In this episode I speak with Daniela Bevilacqua. We cover hindu asceticism, its history, its aims, its culture. We discuss how contemporary ascetics are interacting with a rapidly changing and modernising India. You can listen to her Wise Studies course, Hindu Asceticism and its Spiritual Disciplines here: https://wisestudies.com/product/hindu-asceticism-and-its-spiritual-disciplines-with-daniela-bevilacqua/Daniela Bevilacqua is a South-Asianist specialising in Hindu asceticism, which sh...

In this episode I speak with John Danvers about his 55+ years of Zen teaching and practice. We discuss the history of Zen, awakening experiences, the art of sitting and more.You can listen to his entire Wise Studies course An Introduction to Soto Zen at wisestudies.comJohn Danvers has over fifty-five years’ experience of Zen meditation. He has no affiliation to any particular school or tradition. Whilst he has learned a great deal from historical teachers and from people he has met over...

In this episode I am speaking with Ann Conway-Jones about some of the developments in early Christianity. What was the transition like between Jews and Gentiles who went from identifying with the customs and traditions of the time to becoming followers of Christ? What defined early Christian contemplative practice? Ann teaches biblical studies, early Jewish–Christian relations, and the development of mystical theology for The Queen’s Foundation; Woodbrooke Quaker Studies Centre; Birming...

In this episode I am speaking with Dr. Karen O’Brien-Kop. Karen is Lecturer in Asian Religions and Ethics at the University of Roehampton. She was formerly Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Religions and Philosophies at SOAS University of London. Her doctoral research at SOAS was on the intertextuality of Pātañjala yoga and Buddhist yoga in the classical era. She was a co-founder of the Sanskrit Reading Room and is a committee member of the SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies.You can hear K...

In this episode I am speaking with Gavin Flood. Gavin is a Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion in the Theology and Religion Faculty and academic director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Gavin read Religious Studies and Social Anthropology at Lancaster University and taught at the universities of Wales (Lampeter) and Stirling before coming to Oxford. He was elected to membership of the British Academy in 2014. His research interests are in medieval Hindu texts (especial...

In this episode I speak with Sarah Shaw. Sarah received her PhD in English from Manchester University. After studying Pali and Sanskrit at Oxford, she began teaching and writing on Buddhist subjects. She has written several books on meditation theory and practice, and Jātaka literature. She is the author of several books including Introduction to Buddhist Meditation, The Jātakas: Birth Stories of the Bodhisatta and her most recent book, The Spirit of Buddhist Meditation. She is a member of th...

In this episode I am speaking with Dr. Karen O'Brien-Kop. Karen is Lecturer in Asian Religions and Ethics at the University of Roehampton. She was formerly Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Religions and Philosophies at SOAS University of London. Her doctoral research at SOAS was on the intertextuality of Pātañjala yoga and Buddhist yoga in the classical era. She was a co-founder of the Sanskrit Reading Room and is a committee member of the SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies. You can ...

In this episode I am speaking with Ruth Westoby. Ruth is a doctoral researcher in yoga and an Ashtanga practitioner. As well as offering workshops and lectures at studios and conferences, Ruth teaches on some of the principal Yoga teacher training programmes in the UK and beyond. Ruth received an MA in Indian Religions from SOAS in 2010.Her website is enigmatic.yogaYou can listen to her Wise Studies course Women In Yoga here. The topics we discuss are:Common polarities in yogic textsFema...

In this episode I am speaking with Professor Bee Scherer. Bee is a long-time practitioner of Buddhism and a global Buddhist lay teacher. Bee has studied Indic and Tibetan philology, published on karma, Nāgārjuna and early Mind-only Buddhist schools. In recent years, Bee has worked on transnational Tibetan Buddhism; radical, reform and socially engaged Buddhism in Asia; and on Buddhist perspectives on gender and sexuality.You can hear Bee’s course The Essentials of Buddhist Philosophy at ...

In this episode I speak with Gwilym Beckerlegge. Gwilym studied religions at the Universities of Oxford and Lancaster. He is the author of The Ramakrishna Mission: The Making of a Modern Hindu Movement (2000) and Swami Vivekananda’s Legacy of Service: A Study of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission (2006). You can find his course, Vivekananda and His Legacy at wisestudies.comVivekananda, a man of his timeAdvaita Vedanta practicesRamakrishnaSaint or Sage?God-realised?

In this episode I am speaking with Graham Burns. Graham is a yoga teacher and lecturer. He received his masters and PhD at SOAS the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University where he is now a senior teaching fellow. We discuss:Introduction to the UpanishadsVedanta3 schools of thought in Vedanta; Advaita, Dvaita, VishishtadvaitaDualism vs non-dualismComparing Vedanta with Samkhya & YogaCommon themes in the UpanishadsGraham's website is http://www.samanayoga.com/

Angela Voss, PhD, SFHEA is Programme Director for the MA in Myth, Cosmology and the Sacred at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. In this podcast we discuss:Her interest in the Renaissance philosopher Marsilio FicinoThe relationship between art, religion and scienceWho were the neoplatonists?Neoplatonic ritualThe neoplatonic goalThe prominence of its practiceThe influence of neoplatonic ideas on contemporary esoteric, spiritual and scientific thoughtShe has studied and taught Wester...

In this episode I am speaking with Reverend Dr. Nicholas Buxton. Nicholas is the Director of St Antony’s Priory, in Durham, and founder of ‘Just Meditation’ and the Newcastle Meditation Centre. He has a PhD in Buddhist philosophy from the University of Cambridge and is an experienced meditation teacher and retreat leader. Publications include The Wilderness Within: Meditation and Modern Life (Canterbury Press, 2014), and Tantalus and the Pelican: Exploring Monastic Spirituality Today (Co...