How reliable are articles on yoga by contributors to Wikipedia? 🤷‍♂️

More than they used to be, thanks to the input of Ian Alexander, who’s personally edited between a third and half of them. Many meet the criteria for what the free encyclopaedia calls a “good article” – combining clear and neutral writing with verifiable sourcing and broad coverage.

For the 25 years since Wikipedia launched, it’s been dependent on the work of volunteers. In an age of hallucinating chatbots, this human commitment is all the more striking. Our conversation explores how it works, why Ian got involved and where the yoga WikiProject might go from here.

We also talk about other things – from pages on the writings of Tolkien to Swami Propagandananda, a nickname for Sivananda that Ian included in one of his edits. He’s a longstanding yoga practitioner, as well as writing books about nature and software engineering.

For more on Wikipedia, and the principles of trust it depends on, see this book by founder Jimmy Wales – thanks to Dominik Wujastyk for the recommendation.

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What does it mean to be human in the age of AI? 🤖

How old is the fear of machines taking over? What might we learn about how to respond from previous examples? Is technology dehumanising or can it also be liberating? How could philosophy expand our understanding of its potential?

Dan Turello is a cultural historian, photographer and author. His new book Connection: How Technology Can Make Us Better Humans explores a middle way between nostalgia and utopianism, focusing closely on social dimensions.

Together, we consider both the perils and the promise of technology, drawing inspiration from a range of perspectives – including those of Christian mystics, contemporary philosophers, yogic traditions and Battlestar Galactica.

An excerpt from Dan’s book was recently published by the New Yorker. He holds a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard and is a Fellow at the Center for the Future of Mind, AI & Society at Florida Atlantic University.

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How do we know what we think we know? Are our opinions our own, or are they conditioned by external influences? What helps to balance opposing views? How important are such questions to yoga – both philosophically and practically?

This podcast explores some of the voices in my head. It was inspired by a recent conversation about the Yoga Sūtra on my year-long course, The Path of Knowledge. There are also ingredients from Gavin Flood, a colleague at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, plus an essay on tensions between scholars and practitioners.

That article cites writing by C. W. Huntington, Jr. – particularly Māyā, a novel he describes as “a first person narrative rooted in the literary tradition of Henry Miller, Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac, and Carlos Castaneda”, and his last book, What I Don’t Know About Death. It also draws on Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (about which more here, in a BBC broadcast).

🗣️ P.S. the discussion I mention in the podcast introduction is available here.

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If mindfulness has drawbacks, what’s the alternative? 🤔

Ron Purser is perhaps best known as the author of McMindfulness, critiquing the movement as “capitalist spirituality”. His latest book Mind Space is radical in other ways. It considers how to meditate without being a meditator – inspired by the writings of Tarthang Tulku, a Tibetan Buddhist lama.

As Ron sees it, one problem with mindfulness is its view of the self as an “inner manager”. Striving to control things narrows the focus to coping with stress, which can overlook its causes. By contrast, Mind Space dismantles the manager to see past self-centredness. We discuss how that works, and revisit questions Ron raised in McMindfulness, particularly regarding the influence of Jon Kabat–Zinn.

Ron is a professor of management at San Francisco State University. He teaches courses at Dharma College, hosts The Mindful Cranks podcast and contributes to various media. Recent highlights include an interview with the New Yorker and a takedown of life coaching for Current Affairs magazine.

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Although Buddhism is widely considered a peaceful tradition, some of its monks incite hatred and slaughter. Sonia Faleiro explores this trend in her latest book The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism is Shaping Modern Asia.

Drawing on reporting from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, she unflinchingly shows how extremists target minorities, highlights alliances between ethnic nationalists who demonise Muslims, and reflects on resistance to militant Buddhism.

Together, we look at the roots of these disturbing developments, from traumatic impacts of British colonialism to political rivalries and economic grievances. In the process, we talk about the legacy of Aung San Suu Kyi, monastic misconduct in Thailand and self-immolation, among many other topics.

Sonia is also the author of The Good Girls – documenting the killing of two Indian teenagers – and Beautiful Thing, about Bombay’s dance bars. She has co-edited a collection of testimonies from Gaza and is the founder of South Asia Speaks, a mentorship programme for emerging writers.

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How do I interpret my rollercoaster ride on the yogic path? 🎢

This is a different sort of podcast to the usual interview – my guest today is my younger self. Responding to a listener’s question, I reflect on how to deal with the challenging “ups and downs of the yogic journey”.

To help with that, I turn to the writings of Hermann Hesse – particularly his novel Siddhartha, which features a character whose strong-willed independent streak reminds me of mine…

When Siddhartha complains to his companion Govinda that they’ll never get enlightened by ascetic austerities, he’s urged to rethink. “We have learned a lot,” Govinda reminds him. “We are not going around in circles, we are moving up, the circle is a spiral, we have already ascended many a level.”

Siddhartha disagrees and departs – a recurring pattern. Having done something similar myself a few too many times for comfort, I share what I’ve learned about commitment and detachment – and the need to strike a balance.

In the process, I mention an interview I did a little while ago, a Siddhartha book club, and a recent podcast episode inviting listeners to ask me anything.

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Can wisdom be taught? What if it were more about questions than finding "the answer"? How might reading be a meditative practice? Can writing from earlier centuries provide inspiration without mediation by academic experts?

Valentin Gerlier is a scholar, musician and author, who is also the founder of the School of Sophia – a new hybrid educational platform that explores these sorts of subjects. “Inspired by the ancient Wisdom Schools”, its seminars are grounded in collective inquiry, with experiential insights as part of the process.

Our conversation considers how wisdom relates to worldly action. The school’s curriculum asks about power: “Can it flourish for the good, or is it something to surrender?” Could a deeper intelligence help? In addition to discussing that, we explore some of the influences on Valentin’s work, including:

* Mysticism, Joseph Milne and the Temenos Academy

* Krishnamurti, Theosophy and Brockwood Park School

* Satish Kumar, Schumacher College and Small is Beautiful

The texts for this term are The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Simone Weil’s Gravity and Grace. A recorded introductory meeting will be archived here. Weekly sessions are on Mondays from February 2, with in-person gatherings to follow.

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What exactly is Tantra, and how do modern teachings relate to traditions? Which other ideas inform intimacy workshops? Why is there often an emphasis on secrecy and power, and how is this exploited to enable abuse?

Tova Olsson is a scholar of religion, as well as a teacher of yoga and Tantra. Our conversation explores these questions, along with many others – particularly the prevalence of what Tova calls “erotic spirituality”, and the extent to which Indian sources inform its practices. We also consider why tantric empowerment involves crossing boundaries, and whether non-duality dissolves accountability.

In the process, we talk about scandals in multiple schools – from MISA and its offshoots (discussed in this Observer article and BBC podcast) to Siddha Yoga (the focus of a 1994 New Yorker exposé) and The New Tantra (whose founder features in this clip from Swedish public television).

Tova’s academic work is available here – including articles on MISA and a Siddha Yoga teacher. She is the author of a book about yoga and Tantra, and teaches online courses at Saraswati Studies, which is also her handle on Instagram.

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