What I've Learned This Season

[@svenbergmann-vf8tf]

"I am like a vacuum cleaner. I can clean you without being clean myself." (Chögyam Trungpa)

[@Kamala5151-o6n]

I thank you for this open, humble, eye opening (about social media, information, misinformation,etc..). Follow your moral compass, embrace uncertainty, feel comfortable in the "I don't know", remember your mortality..I do find resonance in these pointers and think they are so valuable. Thank you so much Chris. Blessings 🙌

[@JulieK.33]

I appreciate your summary of the key points 💛

[@Kamala5151-o6n]

​@@JulieK.33 🙏

[@cosmicwit]

Thank you for sharing these insightful and wise takes on current events. As someone who has always straddled the so-called "spiritual world / communities" and more mainstream culture, it's hard to find sources that offer a more elevated yet grounded perspective. Before the election I was consuming probably too much liberal political podcast content. Now I am seeking out viewpoints that address our challenges and engage with politics but come from a spiritual place grounded in a non-dual, ensouled worldview, with an eye toward the evolution of consciousness, not just practical, political solutions. You sit squarely within that sweet spot. So thank you. Also, I appreciate your confession about being a know-it-all in high school. I sometimes have similar tendencies. It's a process, even with awareness and good intentions 😊🙏🏻📿

[@xenocrates2559]

A profound and inspiring post with a lot of healing as well. Thanks for taking the time to post this video. // Early in the video you refer to the cultivation of virtue and how this seems to be absent these days. I think, for the West, this is because Virtue Ethics was sidelined and replaced by other, much more problematic, types of ethics. The locus classicus (root text) for Virtue Ethics in the West is The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle which was foundational for over 1,000 years and whose last chapter speaks of a life of contemplation as the highest life we can lead. This was displaced, particularly in the anglosphere, by Utilitarianism which is a kind of calculus that never seems to produce coherent, or actionable, analyses. (As an aside, I think that Classical Western thought was influenced by Indian thought and there is a stronger connection than is taught in University. But that's a big topic.) // Best wishes.

[@TyroneCLove]

Such profound teachings Hareesh, transmitted with such clarity and humility 🙏

[@JulieK.33]

Hi Christopher, one of the areas I continue to try to improve in myself is communicating using the wisdom of “nonviolent communication.” This is something that you, in fact, turned me on to and I’m thankful for that. So, in response to the video, I would like to say that I acknowledge the points you made, but what stands out for me, is that I appreciate your candor, humility, and willingness to self-reflect. I suspect that it took a lot of courage to openly share that experience in high school and possibly expose a childhood wound. And I’m also somewhat relieved to hear you concede that you can’t possibly know what is right, and that you acknowledged having expressed pretty rigid and black and white opinions at times in the past. It was this type of expression and thinking (and not your underlying opinion on the issue) that I found so unsettling during COVID, especially given your status as a teacher of non-duality. I have never lost respect for you as a scholar and a teacher, but I was feeling uncomfortable with what I personally perceived as a highly judgmental, rigid attitude about societal issues. I respect your commentary and you’re willingness to openly share your opinions on controversial topics, but I am relieved to hear that you are also open to nuances and complexity and the overall mystery of the divine play. 🙏❤🌸

[@davidcook637]

I think it’s hard to say if epistemological coherence would be any better than decoherence when one considers the history of the former, but in any case, and given how our observations differ from time to time, I very much appreciated hearing what you had to say here. Thank you for your honesty.

[@kornylak]

Appreciating your clarity and on-going integrity.

