Welcome to Episode 29 of The Mindful Initiative. This episode was recorded during the pandemic. Our guest for the podcast is Krishna Das – a Grammy Award Nominee – Kirtan Singer. We are grateful that we could have him as our first guest for the video series. Since this is our first video podcast – so you can listen to it on YouTube.

I first heard Krishna Das live in 2015 during his annual Kirtan event in New York in a church on Thanksgiving night with Manaswini.

There were people from all faiths. The gathering had new mothers, to people in wheelchairs.

All seats were taken, people were standing on the balcony, and we were fortunate to get a spot on the floor right in front of him.

It was not only mesmerizing to hear him live but also to see so many sing, dance, and meditate, all at the same time.

There is no one else like Krishna Das – there is no one else who sings like him – there is no one whose music touches you like his.

During the podcast, Krishna Das I talked about what it means to practice and how to deal with death and his teacher Neem Karoli Baba.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation.

About Krishna Das:

Krishna Das began leading chanting in 1994 in NYC, and has been traveling all around the world ever since, developing his signature style, fusing traditional kirtan of the East with western harmonic and rhythmic sensibilities. The audiences have been ever growing, responding to his remarkably soulful voice, which touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener. He’s taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, is a Grammy-nominee and has become a worldwide icon. He continues to travel and to share online his chanting and stories of his guru Neem Karoli Baba. and the best- selling western chant artist of all time. Krishna Das has released over 15 albums, authored 2 books, has his own podcast and is the subject of the documentary – One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das. More information on https://www.KrishnaDas.com

[powerpress_medialinks]

Welcome to Episode 28 of The Mindful Initiative Podcast with Swami Sarvapriyananda ji, the current resident Swami and head of Vedanta Society of New York (VSNY). He is a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission. I have been extremely blessed to meet many spiritual teachers on my life journey. Each person has helped me move along on my path forward – however, there are times when you meet someone who becomes a guiding force in your life – and Swami Sarvapriyananda ji is one of those teachers in my life. I am sure that I am not the only one who feels that way about Swami ji.

Fortune India mentions Sarvapriyananda as “one of the best-known lecturers of the Vedanta in the world today”. In this episode, I speak to Swami ji’s about the highest goal of life and the challenges one may face on the spiritual path. Swami ji’s profound wisdom is nourishment for any soul who is looking to overcome challenges in life. (For the transcription of the podcast, please click the link below).

Here is the link to the research paper titled, Why Pray to God who can Hear the Ant’s Anklets? Prayer, Freedom and Karma by Dr. Arindam Chakrabarti on Freewill mentioned by Swami ji in the podcast.

[powerpress_medialinks]

About Swami Sarvapriyanada ji

Swami ji joined the Ramakrishna Order of monks as a novice brahmachari in 1994 and received sannyasa (monastic ordination) from Swami Ranganathananda in 2004. Swami ji is known for his lectures on the various texts of Advaita Vedanta. His speaking engagements have included discourses at the Rubin Museum in New York City, the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, and the Parliament of World’s Religions as one of the keynote speakers. He has been a Nagral Fellow for the year 2019-20 at Harvard Divinity School.

Swami Sarvapriyananda ji received his Masters in Business Administration from Xavier Institute of Management in Bhubaneswar. After joining the Ramakrishna Mission as a brahmachari, he served as the principal of the Shikshana Mandira Teacher’s Training College in Belur Math. He was also the first registrar of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University. Prior to joining the Vedanta Society of New York, Swami was the assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for a year.

Thank You so much for being a dedicated listener of The Mindful Initiative Podcast. Before you read about the podcast, I would like to let you know that I will be offering Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT), an 8-week course developed at Stanford University from July 10th to Aug 28th. This course helps manage emotions, stress, and challenges in your life. If you are interested in knowing more about the course, please visit https://compassioncultivation.in.

In Episode 27 of The Mindful Initiative Podcast, I speak to James Wood, who is an author, and also a spiritual teacher. At the age of 33, after many years of study, James woke up to reality and has dedicated his life to the awakening of beings everywhere. James studied philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, and then transformational studies with Richard Moss. He has combined his education experience and awakening experience to express a modern integrated vehicle for others to use as a means of growth in consciousness. He is the author of Ten Paths of Freedom, Awakening Made Simple.

[powerpress_medialinks]