Could our deepest sufferings have any hidden virtues? Why do we so often chase moments of transcendence, and yet struggle to live them in our everyday experience? How can we take control of our mind and train it to take instructions from us? Can the repetition of certain sounds become a pathway to quieten the mind and reclaim our inner space? And what does it truly mean to walk the spiritual path, not once, but for a whole lifetime?

Find out from Krishna Das, exclusively in conversation with Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa on Intersections Podcast.

Krishna Das, also known as “the chant master of American yoga” (New York Times), is one of the most influential figures in bringing Kirtan—the chanting of sacred names from the Bhakti tradition of Indian spirituality—into contemporary Western spiritual life. A devotee of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji), whom he met in the late 1960s in India, Krishna Das came back to the United States with a simple directive of service—one he later understood as bringing devotional chanting to the West as a living, accessible practice. Blending traditional mantra with melodies shaped by gospel, blues, folk, and rock, Krishna Das helped take Kirtan out of temples and yoga studios and into concert halls worldwide, becoming the best-selling Western chant artist and releasing 16 albums, including Live Ananda, which received a Grammy nomination in 2012. He is the author of Flow of Grace: Chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, and Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold, and the founder of the Kirtan Wallah Foundation, through which he continues to share the teachings of Maharaj-ji.

In this episode, Krishna Das reveals:

- How to take control of our mind

- The science behind devotional chanting

- What it takes to walk the spiritual path for a whole lifetime

Why have we become so good at identifying what’s wrong in society, but struggle to imagine a solution for them? How do visionary leaders, reformers and saints think, view and act in the world? What place can we take refuge in when we want clarity to our most burning questions? And what is the true meaning of service, and how can we make our spirituality more practical

Find out from Simran Jeet Singh—and from the great saints of Sikhism—exclusively in conversation with Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa on Intersections Podcast.

An award-winning educator, acclaimed author, sought-after speaker and renowned faith leader, Simran Jeet Singh is a professor of history at the historic Union Theological Seminary, Executive Director of the Inclusive America Project at the Aspen Institute, Senior Fellow for the Sikh Coalition and host of the Wisdom & Practice podcast. Simran’s thought leadership on bias, empathy, and justice extends across corporate, university, and government settings, and has been invited to speak at prestigious institutions including Stanford University, Fortune 500 companies, The White House and Pentagon. Simran writes regularly for The Washington Post, CNN, TIME Magazine, Harvard Business Review, and Religion News Service, and is the author of the national bestseller, The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life and the award-winning children’s book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon.

Who is the most difficult person we’ll ever have to negotiate with? Why is it so hard to change people’s minds, and what’s the most graceful way to do it? Is there a root cause to all conflict? Could a simple path hold the key to turning any conflict into peace—at home, at work, and even between nations? And what, ultimately, is the secret to world peace?

Find out from William Ury, exclusively in conversation with Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa on Intersections Podcast.

William Ury is a social anthropologist, award-winning author, and one of the world’s leading thinkers on negotiation, with nearly fifty years of experience in helping address some of the world’s toughest conflicts, “from the halls of Harvard to the depths of Kentucky coal mines, from the White House Crisis Center to the deserts of Botswana, from corporate boardrooms to war zones in the Middle East, Korea, and Ukraine.” With former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, William co-founded the International Negotiation Network, a nongovernmental body seeking to end civil wars around the world. At Harvard Law School, he helped found the Program on Negotiation and the Harvard Negotiation Project research center. He is also the founder of the Abraham Path Initiative, a non-profit that brings Middle Eastern communities together through a long-distance trail tracing the ancient journey of Abraham and his family. His books include the fifteen-million-copy bestseller Getting to Yes, Getting Past No, The Third Side, and his most recent work, Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict.