Jay Shetty | Club Random with Bill Maher

Summary

Podcast Summary: Club Random with Bill Maher – Episode Featuring Jay Shetty

Episode Information:

• Title: Jay Shetty | Club Random with Bill Maher
• Host: Bill Maher
• Guest: Jay Shetty
• Release Date: February 9, 2025

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1. Introduction to Spirituality and Meditation

The conversation begins with Jay Shetty highlighting the significance of long-term meditation practices.

Jay Shetty [02:13]: "Those places where people have meditated for tens of years, hundreds of years, thousands of years."

Bill Maher expresses skepticism about the human capacity for prolonged spiritual disciplines.

Bill Maher [02:25]: "I mean, humans, not good people."

2. Movie Discussions and Personal Preferences

Bill and Jay delve into their favorite films, discussing classics and contemporary movies alike. Bill Maher recommends films like "The Florida Project" and "Tootsie," while Jay Shetty shares his admiration for Christopher Nolan's works such as "Memento" and "The Prestige."

Bill Maher [03:35]: "She's a terrible mother in a lot of ways, but she's kind of a big kid in herself."

Jay Shetty [15:30]: "Memento is the story about the man who forgets every morning when he wakes up. It's a brilliant, brilliant story."

3. Jay Shetty's Monastic Journey

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Jay Shetty's three-year experience living as a monk in the Vedic tradition. He details the rigorous daily routines, including early morning awakenings, extensive meditation, and communal living without personal amenities.

Jay Shetty [26:00]: "Most of our life, we live it in pursuit, so we live it in anticipation, reward, and then crash."

He reflects on the challenges and profound insights gained during his monastic life, emphasizing the transformation from external pursuits to internal mastery.

Jay Shetty [27:54]: "There is something really powerful about a period of our life where you're not pursuing anything external that allows you to actually go inward, to have a go at mastering your mind."

4. Ego, Self-Awareness, and Mindfulness

The conversation shifts to the concept of ego and self-awareness. Jay Shetty distinguishes between "real ego" and "false ego," advocating for a balanced understanding that fosters genuine self-worth without falling into narcissism.

Jay Shetty [42:22]: "False ego is when you identify your worth with the thing. Real ego is I am worthy because I live and breathe and I'm here."

Bill Maher counters by discussing the prevalence of ego gratification in celebrity culture, using Robert Downey Jr. as an example.

Bill Maher [43:08]: "When you walk into every room and you're like, oh, yeah, I interviewed this person. Look what I did. Look at who I am. I think that is an unhealthy sense of ego."

5. Purpose and Value Beyond Occupation

Jay Shetty emphasizes the societal shift from defining oneself by occupation to seeking deeper purpose and meaning in life. He critiques the modern emphasis on work as the primary source of identity and advocates for a more holistic approach to self-worth.

Jay Shetty [74:16]: "Our whole identity has revolved around occupation, not purpose."

Jay Shetty [75:30]: "People have made their job feel like the entirety of their identity and purpose."

6. Perspectives on Psychiatry and Therapy

Bill Maher shares his critical view of psychiatry, portraying it as a privileged indulgence disconnected from genuine self-understanding. Jay Shetty responds by advocating for a nuanced perspective that recognizes the value of both Eastern and Western approaches to mental health.

Bill Maher [62:29]: "You think you could possibly know me better than me?"

Jay Shetty [67:09]: "I think we have to encourage a more nuanced conversation because labeling something as useless or relevant is too simplistic."

7. Integration of Eastern and Western Practices

Jay Shetty discusses the benefits of integrating Eastern philosophies with Western practices, highlighting the importance of the mind-body connection and the role of the gut in overall health.

Bill Maher [68:20]: "The gut is such a core part of Eastern health."

Jay Shetty [72:44]: "There are different gods for different parts of management of the universe is how it's seen."

8. Closing Thoughts and Future Endeavors

As the episode winds down, Jay Shetty talks about taking his podcast on tour, aiming to foster community interactions and personal growth among his listeners. Bill Maher humorously comments on the logistical challenges of such an endeavor, while acknowledging Jay's commitment to spreading mindfulness.

Jay Shetty [54:32]: "We're taking the podcast on tour for the first time ever. The podcast is over six years old now. It's been an incredible journey."

Bill Maher [55:30]: "Anybody who buys a ticket to your show is going to want to give you a hug."

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jay Shetty [27:54]: "There is something really powerful about a period of our life where you're not pursuing anything external that allows you to actually go inward, to have a go at mastering your mind."

• Jay Shetty [42:22]: "False ego is when you identify your worth with the thing. Real ego is I am worthy because I live and breathe and I'm here."

• Jay Shetty [74:16]: "Our whole identity has revolved around occupation, not purpose."

