Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
Ryan Reynolds
Today we're talking about the Aghori. Barely clothed, his skin is like smeared with this white ash taken from the cremated bodies of the people in the funeral fires. In his hand he has a human skull. This ritual object that's central to the Aghori practice. Part of one of Hinduism's most unconventional and most misunderstood spiritual order. One of the rarest and most extreme practices associated with the Aghori is the consumption of human flesh. Shiva is typically seen as the God of destruction and transformation. The are taking this idea of destruction and transformation to its most radical or maybe most shocking end. And when they smear ashes from these cremation grounds on their bodies, it's not just a ritual. It's a way to break down the ego. Who are the Agori? Actually, that's what I want to figure out today. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of 45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. New customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com what's up, people? And welcome back to Religion Camp. My name is Mark Yagon and thank you for joining me in my tent where every single Sunday we explore the most interesting and fascinating and controversial stories from every religion, from every faith, tradition and divine philosophy from around the world throughout all the ages of time. As always, I'm joined by a dear friend of mine. Who do we have today? Oh, Gabe. How are you pal? Nah, dad, I. Dude, I. No one. Look, it's nice to chat with you, okay? But we don't have time to just every single day be going back and forth because today we're talking about the Agory. Now if you never heard of the Agory, it's a pretty fascinating, I guess you could say, like a religious subset that exists in the South Asian continent, specifically in India. And their story is pretty remarkable. I mean, maybe you've seen these guys. I mean, if you haven't, imagine this. You're just chilling. You know, you're out in India, you're in the, you know, an ancient little valley in Varanasi, which is like a small city in India. The Sacred Ganges river is just flowing silently past, you know, this river that's been revered for millennia. You know, you got these funeral pyres that are just burning through the night flames casting these flickering shadows on stone steps. And the air is thick. There's incense. You can smell it. There's smoke. And then there's just a low hum of just mantras being repeated over and over. And then in the distance, you see a figure appear. He's, like, barely clothed. His skin is, like, smeared with, like, this white ash taken from the cremated bodies of the people in the funeral fires. In his hand, he had a human skull, this ritual object that's central to the Aghori practice, and it serves as this reminder of impermanence. This man is an agori, part of one of Hinduism's most unconventional and maybe most misunderstood spiritual order. Many people specifically in America will hear about the Aghori and they'll hear about, you know, these crazy people that, you know, are obsessed with death. And sure, you know, they do have a fascination and a ritualism around, you know, death. But, you know, it's not just only stories of cannibalism and these dark rituals and shocking images who are the agory? Actually, that's what I want to figure out today. Now, let the record show I'm not a gory. I'm. I'm not. I'm just a white guy that grew up in Florida. I'm not even Hindu. I'm not Indian. So if I miss anything about this episode or something I get wrong, I apologize in advance. Please feel free to drop a comment below. I. I don't know if there's that many agoris that are going to be watching this, but if you guys are out there, shouts out to y', all pouring out for the. For the dead homies, and, yeah, let me know what you think. So where do the agori come from? All right, Their roots, they go all the way back deep into, you know, long standing Hindu traditions, specifically in the worship of Shiva in his more fierce forms. So we got to go back to the, you know, historical and spiritual paths that shape how this sect of people view the world. Now, of course, the dedication to Shiva, you know, will make more sense in a little bit, but it's just important to remember. I know, obviously, depending on the, you know, the philosophy of Hinduism, Shiva is typically seen as the God of destruction and transformation. So the agory, as a result, are taking this idea of destruction and transformation to its, you know, maybe most radical or maybe most shocking end. So the Igori tradition becomes clear in the what they would, you know, refer to as the early modern period, basically like 17th century, 1600, specifically in a city called Varanasi. And the tradition takes much of its inspiration from earlier Shiva, like sex, you know, like the Kapalikas, who were known for meditating in cremation grounds and using human skulls, as, you know, in their rituals. So both the Kapalikas and the Agori revere Shiva, you know, this fierce, you know, transformative face of the divine, you know, that's typically tied to destruction and that through death comes new life. So the word Agori itself comes from the Sanskrit word that means, you know, the word agora, which translates to not fearsome or not terrible. That's basically the close translation