[@karthy257]

For people from both the sides of the political spectrum, the answer lies in verses 123, 125 and 126 of Vigyana Bhairava Tantra. There is no purity or impurity, no morality or immorality, no right or wrong, always stand in the middle between polar opposites (that even includes feelings like joy and sorrow). These are the core ideas of Shaivism. Lord Shiva is portrayed as a both a beautiful, lovable person and at the same time a horrible destroyer. The Indian mythology reminds that again and again to follow the observe and move on path, regardless of the attachment to any view points. As a lover of Yogic practices and Tantric philosophy, I always observe the duality, yet move on to the middle path and take the reality as it is. For those people who talk about "morality", "values", "love", "joy" and "tolerance", I have seen so much hate, anger, and vengeance against a person (who faced two close attempts on his life) or the people who support that person. It seems far away from the behavior of a normal human being. It's better to have real love, tolerance, and compassion to others who you disagree with. For the concept of "epistemological de-coherence", you have to self-reflect that you could be in the liberal echo chamber when the majority of the country voted for one candidate, while the other side living in an "alternate reality" based on the totally biased mainstream media which just spouts lies, edits news clips, and maliciously thrives on the ignorance of normal people. May be you should walk outside the echo chamber and try what is outside the "epistemological coherence" of your sides' logic and facts. You be the judge. Love is divine ❤

[@devanandazobda7528]

Waouh ! I am wonderfully impressed by this video. I have been listening to your videos, and reading tantra illuminated and I have started reading the recognition sutras; and one thing I really enjoy in you is your search for the right words to express the truth as well as possible. Of course the truth can't be expressed, but your pointers to IT ,I really enjoy. Your total openess here in this video is very touching. I feel so open hearted after hearing you. People like you are, I believe, a real hope for the world! Thank you.

[@shuniaone]

Hello Christopher, Thank you for your honest commentary and framing of a crucial question I've grappled with for much of my life. As an "inheritor of Yogi Bhajan" and a recipient of his “gifts,” I made the choice to stay, dedicating decades to separting the wheat from the chaff within that tradition. For me, the answer to your question is profoundly nuanced and paradoxical-enlightening yet painful. I would love to invite you to a heartfelt dialogue, not to convince or sway you, but to connect sincerely in shared honesty. I believe such a conversation could offer us both a richer understanding of our respective paths. If this resonates with you, please reply here, and let me know the best way to reach you. Warmly... Gurudev

[@rudiverhoeven1670]

Beautifully nuanced, thank you for bringing such clarity to this moment.

[@Fralibers]

“Epistemological de-coherence” is a nice way to put it.

[@lbazemore585]

This is why sitting is so very important!!💗

[@orshaharorna.shahar8921]

Harish, you will continue to want to be right all your life. You will fight it, accept it, change That and after a while you will suddenly find that it comes again, in a more subtle and covert way from another direction. Your courage lies in the confession and in the very desire to continue your inner alchemy. By the way, I really appreciate the work you do and also see no problem with a 'spiritual' person expressing a political position. But - you could have said all this in 5-10 minutes instead of 34.

[@christopherwallis751]

@@orshaharorna.shahar8921 well if I could have, I would have! Off the cuff videos are longer than scripted ones, and I don't have time to script it.

[@RobinPai-k9j]

Appreciate the humility shown after the last video. 🙏

[@Ayesha_11122]

Beautiful. Thank you 🤍

[@michaelreidy8662]

Thank You. Your talk has given me some ideas on how to return to a base epistemological coherence. Much to contemplate.

[@Durga-ct2eb]

Being able to admit your faults is a virtue, so kudos to you for that. Personally, after listening to some of your political comments in other videos I felt you were treading in areas you had not done enough research and lacked the deep knowledge of history; thus felt to be making comments where you had not done the homework necessary wasn’t serving anyone. Understand, I deeply respect your scholarly knowledge of the Tantric tradition here you shine and homework done is clear. And indeed, we really can’t be certain about anything but only have our personal experience. Personally, I’ve learned we all have blind spots and becoming aware of them is a moral responsibility and for me when I do - I shut up and say to the Divine within “you drive” this keeps me in check.

[@martinspiering5817]

You have my unconditional agreement and support for "communion with direct experience" (or "just this-ness" or suchness). Such a communion eliminates epistemological decoherence in one fell swoop. Even temporary communion is very valuable, as the mind directly experiences how unpleasant the return to incessant thinking and conceptualizing is. As Meister Eckhart says, "Intellect peeps in and ransacks very corner of the Godhead. . . . Intellect forces its way in, dissatisfied with wisdom or goodness or truth or God Himself. In very truth, it is as little satisfied with God as with stone or a tree. It never rests.” That's not to say that the intellect isn't useful, it's very useful, but it's better in the role of servant, not master (to borrow from Iain McGilchrist's work).

