Summary

Karan Bajaj is a #1 bestselling Indian novelist with more than 200,000 copies of his novels in print, both optioned into major films. Karan’s first worldwide novel, The Yoga of Max’s Discontent, has been called “The greatest adventure of our Generation” by The Daily Telegraph and was inspired by Karan’s one year sabbatical traveling from Europe to India by road and learning yoga and meditation in the Himalayas.

From being born and raised in India, Karan now lives and works our of Brooklyn, New York, sharing his work on writing and meditation with over 100,000 subscribers each week.

In this episode we go on a spiritual journey reviewing the states of Dharma and Karma. We bring the East to the West. What it means to live towards your innate tendencies, striving to purify thoughts and actions and how through the law or Karma does every action have an equal and opposite reaction.

We discuss meditation, silence, yoga and even touch on the thought of death and how that relates to living a life with passion and purpose.

I really hope you enjoy this interview with Karan as much as I did and until next time, peace, passion and purpose.

Key Take Outs

• Dharma. Here is my take-out without harming the true meaning. Dharma is living life towards your innate tendencies. This indicates a need to connect with your intuition and ability to be able to trust everything that exists. Connecting more heavily to this trust and then allowing yourself to become more present in the moment.

Realise that what is – is. What will come, will come, and what has past, has past. Through this process we should focus is purifying our thoughts and therefore enhancing our actions and reality.

A tree is a tree and that’s what it will be. We as humans are fortunate to have minds yet often can be overwhelmed by life and all that it is we think we want and need. In this we can loose this connection to our Dharma and in the process living with peace in the now.

• Karma. This is the law of cause and effect. For every action there is an opposite reaction. Our actions only come from our thoughts which reinforces the need to be in constant practice to purify ones thoughts. If you can work your thoughts to be positive and/or neutral you will allow more of those opportunities in or more space to explore new thoughts.

The opposite thoughts to these would be those that are negative. These are not fruitful to brining in calmness or indeed ability to remain present in this moment. These will be harmful in allowing you to connect fully with your Dharma.

Meditation is a practice that can help you bring balance to your thought as can the 3 forms of transformation highlighted below.

• 3 forms of transformation. If you want to better enhance your ability to control your thoughts when those that are unwanted enter the 3 forms to assist you in improving this ability are learning, reflection and experience.

When negative emotions of felling come about due to circumstances in ones life it can be difficult to not immediately react. If is through continual clearing and purifying of ones thoughts that we can act to improve our ability before we react and therefore improve our world.

Learning and consuming positive and useful material is step one. Reading books is a great start. Reflection – while a little more difficult for some, as our ego’s can often prevent us from looking too deeply inwardly- is a practice than will allow you to create better understanding about all thoughts moving forward. And finally, experience. It is practices like mediation or anything that brings in silence that can be described as such a practice.

• Meditation. Concentration vs mindfulness. Karan shares how one may better benefit from meditation when starting out. The focus and concentration on one thing, an image, mantra or breath, will move your forward on your meditative journey. This is a much greater way of connecting with greater reward rather than rushing into a meditation practice that is considered higher level- like mindfulness.
• Your journey. Slow down, trust the process, be truthful to yourself and authentic in what you do, purify thoughts and improve your actions. This is your journey and it will lead you as its meant to be led.

What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?

Live your life like a story.

Karan’s interpretation of success

Success is the act of becoming a vessel for your work.

Quick round questions

Favourite Food

Vegan foods.

Favourite Leisure Activitiy

Meditation.

Favourite book(s)

Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstien.

The Yoga of Max’s Discontent: A Novel by Karan Bajaj

Quote

“I wasn’t much of a petty thief. I wanted the whole world or nothing.” Charles Bukowski

What does living life with passion and purpose mean?

Living in connections with Dharma.

How to find Karan and other links

You can visit his website here and find out all about Karan including his free videos, blogs and other online training. He has a deal now that if you by his book you will also get a bunch of other gifts also- check it out here.