When does spirituality cease to be sacred and become performance?
Dakota shares the drastically different encounters he had with Aghori while traveling through India. He brings on Dr. Robert Svoboda to learn more about Aghora practices and shares some of the extreme practices he encountered while traveling through India.
In this episode, Dakota dives into:
- The performative and theatrical dimensions of religious ritual
- Dakota’s firsthand experience with the Aghori of India
- Learning the power of spiritual practice through Bhavani Baba
- The Aghori ritual of Shava Sadhana (meditation on the corpse)
- Lessons from Vimalanda on illusion and superficiality
- Loving your mother as a spiritual practice
- Seeing through the relative and connecting to ultimate reality
- The practice of non-attachment to passing experiences and states
Check out Dr. Svoboda’s renowned books on the Aghori HERE.
About Dr. Robert Svoboda:
Dr. Robert Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983.
In the years since 1986, Dr. Svoboda has traveled extensively, spending three months per year on average in India. He often speaks on Ayurveda, Jyotish, Tantra and allied subjects in locales across the world.
“Something that Vimalananda emphasized repeatedly is that the least important part of Aghora is the external part, the part where you’re applying a bunch of ashes and showing off, because that’s the superficial part. The important part is what’s on the inside.” –Dr. Svoboda
About Dakota Wint:
Dakota Wint is a documentary filmmaker, vlogger, podcast host, and spiritual teacher from Detroit, Michigan. His films and podcasts revolve around current events, strange spirituality, and taboo traditions. You can subscribe to his podcast, A Place for Humans, HERE. Dakota grew to fame as an internet personality via his popular YouTube channel, Dakota of Earth. Dakota hosts retreats around the world and runs a non-profit focused on cultural and language preservation. Learn more about current happenings on his website.
“We are just now in this festival with these Aghoris, there are animal sacrifices happening, there are exorcisms happening, there are people bleeding, people flailing on the ground, thousands of people just trying to get some energy from this festival. This is a very localized, specific energy portal. This is where I begin to see the power of spiritual practice—through Bhavani.” –Dakota Wint
Join Dr. Svoboda’s courses, watch the latest video in Dr. Svoboda’s 5 Minutes series on Youtube and follow Dr. Svoboda on Facebook and Instagram for updates, events, and new content. You can also check out www.drsvoboda.com
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