahn is a co-founder of Recovery Dharma, which uses Buddhist methods to overcome addictions. He also contributes to the Boundless Freedom Project, teaching mindfulness, ethics and compassion to people in prison and on their return to the outside world.

Our conversation explores how Buddhist principles and practices empower those in recovery to find inner wisdom. We consider how this differs from “12 step” approaches, which enlist the help of God, while noting the importance of community to both. Another part of Matthew’s work is to advocate for changes in carceral policy that make transformation more widely accessible.

These commitments grew out of his experiences, both as an addict and convicted felon. Matthew has been sober since 2005, but his earlier escapades earned him ten years in prison. That story is worth a whole podcast in itself (see this episode of How to Human for a fuller exploration). Put simply, his life turned around after stealing a safe, and his response to what he found inside reduced his sentence.

Matthew describes his own recovery in this essay, included in the second edition of Recovery Dharma, which is available for free download here. He posts on Instagram, TikTok and X / Twitter with the handle @hahnscratch.

🎓 Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.

🙏 To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com

What can we learn from over 2,000 years of fascination with the East? Chris Harding explores this question in The Light of Asia – a book that shares its title with a poem about the Buddha from the nineteenth century. His focus is on characters whose personal engagement with Asian traditions shaped Western perceptions.

Our conversation reflects on the impact of efforts to reconcile different viewpoints. Does one way of seeing predominate? What guards against cherry-picking? Among many other topics, we also consider:

* The early influence of Jesuits in spreading ideas

* Alan Watts as a priest, blurring multiple boundaries

* Bede Griffiths and inter-religious experiments in India

* The importance of community to spiritual practice

* What it might mean to “decolonise philosophy”

Chris is a cultural historian at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in modern India and Japan. He contributes regularly to the BBC, and a range of publications, including Aeon and Unherd. He is also the author of IlluminAsia.

🕉️ Join me online for The Path of Knowledge, a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities.

🙏 To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com

Does yoga really mean union? As Zoë Slatoff explains in this fascinating chat about philosophy and Sanskrit, the simplest answer is probably “sometimes”…

Zoë’s PhD explores how yoga became entangled with non-dual Vedānta, blurring distinctions between the two systems. One important catalyst was the popularity of physical practice, whose aims were framed in terms of oneness. So gnostic teachers adapted its methods, which were slowly combined with Patañjali’s yoga.

We discuss how this happened through the prism of a text the studied (called the Aparokṣānubhūti, on which more here). And since Zoë is also the author of a Sanskrit textbook for yoga practitioners, we talk about the challenges – as well as the pleasures – of learning the language. Even just a little bit can make a big difference.

Zoë has practised yoga since the 1990s, teaching it for much of that time. She's now a professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and offers online courses in Sanskrit via the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

🕉️ For a year-long immersion in yogic traditions, relating ancient wisdom to modern priorities, join me online for The Path of Knowledge.

🙏 To support this podcast, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!