like, you know, nothing to be feared or something to that effect. And this reflects kind of the belief that they generally hold that nothing in existence is truly, you know, worth being feared. You know, perhaps God itself. But there's nothing that's truly impure or truly dreadful because all things are expressions of the divine. So what others see as frightening, the Agori see as sacred. So Baba Kinaram is a central figure in the history of the Aghoris. He's credited with bringing the sect together in the 17th century in Varanasi and establishing, basically creating their main monastery, you know, the Kinaram Satal, which remains an important center for the Agory practitioners even to this very day. And his teachings continue to guide the Aghoris in their belief and their practices and have been ever since, you know, he kicked it all off. So, you know, Kinnaram's approach was pretty bold amongst, you know, Hindu ascetics. And obviously there are many the Agori just being, you know, one of a couple. So while many sought some type of spiritual purity through discipline or fasting or strict dietary guidelines, he taught that true freedom comes from embracing all parts of life. You know, birth, but also death, decay, and even some social taboos. So his philosophy combined the, you know, non dualism of Advaita Vedanta with, you know, Tantric practices focusing on, like, unity that connects all the things. So the Aghoris have been deeply influenced by Tantric traditions, specifically the Left Hand Path or the Vamakara. And this includes practices like, you know, eating meat or, you know, potentially drinking alcohol or, you know, holding ceremonies in these cremation grounds. So for the Aghoris, these are not acts of indulgence, but again, just spiritual exercises meant to break down social and mental barriers. So by putting yourself in these, you know, socially impure situations. You're able to exercise your spirit, and we'll get more into what that really means. But throughout history, the Agory have often been kind of pushed to the fringes of society because of the stuff that they did. I mean, to general society, this was crazy. So they have survived mainly on, you know, in, like, these small, little secluded communities near these cremation grounds and these pilgrimage sites, keeping their numbers pretty small and living apart from mainstream Hindu society. But, you know, during British colonial rule, the Agory drew, you know, some fascination from the Brits, but also a lot of fear from the officials and, you know, the scholars that would go there, leading to some of the first written records about them ever. However, these accounts often focused on the shocking, more, you know, radical parts of a gory life, ignoring the philosophy that lies at the heart of the tradition. And a clear pattern runs through their history. A, you know, dedicated few practitioners choosing to embrace what society rejects, seeking this spiritual truth by, you know, facing the harshest reality of life directly, that ultimately we will all die. Their survival, even, you know, while being marginalized socially, shows the strength of that belief that the freedom that they're seeking, the spiritual freedom, comes not from running away or trying to avoid or ignore, you know, the difficult questions about life, but rather by facing them and going directly into them with open eyes. So at the heart of this Aghori practice that is found in a lot of Hindu practices and many Eastern philosophies is this concept of non duality. It's effectively a belief that everything in existence is a part of one undivided reality, that all things that exist, that could exist, that will exist or have existed, are a part of this one singular reality. And, you know, this shapes a lot of their practices and how it manifests. So the Agory teachings say that what we see as differences like pure or impure or sacred and ordinary are just labels created by our minds to sort of compartmentalize things and put them into silos that we can understand. However, their path is about breaking down what they see as, you know, mental walls so that they can see the oneness that connects all human life. And this belief comes alive in their devotion to Shiva as Barava. And, you know, this is the transformative, sort of more fierce face of the divine. So in the stories, Bhairava lives in cremation grounds and often is wearing reminders of death. So for the Aghoris, Bhairava holds the power to help them face their fear of death and let go of the ego that is ultimately going to lead to the biggest spiritual change. So the Bhairava shows them that creation and destruction are just two sides of the same coin. Just as life comes from death, spiritual freedom comes from dissolving the ego. A journey reflected in their deep respect for Bhairava's terrifying form. I mean, this term of ego death, and what comes after death is a rebirth or a transformation. So now from every ego death, there is an ego rebirth. So for the Agoris, the cremation ground is the place where truth is impossible to ignore. You are confronted with the most blunt reality of all existence. There, all social identities and statuses vanish, and the reality of impermanence is right in front of you. So in this kind of in between space, the role and labels of society fall away. And it reminds them that we are here for