Is it possible to escape the cycle of desire that keeps us bound? In this episode, Thom explores the subtle mechanics of kaṛma and the paradox of fulfillment, blending ancient wisdom with contemporary dilemmas. 

Move beyond the myth of desire-free enlightenment and discover the true role desires play in moving us, often mysteriously, right where we need to be. 

Prepare to step into a new understanding of fulfillment, agency, and the playful nature of wants.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Kaṛma: Action that Binds
[03:30] The Danger Zone
[06:44] Kṛiya: Action that Doesn’t Bind
[09:33] The Power of a Pink Shirt
[13:13] A Literal Bucket List
[15:48] The Desirability of a Desire-free State
[18:42] Q - Does attachment to the desire for enlightenment keep you bound?
[18:50] A - The Hypnosis of Social Conditioning
[21:37] Enlightenment’s an Acquisition
[24:38] Desires Just Move Me Around

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What makes a thought or experience negative? And is it “bad” to have a negative thought or experience?

Thom gives us food for thought in this episode, in response to a question from a guest at a recent retreat. 

Using his own unusual childhood as a case study, Thom explains the distinction between content and context, and the role consciousness and Vedic Meditation have in helping us negate the negative.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Q - How Can My Thoughts Be Negative?
[01:44] I'm a Strange Guy
[03:38] Learning My ABCs
[06:33] Nothing Negates the Forward Movement of Evolution
[07:48] Going Back in Time
[10:48] A Little Snapshot of Time Is Never Pretty
[12:43] Consciousness Contextualizes Content
[14:22] The Dangers of Irrelevancy
[18:02] Recycling Stress
[21:28] Let It Go and Move On
[22:47] It’s All Okay

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What if surrender isn’t something you do at all? In this episode, Thom reframes surrender and “letting go” through the Vedic lens, not as effort, but as the spontaneous movement of the mind toward greater charm.

With vivid metaphors from Guru Deva, monkeys, and even jelly beans, Thom reveals how true surrender happens naturally when the mind is free of stress and guided by charm.

Listen as Thom explains how Vedic Meditation trains us to release unnecessary tenacity and experience surrender as a state of freedom, not struggle.

Episode Highlights
[00:45] Can You Surrender the Surrendering?

[03:33] Pre-approving Movement of the Mind

[07:06] Effortless Movement Towards Charm

[09:38] Vedic Meditation: The Training Ground for the Removal of Unnecessary Tenacity

[12:46] Q - What's the relationship between retrospective surrender and letting go?

[12:56] Monkeys That Don't Let Go

[15:34] Don't be Like the Monkeys

[17:43] The Capacity to See the Future in the Making

[22:06] Close Your Eyes and Stay Awake

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What if the story you tell about your past is not who you are? In this episode, Thom unpacks saṃskara, those defining moments we cling to, and shows how Vedic Meditation transforms them into smriti, clear waypoints on the path to uncovering our true identity.

If you have ever felt trapped by your history, Thom’s wisdom offers a way to honor it without being defined by it.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Defining Moments that Shape Our Identity

[03:30] Mistaken Identity

[07:38] Smriti - Awakening the Vast Consciousness Within

[10:24] Like Attracts Like

[12:55] Printing Out Litter in the Body

[15:10] Vedic Meditation: Adding Context to Growth Experiences

[16:51] Siddhartha Sees Suffering

[20:13] Siddhartha Attains Nirvana: Becomes the Shakya Muni

[22:56] Enlightenment is the Big Story

[24:58] Q - Can smritis inadvertently revert to becoming saṃskaras?

[25:15] Pragyaparadha: The Mistaken Intellect

[27:42] The Intellect Cleaves to Its Former Identity

[30:28] The Reluctance of Saṃskaras

[32:27] Universe Having a Human Experience

[34:54] Aham Brahmasmi: I am Totality

[38:32] Snap Out of It

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When a young Thom Knoles found himself among world leaders, philosophers, and celebrities at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s table, he felt wildly out of his depth. A well-meaning barrister’s critique led to embarrassment, reflection, and an unforgettable lesson from Maharishi himself.

In this intimate and humorous story, Thom shares how a moment of mortification turned into a profound teaching on arrogance, humility, and taking action, and the one simple word that can shift you out of self-doubt instantly.

You can also watch the podcast here https://youtu.be/IDKEn6UhCVM.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Advice From a Barrister
[04:37] Malapropisms
[07:11] I’m Not Like Them
[11:48] How Can We Get Out of This Arrogance?
[13:25] Engage in Action

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Does Vedic Meditation solve all our problems? And if it’s so good, why are some Vedic meditators less than perfect?

In this Ask Thom Anything episode, Thom explores the impacts of Vedic Meditation in response to questions from listeners.

