The Daily Vedantic Ep. 74: That MoFo Bastard, the Mind
In this episode James candidly addresses the nature of the mind in Vedanta, drawing a powerful analogy between the mind and a wildfire. He emphasizes that, like a wildfire, the mind is insatiable and relentless in its desires, constantly seeking more without reaching satisfaction. James explores the roles of the three inner equipments—body, mind, and intellect—and underscores the crucial role of the intellect in guiding the mind. He dismantles the illusion that acquiring more material possessions will bring lasting happiness, asserting that desire, much like a wildfire, can only be subdued by an external force—the discerning intellect. James concludes by encouraging listeners to cultivate the intellect to attain true freedom rather than chasing transient comforts.
The Daily Vedantic is a daily podcast and YouTube channel dedicated to the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads (https://www.thedailyvedantic.co). Dating back to over 5,000 years ago, the source of nearly all Eastern Philosophy, and loved by Western giants from Emerson to Thoreau to Carl Jung and Alan Watts, studied daily by Joseph Campbell to Aldous Huxley to Arthur Schopenhauer and countless others, The Daily Vedantic aims to make this ancient philosophy as modern and accessible as it is simple, practical — and profound.
James Beshara (https://www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara) is a renowned startup founder of multiple companies, a prolific startup investor in 200+ others including some of the biggest startup names on the planet, a husband and father of three little girls, and philosophy student and teacher in Los Angeles.
James also co-hosts Yoga For Your Intellect (https://www.YFYI.co), a biweekly long-form conversational podcast with his teacher Joseph Emmett ( https://www.instagram.com/yogaforyourintellect ).
James is a student of Swami Parthasarathy, the acclaimed author of Vedanta Treatise (Vedanta Treatise – The Eternities) and teacher at Vedanta Academy in Malavli, India. As James says often, when you’re ready for the real thing, Swami’s daily lectures are where the true wisdom and systematic discovery of the world’s oldest continually studied philosophy resides: https://www.vedantaworld.org