a limited amount of time and all things are temporary. And they choose to live in cremation grounds not to shock people or to be edgy, but to ground their spiritual practice in a place where the fragility of life is all around you. It's impossible to forget. And the human skull, or the kapala as they would call it used in agory rituals, is not just a symbol of death. It's an object for reflection. And it reminds them that identity is also temporary and that the self, the, you know, this idea of the ego, the consciousness that existed within this skull, is also just temporary and that the self is, you know, ultimately empty at the end of the day. And when they smear ashes from these cremation grounds on their bodies, it's not just a ritual. It's a way to break down the ego and the idea of separateness that, you know, there is life and then there is death. And these things are somehow distinct and not connected. And so as a result, they mark themselves with this reminder that life is short and all forms return to one universal essence. You know, think of an ocean where, you know, drops of water fly up and they go back down when the drop of water is in the air. That is life, where, you know, it's for a short period of time disconnected from the whole, and it exists separately and distinct. I mean, imagine if that drop of water when it went up in the air was like, I am my own being. You know, as someone that sees the whole ocean, you'd be like, dude, you're not. You're just part of the ocean that's in the air for, like the smallest amount of time ever. Maybe that's how God sees us. So, you know, because of this belief, aghoris will, you know, break caste and dietary and social rules. Not to just rebel or, you know, piss off, you know, the general Hindu majority, but to again, overcome these divisions and show that these rules that human beings make are just that, you know, they don't matter in the face of spiritual unity. So despite these practices that they do, the Agory live by a code of honesty and compassion and nonviolence. And, you know, their deliberate breaking of rules is not meant to create chaos socially, but to help them and, you know, other people to see beyond the fear and separation that society creates. So I think the takeaway of understanding what exactly the Agori believe, I think if you remember anything, it is to remember that there is a confrontation of, you know, going towards what most people try to avoid. And by choosing to encounter what is considered taboo or repulsive or terrifying, they try to dissolve the habits of aversion and see the unity beneath all experiences. So for them, it's not about finding suffering or being, you know, fearsome or terrifying, but just embracing a transformative, you know, discipline rooted in this fundamental ideal of non duality that all things are truly one. So what do they do on a regular basis, the Igori, in their, you know, everyday life? Basically, they take these practices and they flip them up. So where many traditions are focusing on purity and cleanliness and washing your hands a thousand times and careful rituals, the Aghoris choose to engage in impurity. And they're almost going the exact opposite. So at dawn, many Igoris begin their day on the cremation grounds using, you know, this space to meditate. They're surrounded by ashes and, you know, this reminder of death. And they try to observe how their mind reacts to this fear or to this disgust or this shame and this feeling of impermanence. And they'd watch these thoughts as they go across their mind. And, you know, they use this as a part of their spiritual training. So unlike typical meditation practices that focus on, you know, calmness or, you know, lightness or positive thoughts, the agory meditation centers on this idea of decay and, you know, temporality of the body and the fact that all things will go away. What's up, guys? We're going to take a break really quick because you own a small business or maybe you work for a small business, and I am about to make your life so much easier. Let's say, hypothetically, you own a little, you know, furniture business business, right? And you're struggling to keep track of the raw materials, the production schedule, invoicing clients, all that stuff. Well, that's why I want to tell you about Odoo. Okay? Because with Odoo, it's an all in one business platform that streamlines everything. Now you have inventory management, you have manufacturing, you have accounting apps that will make everything so simple. So now if you have a small business, you can monitor the inventory in real time, schedule productions calls more effectively, and you can send invoices automatically, all from one platform. Plus, you get a customized CRM to track sales leads and follow up with potential clients, boosting your closing rates. Back in the day, you'd probably have to get, you know, some, you know, Ivy League operator, business person that's, you know, able to make everything happen for you. But now with Odoo, it cuts it all out. And I'm sure you're thinking, okay, if this is going to make my life easier, give me more free time to spend with my friends, family and playing softball and make me more money. It must be crazy expensive. This is the good news. Listeners of this program are going to get a 14 day free trial. That's right. You get two weeks with Odoo completely