Whatever you are attached to, that attachment repels from you. Whatever you are attached to actually causes you to cling to it tightly. Such as, holding something you love too tightly in your hands, causes you to restrict it.

Someone who asks others what motivates their day-to-day lives. Responses sometimes include people who have never considered the question or perhaps have a "canned" response to the question.

Joseph Emmett spoke with Keith, a man who was on the same flight as he was. Keith talked to Joseph with a classical western point of view, and he thought that the world is governed by subjective laws of life and living, which is equivalent to say that nature is governed by external laws.

Western thoughts are focused on life in the world (ethics, morality, personal freedoms, democracy, etc.) whereas eastern-based philosophies tend to not be based on just the world and the waking state of consciousness. It encompasses state of consciousness beyond just waking.

The western side of things is focused on rearranging the world around us and the eastern side of things moves beyond life in the world.

For Joseph, the first story is his love of a question. Specifically, what was there before the Universe? He was around the age of 10, living in Texas. He associates his time of life with this question, possibly due to a long bus ride and being outdoors a lot. He states he wasn’t wracking his brain for an answer — because there isn’t an answer — but he loved the question because it put himself into a calmed and simple state of mind that he enjoyed.

Playing off of his first story’s question, the world view of nothing is something has shaped his life because at the the core of our personality, there is an existence of Self. He thinks of a principle of the underlying creation, whatever that is, was his world view and early unconscious practice. Joseph states that our entire lives, consciously or unconsciously, are an attempt to move back toward that since it’s our original nature.

Complete fullness before anything came to be.

Contemplating the very existent principle underlying creation can ultimately shape one's worldview.

Its literal meaning is refuge. The idea of an ashram is to create a safe space for meditation and instruction.

Instant enlightenment; an experience.

It is one of the core books of Hinduism. The text is about 2500 years old. It is discusses everything from the varying states of consciousness to how to be successful in the world.

A swami is essentially a teacher.

The lifestyle is very simple and very communal. Days are often full from 4am - 9pm. Each day is structured the same including space for quiet moments, tea time, yoga, physical training, study and lecture sessions.

Question, reflect, and cogitate for 80% of the time. According to Joseph, these may take years to go through, but that’s how you ingrain them into your system. Listening is crucial to help onboard these values in order to bring about a transformation in the ashram. Once you carry out these steps, living them becomes automatic.

He was a former Episcopalian priest who is considered one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. He was pivotal in bringing eastern thought to the western world.

Yoga's original purpose is to yoke, connect, or join. It is the cessation of mental fluctuations. True yoga is bringing the mind to a point of stillness.

Peace of mind is found in the work you are doing and not anywhere else. Intense work is rest because it’s the act of serving a larger cause. Yoga happens in the reflection upon the reality, not the question of, what am I going to get out of this? When you study and reflect, you’ll never be more enlightened because the work is the key.

Every human being has a body that is the vehicle for moving around. Within in the body, there are two equipments, which are the mind and intellect. The mind is feelings, emotions, likes, dislikes, etc. The intellect is the ability to think reason, judge, analyze, etc. If the intellect and mind are equal, the intellect can effectively guide the mind. A powerful intellect prevents becoming a victim to the mind.

Question everything. Do not take anything for granted and be alert for how things are and how they change. Go to an intellectual "gym" that allows for meditative reflection and growth.

Holding the mind to one exclusive thought under the governance of one's intellect. It is considered the last stage of spiritual effort and the gateway to enlightenment

Stress pulls people in a hundred directions because the intellect is weak and the mind is running amuck, which is why people get burnt out and want to get away for a short time. The intellect is where you find the peace and pleasure in the action.

They spend endless hours, days, and years toiling away for little time, little pay, and zero glamour. In all honesty, that’s where the joy of success resides. Greatness is born out of the grind, and raised from the grind. The only way for this to work is if the motive for the work is unselfish or selfless. Then, the work becomes a refuge.