What’s the Relationship Between Consciousness and Matter?

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 EverythingUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

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-nkLcRFwVQEpisode 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 NeedUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

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?Useful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

Work-life balance has become a buzz phrase in recent years, especially since the intrusion of smartphones began edging their way into so-called “free time.” In this episode, Thom explains why free time and work aren’t necessarily exclusive of each other, potentially making work-life balance unnecessary.Episode Highlights[00:45] Routine Work has Been Around Forever[03:18] What Do I Do?[05:28] Vedic Meditation - A Major Dose of Unboundedness[08:26] A Neuroplastic Brain[12:26] Work Becomes an Expression of Happiness[14:58] A New Style of Functioning[19:14] Q - How Do You Work Surrounded by Stressed People?[19:42] A - Find Somewhere ElseUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

"Never a dull moment," could easily be a tagline for the tourism industry in India. It’s a land of contrast, color, and constant surprises. But if you want to experience the real flavor of India, you’d be hard pressed to find a better travelling companion than Thom Knoles. With more than 50 years of travelling to India, building deep and lasting relationships, not to mention his status as a Mahamandaleshwar, Thom has a vast collection of stories to tell. In this episode, Thom shares a tiny sample from this vast collection, featuring swamis, snakes, Diet Coke, and more.There are even more stories to come. If you’d like to be there and be a part of future adventures, Thom invites you to join him on his upcoming annual India retreat. You can find out more at https://thomknoles.com/india-retreat/.Episode Highlights[00:45] A Visit from Swami Premananda[05:40] Passing the Lunch Exam with the Shankaracharya and Some Swamis[08:40] Eructations and Diet Coke[10:27] The Shankaracharya’s Birthday Party[12:37] Of Course He Has a Snake in His Hair![15:11] A Full Spectrum of Experiences Await in RishikeshUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

What if the thing holding back our evolution wasn’t the Unviverse, but our alignment with it?In this Q&A episode, Thom explores the subtle early signal of misalignment, why formulaic living dulls creativity, and how the unknown became the forge of the human brain. Thom also challenges us to make our behaviors more evolutionary, offers a cautionary message about our modern archives, and shares a bold, simple law you won’t forget.Episode Highlights[00:45] Q - How do we make evolution exponential as opposed to gradual?[00:55] A - The Sweet Spot Is…[05:03] Looking for Frictionless Flow[07:18] The Dangers of Formulaic Thinking[10:40] An Allergy to Embracing the Unknown[12:33] The Unknown is the Frontier that Built the Human Brain[15:30] An Invitation to Do Something Different[17:54] Q - What exactly are we to harvest? Knowledge or resources?[19:11] A - Breaking the Shackles of Our Brain[21:35] The Greatest Wasted Resource on Earth[24:01] Use It Or Lose It[26:43] Brain-Power Problems[30:39] The Great Good Fortune of Being a Vedic Meditator[32:31] An Outlet for Social Relevance[36:14] Q - Are our current evolutionary theories still relevant?[36:54] A - Big Crunch is Making a Comeback[39:34] Individuality is Cosmic[42:12] Thank Goodness for the Asteroid Strike[46:03] Unreliable Archives of the Human Experience[52:14] Q - Should we harvest more interactions with each other?[52:35] A - Meditators Have the Capacity to be Interactors[56:06] The Joy of Person-to-Person Human Connectivity[58:28] Commonality is a Great Uniting Force[01:00:41] Q - Does the Veda state that evolution is Cosmic Law?[01:00:59] Evolve. Full Stop.Useful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

One of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s most well-known insights was, “Problems are a state of consciousness.”In this episode, Thom shares a vivid example of how Maharishi embodied this truth, using a single, signature word to transform everyday challenges into masterclasses in perception, presence, and trust.Episode Highlights[00:45] Beautiful[03:04] An Excursion in Switzerland[05:50] Lost in Basel[07:53] Found in Basel[10:13] Waiting Consciousness State is GoodUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

This episode is a Questions Arising episode, where Thom answers questions from the previous episode on the relationship between Buddhism and the Vedic Worldview. Thom explores how Buddhism and Vedanta view the Self, compassion, desire, and evolution differently, and why direct experience of transcendence changes everything.You can view Part One of this episode here. Episode Highlights[00:45] Q - How Does the Worldview of a Buddhist Affect How They Engage in the World vs a Vedantist?[01:44] A - Proximity Effects Quieting the Ocean of Consciousness[03:58] Compassion Viewed Differently[06:30] A Desire to Be Free of Desires[08:12] An Almost Impossible Brief[10:01] Trustworthy Desires and Spontaneous Right Action[12:07] Q - Is There a Worldview of Evolution Within Buddhism?[12:46] A - Everything’s in Decline[16:16] Q - Would an Experience of Transcendence Change the Worldview of a Buddhist?[16:46] A - Experience Makes the Difference[20:03] Direct Evidence of the Unified Field[24:19] Q - Why Was the Technique of Transcendence Lost in Buddhism?[24:35] A - Luck of the Draw[27:58] Expert MemorizersUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

Though Buddhism has spread far and wide and has taken on many different ‘flavors,’ its origins are from the heartland of the North Indian subcontinent, ensuring an inescapable link to the Vedic worldview.In this episode, Thom explores the birth story of Buddhism, and the similarities and differences between the Buddhist and Vedic worldviews. It’s a fascinating insight, including an explanation of how the two worldviews have diverged, with the interpretation of a single sentence from Buddha’s teachings having a profound impact on Buddhist philosophy today. Episode Highlights[00:45] An Umbrella Body of Knowledge[05:00] Spending Time With the Dalai Lama[07:27] Buddha - The Shakya Muni[10:07] Searching for the Truth[12:43] The Middle Way[14:26] Searching for a Guru[18:01] Buddhism is Not One Thing[20:50] The No-thingness[23:29] Sap in Expressed Form[25:15] The Unmanifest Field of Pure Potentiality[27:02] The Origin of Tibetan Buddhism[29:10] The Many Faces of Buddhism[30:31] Buddha Didn’t Teach That[32:36] The Source of All Suffering[35:03] Everything is One[37:12] What Buddha Was Actually TeachingUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

Do pillows have feelings? And how do we know when we’re helping versus interfering in the evolution of another?This Questions Arising episode follows on from the most recent episode on Refreshing One’s Dharma, in which Thom explored how we can position ourselves to be performing spontaneous right action in any given moment. As always, Thom’s answers give clarity and the opportunity to understand the answers experientially for ourselves.Episode Highlights[00:45] Q - How do I find the balance between judgement and "helping" and unconditional love and acceptance of others?[02:37] The Actions Arising from Unconditional Love[04:56] Moving Towards Unity Consciousness[07:32] Spontaneous Action vs Well-Thought-Out Action[10:21] Trial and Error[12:58] Awakening the Being Inside of Us[15:24] Q - Can we have Unity with Inanimate Objects?[16:14] A - Hello Lamppost[17:59] Waves of an Underlying ContinuumUseful [email protected] https://thomknoles.com/https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.facebook.com/thethomknoleshttps://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoleshttps://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/