for free when you go to odoo.com camp. That's right, odoo.com use the promo code camp and you will get 14 days for free just to try it out, see if you like it. If it's not for you, you don't need it. All right? But Odoo is going to make your life so much easier. Everything you need, all in one place. Save time, make more money. Let's get back to the show. Lowe's knows when you're looking for reliability, the right brand makes all the difference. And now Lowe's is the exclusive home improvement retailer for the Whirlpool water treatment line, including their wi Fi softener under sink filtration system and more. With Whirlpool's proven performance and our everyday low prices, better tasting, better quality water is within reach. Shop Pro. Trusted brands like Whirlpool and more in store or online lowes, we help you save Trip Planner by Expedia. You were made to outdo your holiday. You're hammocking and your pooling. We were made to help organize the competition. Expedia made to travel. So through this philosophy that they have that they refer to as the remembrance of death in the, you know, traditional Sanskrit, it's the mahrana samrana. I'm sure my pronunciation is terrible, so forgive me, but this idea of the remembrance of death, they are using this, you know, sort of practice to reflect on how the body breaks down. How things in our body eventually will just, you know, turn into dust, how they'll get burned, and then our essence just goes and smoke in the air. Or, you know, they'll meditate on symbols like the human skull or different bones or the heart, helping themselves let go of attachment and habitual fears, just remembering that they are effectively a brain inside of a skull, underneath skin attached to appendages. That this human body that we exist in is just a piece of, you know, what, you know, it actually means it's not really us and in our own right and kind of calling to question if there even isn't us in the first place or just an observer that sits in our consciousness and watches our thoughts go by. So by chanting these mantras, especially those invoking Shiva, this is, again, essential to the agori rituals. Often they will chant these powerful sounds throughout the night in the cremation grounds, believing that these utterances hold the energy to transform oneself and the mind to this deeper awareness of how the universe is actually created or oriented, that, again, all things are one. Their dietary habits also challenge a lot of traditional rules. So they'll include meat, you know, where some Hindu sex or, you know, Jains, for example, won't do, really any meat. They'll sometimes eat, you know, like beef, you know, alcohol, other substances that are considered impure in orthodox Hindu practices. And these acts, again, are, like I said before, not rebellion, but they're to confront and move beyond the taboos that create fear and division. If you are saying, I don't eat that and I'm afraid of eating this or I'm afraid of doing this, that is ultimately things that we should put ourselves closer to in order to, again, test our spiritual energy. So one of the rarest and most extreme practices associated with the agory is the consumption of human flesh. And when this happens, it's not done, again, as an act of cannibalism, where you are, you know, finding someone and killing them just to eat their body. But it is seen as this deeply, you know, ritualistic and spiritual act. You're basically consuming flesh from bodies given to the funeral, funeral fire as prasad, which is sort of like a sacred offering to God and then distributed to the devotees. You know, this is typically, you know, animal meat or some other type of food product or bread, naan, et cetera, and at times, human bodies. And this practice is meant to destroy aversion completely and to affirm that all existence is united. It is basically the most radical expression of, you know, this idea of non Duality that we are going to confront the thing we're repulsed by. And as a result, we will test our spirit. And we will also reinforce this idea that all things are one, that death is not the end. You know, there is ultimately a oneness to all existence. This non duality we keep on mentioning. And the practices of the agories, no matter how shocking they may seem, are not seen as, you know, internally as some type of, you know, edgelord, you know, rebellion to try to get people riled up. They are seen as these advanced spiritual tools and they're, you know, not meant for other people, but just for the practitioner themselves. So they also will study, you know, tantric and Shiva scriptures, but they focus on personal experiences rather than, you know, general, like Hindu cosmological or divine theory. So what they learn in text is constantly tested and deepened through their lived experience. The things that they do every day, this direct spiritual practice. And even though the Aghoris often live apart from society, they continue to interact with people in some capacity, often serving as healers or spiritual advisors. And many who are facing hardships or who are pushed to the edges of society will seek them out or find them just for help or guidance. And sometimes the Aghoris are invited to lead, you know, death rituals or, you know, funeral processions or purifications and their deep engagement with death. And, you know, that transition