Raj Balkaran on the Wisdom of Stories (#136)

Dr. Raj Balkaran is a scholar of Sanskrit narrative texts and the author of The Goddess and the King in Indian Myth (Routledge 2018), The Goddess and the Sun in Indian Myth (Routledge 2020), and several academic articles and book chapters since completing his doctorate in 2015. He is also an avid spiritual practitioner, having been initiated into ancient Indian wisdom traditions by multiple masters, and having been engaged in daily practice for two decades. Also a seasoned online educator, he teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies where he also serves on their Course Development Board. He is the Founder of the School of Indian Wisdom where he teaches original online courses combining scholarship, storytelling and spirituality to apply ancient wisdom teachings to modern life. Beyond teaching, research and administration, Dr. Balkaran runs a thriving life coaching practice and hosts the New Books in Indian Religions podcast. As a boon to Chitheads listeners, visit https://courses.rajbalkaran.com/ and use the code 50OFF to get half off anything at the School for Indian Wisdom. In this episode we discuss:

1. The intersection of scholarship and practice.
2. The self-employed scholar and the un-university.
3. Yogic philosophy in Puranic and other Hindu narratives.
4. Making sense of the human experience through narratives and storytelling.
5. Story as the fabric of our culture.
6. Breaking behaviors or patterns by becoming conscious of limiting stories.
7. Dismantling unconscious bias in the mythological strata of Western consciousness.

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