A group blog of scholars exploring Indian philosophy
On May 15, Harry Falk announced on the Indology mailing list that Johannes Bronkhorst had “left this world”. In the following weeks the mailing list (and, I am sure, other online forums) has been virtually monopolised by people remembering the Continue reading Thinking about Johannes Bronkhorst (with small updates)
One cannot solve the Agnīṣomīya problem (the clash between the prohibition to perform any violence and the prescription to slaughter an animal as an offer to Agni and Soma) via an appeal to suspension (bādha) of the prohibition to perform Continue reading On sacrificial violence
I’m delighted to be giving a talk at Psychedelic Science 2025, the annual conference of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies. The conference (June 17-20 in Denver) promises to be really fun and stimulating. If you can make it, I’d Continue reading After mystical experiences
Recently I wanted to explore a fascinating passage of the Daoist founder Zhuangzi, where the text recommends “sitting in oblivion” or “sitting and forgetting” (zuòwàng 坐忘). That passage bears striking similarities to mystical practices and experiences from around the globe. Continue reading Is Asian philosophy footnotes to the Buddha?
Swami, Mahāmahopādhyāya Bhadreshdas. Svāminārāyaṇasiddhāntasudhā. 3rd ed., Swaminarayan Aksharpith, July 2024, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, pp. 468. Sanskrit. ₹ 600. Digital Copy (Open Access): https://research.baps.org/publications/books/swaminarayan_siddhant_sudha/ The landscape of Indian philosophy continues to evolve with the arrival of a new vādagrantha—a philosophical treatise that Continue reading Book Review of Svāminārāyaṇasiddhāntasudhā by Mahāmahopādhyāya Bhadreshdas Swami (Reviewed by Aksharananddas Swami)
The first Kumārila conference took place at the University of Toronto in 2024. You can read more about why we need to read and write more about this key Sanskrit philosopher here: https://elisafreschi.com/2025/02/28/kumarila-conference-2025/ The second Kumārila conference will take place Continue reading Second Kumārila conference (2025)
The analogy between Indian caste and American race – an analogy recognized by Martin Luther King, among others – is important for a number of reasons. Not least of these is that when you observe how a different society handles Continue reading Annihilation of caste and race
Early in the first Trump administration, I preached the importance of disengaged Buddhists’ lessons: to refrain from anger, to remind ourselves that some things are more important than politics. I think that that was easier to do the first time Continue reading Disengaged Buddhism in the second era of Trump
One of the things that really surprises me about contemporary mindfulness meditation is how rarely – especially at the beginning – they highlight what, as far as I can tell, is the most beneficial aspect of the practice. It’s not Continue reading The secret of mindfulness meditation
Even more ubiquitous in the West than mindfulness meditation, and for a longer period of time, is yoga: specifically meaning the practice of postural stretching exercises, with names like “sun salutation” and “downward dog”. They can be supplemented by breathing Continue reading We need a history of modern yoga but not A History of Modern Yoga