period brings a lot of, you know, special weight or status to them. And their presence at these ceremonies, again, just reminding all people that maybe exist in, you know, the broader sort of contingent of regular Hindus that just live in India, it reminds them just by the presence that, you know, life and death are realities and that all things are temporary. And a core part of a gory practice is this constant observation of the self. They watch the mind closely, they sit again, like we said, to meditate and look at all the things crossing their mind. And they notice when fear or desire or ego just arise. And the extreme environments that they choose to live in again intensify this practice. And again, the goal of the agory, the ultimate end, is the sahaja samadhi. And this is a stable sort of natural absorption in awareness that all things are one that is ultimately trying to reach the state where not only do you know that all things are one, but you truly can feel it and know it in your core, in your essence, that this non duality is the truth, that all things are one. And it is not a fleeting experience, but a lasting realization that, you know, go goes beyond the divisions that our mind tries to Create for ourselves. And in today's India, the agori hold a unique and kind of layered sort of place in society, Right. They are, again, rooted in ancient traditions within Hinduism, the Shiva Tantra. Yet they live within a society that is rapidly modernizing and changing. And some people revere them, other people are afraid of them, other people are disgusted or misunderstand them. And again, I think this kind of mirrors the broader struggle in India as it tries to balance modern life, you know, and trying to, you know, modernize and, you know, create these massive, sprawling cities, but also the deep spiritual heritage that many of the people there have in some capacity. So it's estimated that fewer than 200 formally initiated agories still even exist in India, making their community very small. One of the smallest sects that exist within Hinduism throughout India. And most of them actually live near Varanasi in the same place where they were basically started, around Krimkund, a sacred, historic monastery founded by Baba Kinaram. And a few smaller groups live in remote parts of northern India or Nepal. But, you know, clear information about them is kind of hard to find because they live such an aesthetic lifestyle. So for many everyday Indians, the feeling about the are kind of mixed. You know, some see them as these powerful kind of spiritual figures that are able to heal people and they can predict events, and they have these sort of miraculous powers. And that draws a lot of people from not only India, but around the world who seek them out either for blessings or for guidance or even for mentorship. Whereas at the same time, the, you know, a gory sort of projection of, you know, traditional Indian society and caste rules, and, you know, they're obviously radical sort of appearance in the way that they actually, you know, deal with death. As a result of this, some people are uneasy, and they try to keep them a distance, and they, you know, again, feel. Feel mixed feelings throughout the country. And the mainstream media also, you know, adds to the confusion a lot, I should add, by focusing on the most shocking parts of the agory. Kind of like, you know, this podcast where we talk about some of the shocking stuff while also trying to add the nuance. But oftentimes for, you know, some people on YouTube or sometimes the, you know, the. The news media, they'll just focus and say, like, look at these people. All they do all day is just kill people and eat their flesh. It's like, all right, well, you've completely missed the whole point. You know, there's a deep spiritual connection that they believe is tied in with this behavior. And as a result, this keeps a lot of the misunderstandings alive. So the legal status of, you know, some of the things that they do within India, like, you know, using bones and rituals or consuming human flesh in specific cases is a little unclear. You know, there are a few direct laws against these acts, obviously, but, you know, concerns about public health and, you know, respect for human remains and, you know, what it actually means to bury someone or have someone pass on sometimes causes tension between the Aghori and, you know, the general part of, you know, Indian or the global community. And so most of the time, authorities allow these practices under India's protection for religious freedom. And they step in only every once in a while if they feel like things are getting out of hand or there's an undoing attention. And the Aghoris have a complicated relationship with, you know, the orthodox Hindu authorities. You could say some see them again as heretics or, you know, blasphemers that are taking the ideas of Hinduism and warping them or changing them. And some even just see them as straight up dangerous, while others, again, recognize that they're rooted in the same deep Hindu roots and traditions that, you know, all practicing Hindus sort of follow. And this idea of non duality, you know, fits squarely into the broader Hindu philosophies which again, allows them to hold a fragile but ongoing place within, you know, India's spiritual landscape. What's up guys? I'm on the