[@holyvoid]

Thank you very much! 🙏 🕉

[@shaktivaderdristi]

As if the opponent was a role model of virtue!

[@christopherwallis751]

I literally address that point in the video.

[@pietwandelaar1743]

Some of the so-called spiritual podcasts convey messages about how humankind is evolving spiritually and how there is a sort of mass awakening coming up. Meanwhile the noise of social media suggests that ignorance is deeper and more widespread than ever before. Is there any cause for optimism about our future?

[@taramorrison9509]

Sometimes all you can do is surrender. I enjoyed this discussion, especially around polarization in general. I follow people/pages on both sides of the divide to ‘cheat the algorithm’ so to speak. And yeah, it can be difficult to sort through all the tainting.. but I guess that’s where intuition can come in too.

[@christopherwallis751]

@@taramorrison9509 omg it's you! Well how 'bout that. :)

[@taramorrison9509]

@ I have a curious mind, what can I say? You even included stuff about kundalini yoga- a topic very close to home for me. Your show of humility and growth was nice to see as well :)

[@goblinsdammit]

I'd like to believe that a truly virtuous politician would very popular if given the platform.

[@Giantslothlove]

In my opinion yes, if the root is rotten the fruit will be rotten or tainted. Voting morally or living ethically is how we change these systems, finding ways around that only lead to more hatred, greed and delusion.

[@rodgercampbell2441]

Yeah for embracing uncertainty! Gets me out of my having to know & be right, gets me closer to my intuitiveness. Yeah for humbly acknowledging to our dark side. Love your description of meditation "communing with yourself in the present moment". Maybe whats happening now politically is just another crack in the eggshell of an old way of living. Maybe focusing on the inner aliveness, the "chicken" inside this egg, is best way to bring in a new age?

[@maha77]

excellent analysis

[@JuanHugeJanus]

I do not even think some are voting in favour of a politisk parti but simply which future they assume it will bring, - and that's another level of logic thinking as "blindly" voting personally. It could also (just) be an intuition or gut feeling which is also fine if not better

[@ElisabethJordan-i1k]

Team bring back the Philosopher King❤️

[@pietwandelaar1743]

"Call myself out ..." Interesting Self-enquiry exercise.

[@elizadaphne5501]

🌸🌷🌻🌹🌼

[@rev7690]

You can't drink necter from a poisonous cup 🙄

[@charlesrae3793]

Also, at least Trump's misogny is open; how many presidents have entertained such views in private?

[@paulthomas281]

I understand your disgust. I, too, often can't bring myself to utter his name. So revolting he is. But I also wonder whether is it anti-humanistic of me to refer to him that way: I believe it is.

[@christopherwallis751]

@@paulthomas281 well it's not that I don't utter his name out of disgust, but rather to avoid feeding that word into the algorithm. To avoid giving him more power.

[@elizadaphne5501]

Exactly ❤

[@genelinet1941]

"epistemological decoherence" usually known as a "filter bubble" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble

[@christopherwallis751]

@@genelinet1941 Yes but I wanted to emphasize that it creates an inability for us to cohere.

[@yogastef]

Wow BabaJi, rich! Thank you for taking accountability for your binary tendency/shaking habit of rightness! Noble indeed! And may I challenge that the assertion, no one’s not doing it for the ad revenue…. Is that a confession? I doubt it. I trust that it is your passion that’s driven you to translate the VBT with respect to the best of your knowledge (which is profound for me at least). Boeing to your humanness and the capacity of it to know and transfer the unspeakable 🙏🏼🫶🏼🪷🙌🏼gifts we’re lucky to receive धन्यवद् जी

[@christopherwallis751]

@@yogastef thankfully I have other sources of income so I don't need to monetize my KZbin channel or my podcast.

[@natashasagalovsky1883]

I love this H 💜