All posts by : Jason Gregory

The fundamental building blocks of the universe are Yin and Yang according to Taoism. Both of these forces integrate within a human being making us a reflection of the whole. But how does this happen and what is the model to explain this process from the One to the ten thousand things? In this episode of The Sacred Word, I will explore the later teachings of Lao-tzu in the Hua Hu Ching, which builds a model of how the world manifests from the source of Tao to the integration of Yin and Yang, symbolized through the image of Tai Chi.

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https://youtu.be/kp-bs0BEoCY

In this podcast, we will explore the problems we encounter when we investigate infinity with our finite minds. Scientists, philosophers, and spiritual teachings all attempt to measure infinity in their own way. We’ve established many wide-ranging conceptual frameworks to explain the nature of reality, but the problem is, all are just different viewpoints and perspectives of the one ultimate reality. We use words like consciousness to explain the nature of reality, but are we just reporting first person experiences and superimposing them onto the entire universe? Is this just a human centric perspective? Even though, we cannot get outside consciousness itself, does that mean that it is the fabric of reality? What would happen to the world if all of our conceptual frameworks died with us? Would the world go on, essentially making all of our philosophizing essentially useless and false, or is consciousness and the universe as mutual as Yin and Yang as explained in the great Eastern maxim “The universe produces consciousness and consciousness evokes the universe?”

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

In this podcast, we will explore the reasons why a sage leaves society and the benefits of becoming a hermit. Being a recluse is an intrinsic way of life in the great Eastern spiritual traditions. We’ve had countless yogis, sadhus, and sages, which is best illustrated with how Lao-tzu left the world to return to nature. Typically, in the modern world, people condemn such action because of the belief that we should all contribute and be part of a society that, as Jiddu Krishnamurti said, is profoundly sick. Why do we defend such a society? Why do we believe our contribution is necessary if the society itself is something we have no faith in? What will we learn about ourselves if we are radical enough to become a recluse and follow the path of the hermit sages? Find out!

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

February, 2012, my wife, Gayoung, and I were moving back to Asia after two years in Australia. We had no plan. We just wanted to let go of our lives and return to Asia permanently. The Art of Letting Go is a full-length documentary that follows us for one year on an amazing journey of uncertainty and extraordinary wonder anyone can experience when control is relinquished. As Lao-tzu explains in the Tao Te Ching, “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving.”

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

In this podcast, we will explore the universal intelligence within the human mind. In the Rig Veda, the oldest known Sanskrit text, and other Vedic literature, the word Buddhi appears extensively. This one word has influenced Vedanta, Yoga, Sankhaya, Jainism, and Buddhism. Buddhi is a word that describes a universal intelligence that a human mind has and can develop. But how do we develop the Buddhi? How can we notice it in others? And what happens to our experience of reality when the Buddhi is fully developed? Find out!

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

In this episode of Enlightenment Today, I will explain the Eastern philosophical view of favoritism and why it is a cognitive error. When we explore the two cognitive styles of the world, we discover that the Eastern holistic cognitive style and the Western individualistic cognitive style are diametrically opposed when it comes to favoritism. Some reasons for this are built into the individualistic perspective of specialness and uniqueness. But are we truly special? Should we play favorites or understand change more deeply? The answers to these questions are discovered in the ancient Eastern spiritual traditions.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

In this podcast, we will explore the life and teachings of Alan Watts. Since the counterculture movement of the 60’s and 70’s there is no voice from that period more widely heard or read than Alan Watts, especially since the birth of social media. But Alan’s voice is often known only in soundbites and not many people in the modern world actually know the origins of his teachings or anything about the remarkable life he lived. What did Alan really know and understand? Should we invest our time in that same knowledge to reach the depths of understanding Alan came to? When we peel the curtain back there is much more to the legend of Alan Watts than meets the eye.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

On the spiritual path we can suffer at the hands of other people who try to mold you to the ego you once were. But once you’ve realized your true nature and don’t live out of the ego, then it can be awkward dealing with family and friends who are familiar with your ego and want you to engage from that place to make their ego’s feel comfortable. How can we navigate such tricky terrain? In this episode of Ask Jason, I will explain Zhuangzi’s teaching on being in the world and not of it, which includes the Taoist technique of genuine pretending and also an awareness of the subtle energy in conversations.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

In this podcast, we will explain why Eastern spirituality holds the secret key to solving mental health problems. In our increasingly busy world, along with the demands of what society expect of the individual, it is not surprising that mental illnesses in the world are becoming commonplace. Our societies try to offer advice and methods for tackling this growing problem. We are told to take all sorts of medication, this diet and that meditation practice, visit the psychiatrists, but still mental illnesses are increasing exponentially. The heart of the problem is so obvious, but not socially accepted in the modern world. But in the East this taboo knowledge and approach builds the core of the ancient spiritual teachings. It is a matter of how serious and radical are we willing to be to tackle this health crisis head-on. Find out more!

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

A persistent problem on the spiritual path is that even though we may understand that we are eternally one and all else is an illusion, our soul on an individual level is still overcome by fear because of a fundamental misperception that is best explained through the famous Vedantic analogy of the rope and the snake. In this episode of The Sacred Word, I will explore the Atmabodha (Self-Knowledge), a famous text by the great Advaita master Shankara. In this text, Shankara explains the significance in understanding the rope and snake analogy and how it holds the key to freeing your soul from fears illusory boundaries.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.