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Back to Joseph Emmett — Yoga for Your Intellect, with Joseph Emmett.

What Does Joseph Emmett Say an Ashram Is?

Joseph Emmett tells James Beshara that the word ashram literally means a refuge. He describes the one he studied in, Vedanta Academy, as an Indian monastery arranged so ordinary life drops away: a uniform, meals, a walk to the exercise room, and a yoga hall. The aim is to free attention for higher thought. Emmett calls Vedanta yoga for the intellect, a daily practice of turning the mind toward what is timeless, the way a physical practice turns the body toward the mat. He says the ashram is a charity in India, and that many of the students do not pay.

Transcript

Joseph Emmett — Yoga for Your Intellect ·

Below the Line with James Beshara

More from this episode

  1. What Causes a Person to Cling to Something So TightlyWhatever you are attached to, that attachment repels from you. Whatever you are attached to actually causes you to cling to it tightly.
  2. What Is a World View AnalystSomeone who asks others what motivates their day-to-day lives.
  3. What Is the World Governed byJoseph Emmett spoke with Keith, a man who was on the same flight as he was.
  4. What Is the Key Contrast of Western and Eastern ThoughtWestern thoughts are focused on life in the world (ethics, morality, personal freedoms, democracy, etc.)
  5. How Can Western and Eastern Thought Processes Be SummarizedThe western side of things is focused on rearranging the world around us and the eastern side of things moves beyond life in the world.
  6. What Are Some Stories That Have Shaped Joseph to Who He Is TodayFor 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.
  7. What Does the Philosophical Term "isness" Refer toComplete fullness before anything came to be.
  8. What Does Joseph Emmett Say Shaped His View of the World?Joseph Emmett tells James Beshara that his worldview came from sitting with the principle underneath creation, whether he pictured it as fullness or as void.
  9. What Is Meant by the Concept of "satori" in Eastern ThoughtInstant enlightenment; an experience.
  10. What Is the Bhagavad GitaIt is one of the core books of Hinduism. The text is about 2500 years old.
  11. What Is a SwamiA swami is essentially a teacher.
  12. What Is the Environment Like When Sitting Under a Swami's Teaching at an AshramThe lifestyle is very simple and very communal. Days are often full from 4am - 9pm.
  13. What Are the Steps to Have a Change in World ViewQuestion, 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.
  14. Who Was Alan WattsHe was a former Episcopalian priest who is considered one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century.
  15. What Is Yoga Truly Meant forYoga'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.
  16. Where Does Yoga Take PlacePeace 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.
  17. What Are Some Important Principles for Someone New to the PracticeEvery 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.
  18. How Does One Develop IntellectQuestion everything. Do not take anything for granted and be alert for how things are and how they change.
  19. How Is Classical Meditation DefinedHolding the mind to one exclusive thought under the governance of one's intellect.
  20. What Does Stress Do to PeopleStress 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…
  21. What Are Some Characteristics of Successful EntrepreneursThey 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.

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