Questions include: a query about the compatibility of Vedic Meditation with talk therapy; an investigation into the characteristics of Vedic meditators; and an enquiry into why Vedic Meditation might be more effective than some other spiritual practices.

The episode gives food for thought, for meditators and non-meditators alike.

Episode Highlights
[00:45] Q - How does Vedic Meditation fit in with talk therapy?

[01:16] A - A Fault of the Age of Ignorance

[03:42] Providing Context for Content

[05:44] What Are the Therapeutic Goals?

[07:36] Self-Sufficiency - The Ultimate Therapeutic Goal

[10:29] Q - Why are some Vedic Meditators still jerks? 

[10:56] A - The Question is a Reflection of the Questioner

[13:50] Don’t Water the Weeds

[16:30] Vedic Meditation Always Aids Progress

[18:19] Q - Why Should I Add Vedic Meditation to My Spiritual Practices?

[18:52] A - Thinking About Thinking

[20:39] Thought Clusters and Spiritual Essence

[22:58] Here’s How to Experience Being

Useful Links

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Ever felt like a fraud? Like any minute now you’ll be “found out”? In this episode of The Vedic Worldview, Thom Knoles unpacks the real cause of imposter syndrome and why false modesty isn’t the virtue we think it is.

He reveals how subtle mistakes of the intellect keep us playing small and prevent us from expressing our full potential in the world.

So, if you’ve ever questioned your worth or doubted your success, this conversation offers a profound reminder of who you really are.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Q-hVse91BNo

Episode Highlights

[00:45] I’m a Fake

[03:24] I Know Better Than Them

[05:18] I’ll Accept the Accolades

[09:04] I’m the Universe Having a Human Experience

[11:43] You Deserve the Best

[15:39] As It Comes, Take It

[18:59] Change Who the I is Inside

[23:10] Can techniques other than Vedic Meditation help with imposter syndrome?

[23:43] A - Direct Experience

[26:38] The Implications of a Silent Mind

[30:02] Experiential Illumination

[34:42] Enlightenment Denial

[38:53] “Are you enlightened yet?”

[42:49] The Fun of Remembrance

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What if everything you see, touch, and experience is actually made of the same thing? 

In this episode, Thom explores the startling relationship between matter and consciousness, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about reality and about who and what we are. 

Prepare to view the world and yourself in an entirely new light.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] We Seem to Live in a Material Universe

[02:55] Good Vibrations

[05:01] A Responsive Universe

[07:31] The Hard Question of Consciousness

[10:29] The State of Unity Consciousness

[13:15] Sharpening Our Sensory Acuity with Vedic Meditation

[16:37] The Ultimate in Sensory Perception, Seeing Yourself in Everything

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Can we consciously design our next incarnation, or are we already doing it unwittingly?

In this episode, Thom explores the Vedic and Buddhist perspectives on rebirth, fulfillment, and the trap of unfulfilled desire. Along the way, Thom shares a remarkable story of enlightenment and a cautionary tale from the Mahabharata that reveals how easily we can mistake desire for destiny.

Listen as Thom explains how meditation allows us to live in “total and unambiguous relevance,” free from the need to chase fulfillment through endless cycles of becoming.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y-nkLcRFwVQ

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Q - Can we engineer our incarnations in advance?

[00:51] A - Jataka: The Retrospective Approach

[03:35] Experience and Intellectual Understanding Go Together

[06:35] Fulfillment in Search of a Gelato

[10:19] Everythingness Cannot Reincarnate

[12:44] Living Life in Total and Unambiguous Relevance

[14:56] Q - Which path is better, revenge or enlightenment?

[15:44] A - It’s a Cautionary Tale

[18:37] Vedic Meditation: An End to Desperate Unhappiness

[20:47] Enlightenment: Fulfillment Seeking Need

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Is sexuality a path to higher consciousness or a distraction dressed up as spirituality? 

In this episode, Thom explores the Vedic view on sexual energy, why so-called “harnessing” may be the opposite of what you think, and the hidden cost of “chasing the active ingredient.“

Thom also flips manifestation on its head, revealing why desire follows what is already unfolding and how transcendence twice daily changes the game.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Harnessing

[05:47] Active-Ingredient Mentality

[10:04] A Lack of Fundamental Fulfillment

[12:45] A Very Clever Marketing Idea

[15:05] Perpetually Orgasmic

[17:58] Transcendence is Everything

[19:32] The Universe is Your Sugar Daddy

[21:24] Desire is Secondary to Manifestation

[26:03] Q - What’s the relationship between creation energy and sexuality?

[26:09] A - Enhanced Repertoire

[30:21] What Does Sexuality Mean?

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