road. That's right. I'm going to Burlington, Vermont, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit and a bunch of other dates that I will be adding to my website, markagnon live.com I would love to see you guys there. Obviously, if you don't know, I'm a stand up comedian and stand up comedy is my passion. It's the thing I love to do and seeing you guys all come out to the shows truly makes my life. I hang out after the show and say what's up to everybody. So if you want to come through, check out the show, say what's up to me. It would mean the world. You can see me at all these dates and more on my website, markagnonlive.com and I'll see you guys on the road. Abercrombie's viral denim sale is back and Spotify listeners get an extra 15 off with code Spotify AF. Abercrombie is known for their denim with 30 to 50% off all jeans. Find out how denim should should fit. Shop the viral denim sale in the Abercrombie app online or in stores. Valid in stores and online through August 11, 2025, in US and Canada. Excludes clearance price reflects discount code valid in US and Canada through August 11, 2025. Exclusions apply. See details online. And among some modern spiritual thinkers and, you know, even progressives, the Aghoris are seen in a positive light as guardians of an unfiltered Indian spirituality that's not watered down by the British or modernity or any other force that tries to change the fabric of what India was. And so to them, the Aghoris represent a fearless search for truth that has long been a part of India's spiritual heritage and kind of a rejection of the sort of staunch, upright purity that the colonial peoples try to put onto the Indians. And finally, the Aghoris are often facing hardship in many ways. They don't have organized support systems that a lot of larger sort of monastic groups will have. And their extreme practices make it hard for them to receive a ton of widespread support. You know, they're not like, you know, Sikhs that are just feeding people all the time, right? Like, they're living in these funeral pyres. And as a result, people get freaked out. So they have to rely on some small donations from pilgrims and every now and again, an occasional big benefactor. But this financial struggle again keeps their numbers low and often pushes them to live in very secluded, remote places. And in recent years, some Aghori teachers have started to engage more with the public and actually going to people and going and giving interviews or lectures to clear up a lot of the misunderstandings that people have about, you know, their way of life. And they also try to distinguish the true practitioners from those who are falsely claiming to be a gory just for attention. So changes in society have also affected them. So, you know, electric crematoriums, which is, you know, an interesting issue, right, because most, you know, cremations back in the day, and I should say also very many Hindus, I mean, most, if not all, are ultimately cremated upon death. But, you know, the way they would do these cremations back in the day is they would have these funeral pyre, so they would cremate people outside in a giant fire. However, now there are electric sort of cremation devices, and, you know, there's urban expansion that takes over entire areas and swaths of land where these funeral pyres used to be. And as a result, the cremation grounds that were at one point sort of these vast, sprawling, sort of, you know, different fire pits are now kind of changing. And this has forced some Aghori communities to move or find new places and then find new places again and, you know, potentially even just find brand new places to, you know, brand new countries, potentially go to Nepal just to continue their way of life and their rituals. But despite some of these challenges, the Aghori continue on this path, continue sharing, you know, the teachings that they believe are needed in today's world. And, you know, again, if there's anything to take away, the central message is that freedom comes from facing the things you fear most, facing the deepest truths of life, and by understanding that all things are one. And again, I think this idea speaks to a lot of seekers and people around the world that are looking for a path beyond the conventional traditional religious frameworks. And I don't know, I think it's. I think it's interesting because the Igori, again, have a sort of fixation with death in some ways that, you know, terrifies the rest of the world. But I think about, you know, the. I'll be honest, I think about death a lot. I think it's a fascinating concept and I think it's important to think about. I always just think like, oh, man, we're all going to die. I might as well do all the stuff I want to do. I don't have that much time here. I should probably hang out with my family more. I should see my, you know, my baby more. I should, you know, do all the stuff I've ever wanted to do that I was too afraid to do because this is such a short little window. And so, in a way, the Agory philosophy is alive in me. And maybe I get this from, you know, even medieval Christian monks that used to practice this idea of memento mori, which maybe you've heard of, which is, you know, memento meaning remember and mori meaning death. So, you know, remember that you will die. And this was a Christian philosophy that was, you