Swami Sarvapriyananda on the Upanishads and the Hard Problem of Consciousness (#48) By Jacob Kyle Posted on July 21, 2017 #Philosophy#Traditions About the Guest: Swami Sarvapriyananda was appointed as Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York, and assumed his duties there on January 5, 2017. He served as assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for 13 months, beginning on December 3, 2015. Swami joined the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in 1994 and received Sannyas in 2004. As assistant minister, Swami Sarvapriyananda gave regular evening classes in the Hollywood Temple, assisted Swami Sarvadevananda with major pujas, delivered Sunday spiritual talks at each of the Southern California centers, and led monthly retreats at Vivekananda House. He also gave retreats here and at centers throughout the U.S. Before being posted to the VSSC’s Hollywood Temple, Swami served as an acharya, instructor, of the monastic probationers’ training center at Belur Math. He has served the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in various capacities including being the Vice Principal of the Deoghar Vidyapith Higher Secondary School, Principal of the Shikshana Mandira Teacher’s Training College at Belur Math, and the first registrar of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University at Belur Math. Swami holds a degree in Business Management from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. In this episode, we discuss… The evolution of eastern religious interests within American cultureWhat Vedanta contributes to the conversation on the so-called “hard problem” of consciousness”Introduction to the Vedas including the history of the Upanishads and their exploration of consciousnessThe relationship between Atman and BrahmanThe Bhakti approach to god vs. a more visceral experience of godThe ‘New Atheists’Ramakrishna’s spiritual path, and his four main teachingsThe rise of fundamentalist dogmas in different religions and how to respond Take the podcast with you Subscribe in your favourite app Read more like this #Philosophy #Yoga Knowledge, Experience, and the Yoga Teacher with Daniel Simpson (#160) Daniel Simpson is the author of The Truth of Yoga, an accessible guide to yoga history and philosophy. This episode was previously recorded as part of the Future of the Yoga Teacher Summit and is being republished for its depth and relevance. By Jacob Kyle #Philosophy #Practice #Rasa #Traditions #Yoga Pratipakṣa Bhāvana: Cultivating the Opposite as a Celebration of Our Humanity The Oxford Dictionary defines passion as a strong and barely controllable emotion. Many so-called positive emotions fit that bill. So what happens if we experiment with touching sorrow in times when we feel the most euphoric of highs? Cultivating the opposite in all situations, even in times of elation, prepares us for the inevitability that we will at some point feel the lowest of lows. By Tara Lemerise #Traditions #Yoga Ashtanga Yoga in Sutras and the Gītā: A Comparison with Edwin Bryant (#157) Edwin Bryant is the professor of Hinduism at Rutgers University. He has published eight books, and authored a number of articles on the earliest origins of the Vedic culture, yoga philosophy, and the Krishna tradition. By Jacob Kyle #Practice #Traditions Is the West Ready for Tantra? with Andrew Holecek (#156) In this episode, author and Embodied Philosophy faculty, Andrew Holecek, is in conversation with Stephanie Corigliano and Jacob Kyle, as they discuss Andrew’s article, “Is the West Ready for Tantra?” an article released in the latest issue of Tarka. By Jacob Kyle TARKA Journal Discover our latest issues or become a monthly subscriber to access all digital and/or print content. Tarka #06: On Spiritual Citizenship Tarka #05: On Queer Dharma Tarka #04: On Death Tarka #03: On Ecology Tarka #02: On Illusion Tarka #01: On Bhakti Tarka #0: On the Scholar-Practitioner