know, sort of used and meditated on by Christian monks. And by keeping, you know, skulls nearby or skeletons as symbols of the impermanence, in a way, these Christians are also sort of participating in the same philosophy that the Agory kind of take to the ultimate end. So you would have Capuchin crypts in Rome that were filled with human bones, and there's actually churches you can see, that are made purely out of human bones. And the catacombs of Paris, where there's just these sprawling pathways of just human skulls and skeletons and femurs and arms just all laid out again, that serves as this visual reminder of mortality, again, much like the Agori's presence in these cremation grounds. Help them confront the truth of impermanence. So the Desert Fathers, actually, I was talking to Matt McCusker about these guys. These are, again, early Christian ascetics that sort of wander around and, you know, remove all material obsession and try to draw themselves closer to the Father. And, you know, they chose to just live alone in caves, and they step away from society just as the Igori have. And for both of them, the deep spiritual change comes from stepping into the discomfort and leaving behind, you know, the comfort and the convenience and the distractions of the world to focus on the one thing that truly matters, which is God. I mean, even, you know, Seneca and Epictetus, the ancient Stoic philosophers of Greece, taught that thinking about death and impermanence can help people grow in wisdom and break free from attachment. You know, both the Stoics and the Agory see fear of pain and loss as an inhibiting barrier for spiritual growth. And I'm pretty sure even like. Like Tibetan Buddhist monks will meditate in, like, basically graveyards to, again, reflect on this notion of life's impermanence. And, you know, the. The Tibetan teaching on the bardo, or the state between death and birth, are based on this idea that facing death with awareness is a path to ultimate spiritual freedom, to escaping the, you know, everyday samsara that we're existing in, the. The everyday hustle and bustle of life. And that. That is enlightenment. And again, this aligns closely with the agori. And then there's even, you know, ancient, you know, shamans that would include death in their rituals, which, again, is very close with the agori. I mean, even, like, you could even say like the work of Carl Jung, like, you know, this shadow work, this idea of, like, the shadow self that, you know, exists within all human being. That philosophy kind of encourages people to face parts of themselves that they would try to avoid, right? Like the. The dark, true essence that exists within all people. It's something that most people don't want to think about. But again, even this idea of going into the thing you fear the most reflects the Agory belief in transformation through confrontation. And new research, even into psychedelic therapy, also shows how facing psychological discomfort can bring healing. This is, again, a process that, you know, I think every Aghori practitioner would probably agree with. So all that to say, throughout all of these traditions, there is a common thread that, you know, spiritual growth comes from facing fear, from not ignoring the fundamental reality about life, and that ultimately death is inevitable, whether it's on an Indian cremation ground or, you know, a Christian you know, hermitage or a monastery or in, you know, just a philosophy class. Talking about Carl Jung and the Aghori. Focus on non duality also connects with a lot of mystical traditions, right? Like those of, you know, Meister Eckhart, who spoke about moving beyond mental categories to experience this unified reality. The Advaita Vedanta philosophy that shapes a lot of the gory teaching, like I mentioned before, has influenced a lot of Western spiritual seekers and, you know, teachers of these ideas as well. You know, seen in this light, the agory are a part of a bigger sort of human journey that they are just sort of stumbling across what, you know, many different scholars and philosophers have already, you know, or I shouldn't say already, but have also come across is that all things are one and confront the thing that fears you the most, that scares you the most. And across culture and across time, people have come to the same conclusion. So we can look at the agory and say, you know, what they do is crazy, sure. But the philosophy behind it, you could say, exists through almost every religion that exists. And the agory show us that true freedom comes from going into the things that we're afraid of, you know, and by crossing boundaries of purity and caste and social rules, the agory can again illustrate that these divisions are made by society. They're not rooted in a deeper fundamental moral truth, but it's just a thing that human beings have done to try to help us organize our brains and their bold embrace of divinity in every part of their life. Even what some people see as impure, they say, no, this is actually divine as well, because it is a part of the same one reality. You know, I think that can teach us to sort of stay open and sort of recognize that, you know, there perhaps is a beauty in all things and, you know, the good times, but also suffering as well. So for the, you know, thinking about death every day, it doesn't lead to sadness or fear. Instead, it brings an awareness and appreciation for the present moment, that the present moment is all that truly exists, that it's all that ever will exist. The future and the past are fictions of our mind and that the only thing that has ever been is right now. And this belief that, you know, for the Aghori, the principles like the impermanence and the non duality have to be lived at every moment. And it's not just a thing that you can kind of understand, you know, in your brain. It has a thing that you actually have to do all the time. So if we take anything away from The Agory today, for me, it would just be to, you know, sort of think about the question of what would it mean for me to live in full acceptance of reality, to welcome and sort of just accept all things as they came. To me, that death itself is a teacher, that, you know, suffering is a teacher, and that. That, you know, euphoria and happiness and joy and freedom are also teachers. And to, you know, sort of see the things that scare me and try to go towards them, to see what I can learn to be on the other side, to test myself spiritually and to, you know, see this brave meeting of fear as the, you know, true starting point of freedom. Is it possible that I could do that? What does that look like in my life? Right. So in the end, the Agories are kind of living examples of this ancient philosophy. You know, they are explorers of consciousness who remind us that facing reality directly, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, is the root of all transformation and spiritual growth. So shout out to the agory. I mean, it's a pretty radical way to live. But at the same time, I think the underpinning is actually not as crazy that I think if someone asks you, like, hey, what are the agori? What are these people that eat human flesh? Just be like, hey, just. Have you ever thought about memento mori? Have you ever thought about this idea that you're going to die? So, you know, try not to run away from death, but accept death and suffering and all things that come from it and that, you know, ultimately we will enter into some type of afterlife. A great unknown, perhaps something that's all connected. A reunification with God. And then at the end of days, whether you're Christian or Muslim or Jewish, all things will be accepted back into God itself. Maybe not hell, but everything else again. It's this idea that, you know, at the end, you know, all things are unified. And, you know, I think that that idea of momentum Mori, something I've thought about a lot, is not that controversial to me. And it's like, all right, dgory, just take that to the craziest degree. But assuming they're not hurting people, it's like, all right, go. Do you, you know, cover yourself in ashes? I don't give a. And yeah, if anyone is watching this or, you know, is listening, that is Agora. I'd love to know what you think. Like, did you grow up with this type of trad. How common is it? Is it possible to be a gory outside of India or the local laws just shut you down? I would love to know how it actually functions in the everyday life of an agory person. But, Gabe, what did you think? Did you. Did you take away anything from this episode? Yeah, respect. Start eating flesh. I mean, that's fire. He's got to think, like, this is not like they didn't, like, saute it. It's. It's from the funeral pyres. It's from the actual, like, cremation sites itself. So it's probably burnt a little bit. So, I mean, I don't know exactly. Maybe it's fire. I just couldn't imagine just, like, cooking a bunch of meat just in a open flame would actually taste that good. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'll go to Veronica and, you know, and take a bite. We'll see. But anyway, I'd love to know what you guys think. What did you learn? Is there something you took away from this? Is there a connection, you know, to your own faith background that you find is, you know, applicable here? Drop a comment. I read all of them, so please be nice. Whether it's YouTube, Spotify, I'll be getting all up in that. And again, I'll see you next Sunday because we are here every single Sunday doing new episodes of Religion Camp all the time, forever and always. Thank you all so much for tuning in, and I will see you in the future. What's up, people? Quick announcement. If you are a fan of Camp Gagnon or Religion Camp, I have great news because we are dropping History Camp. That's right. This is the channel. We're going to be exploring the most interesting, fascinating, controversial topics from all time throughout all history. Right. You probably know about Benjamin Franklin. I don't know, Thomas Jefferson, Nikola Tesla. Interesting figures from history and you probably learned about in school, and they were pretty boring. But not here. No. As you know, I was raised by a conspiracy theorist. So I'm going to be diving deep into all of the interesting, strange, occult, and secretive societal relationships that all of these famous, influential men from our shared past have. So if you're interested, please go ahead and subscribe to the YouTube channel. It will be pinned in the description as well as the comments. And if you're on Spotify, this doesn't really apply to you, but these episodes. Episodes will be dropping as well. Just go ahead and give us a high rating because it really helps the show.