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Conclusion: In this episode of Club Random, Bill Maher engages in a deep and multifaceted conversation with Jay Shetty, exploring themes of spirituality, self-awareness, purpose, and the delicate balance between ego and humility. Through shared anecdotes and philosophical discussions, both hosts provide listeners with insights into personal growth and the quest for meaningful living beyond societal constructs.

Transcript

[Bill Maher]

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[Jay Shetty]

Those places where people have meditated for tens of years, hundreds of years, thousands of years.

[Bill Maher]

Carrie, CNN and where is this one? Because I want to avoid going there. I mean, humans, not good people.

[Jay Shetty]

Am I wr doing we're doing all right? We're doing all right.

[Bill Maher]

You think we're doing all right?

[Jay Shetty]

No, we're not. We're. We're. How you doing?

[Bill Maher]

How you doing?

[Jay Shetty]

I'm good. I'm well. Thank you for having me.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, please.

[Jay Shetty]

This is such a cool spot. I really appreciate it.

[Bill Maher]

Really?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Even for you?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, it's nice.

[Bill Maher]

Spiritual enough.

[Jay Shetty]

Anywhere can be spiritual enough, so.

[Bill Maher]

Really?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Would you like to go to the Spearmint Rhino?

[Jay Shetty]

Let's. I've not tried that. That would be an exciting.

[Bill Maher]

You've never been to a strip club?

[Jay Shetty]

I have never been to a strip club.

[Bill Maher]

You think you're spirit, brother? I'm gonna rock your world. No, really.

[Jay Shetty]

When was the last time you went?

[Bill Maher]

What day is it? No, it's been a. It's been a minute. But, you know, there's something. Why? There's nothing wrong with it, right?

[Jay Shetty]

I'm. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I think it's about the state of consciousness you want to live in.

[Bill Maher]

Really? Already? We're on that. But why can't you. You just said you could be spiritual anymore.

[Jay Shetty]

You can. Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Bill Maher]

Did you see Anora?

[Jay Shetty]

I did not yet. I've heard about it. I've not seen it yet.

[Bill Maher]

She was a stripper.

[Jay Shetty]

Okay. I'll have to check it out. I don't know enough about it. I did hear about it.

[Bill Maher]

The movie.

[Jay Shetty]

I need to see it. Yes, yes.

[Bill Maher]

I think you'd enjoy it.

[Jay Shetty]

Okay.

[Bill Maher]

It's just enjoyable.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Great performance. I love that director. He did another one called the Florida Project. Did you ever see that?

[Jay Shetty]

No, I didn't see that either.

[Bill Maher]

You like that, too? It's an interesting movie. It's about this woman who's a complete train wreck. I mean, she's poor, you know, she's like living in a motel, you know, right near. In the shadow of Disneyland. And she's got a little six year old girl with her. And she's just a terrible mother in a lot of ways, but she's kind of a big kid in herself. And she loves the kid and the kid loves her. But she does things which in today's world we would never allow, like just lets the kids roam free, you know, run across the highway. You know, they're begging for free food at McDonald's. I mean, it's just. And then she literally, like turns a trick while the kid is in the bathroom when she needs money. She's not really a hooker, but she's terrible. So of course social services come. But the kid's loving her life. It's one of those really interesting questions because the kid does not want to go. I mean, then the kid just Runs.

[Jay Shetty]

And what's the resolution?

[Bill Maher]

Well, the kid runs. I mean, it's great that it's just right in the shadow of Disneyland where life is perfect, because life is not. Not perfect, I think, is one of the great themes there. I just think. I think the. The resolution is the kid runs away and they're going to have to either catch her and. But she's like, no, I love Mommy. I don't want to live. Mommy's fun.

[Jay Shetty]

I love it, you know. Well, got. Got my homework, so I did a Florida project.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, I just did a big plug for this director.

[Jay Shetty]

Nice. I love it. I've got my movie night sorted. That would help, actually. Me and my wife always struggling to find what to watch on movie night. So that's going to help us out.

[Bill Maher]

Have you been married?

[Jay Shetty]

Been married now for eight years. It'll be nine this year.

[Bill Maher]

And how did you know she was the one?

[Jay Shetty]

I don't know. If you do ever know, I think you. You figure out more and more every year, so I don't think I ever.

[Bill Maher]

Don'T put that on the Valentine's Day card.

[Jay Shetty]

I don't think you ever do really know if someone's the one. I think you genuinely. I think you think you know when you meet someone that someone's the one. But it takes many, many more years to actually get confident about that idea. I think we're overconfident in the beginning and we might overestimate what we know. And then you get to know someone deeply and you think, wow, I'm lucky you turned out the way you are.

[Bill Maher]

I agree with every word you said. That is a very realistic, I think, very wise answer. It's not a romantic answer. I don't feel like it's the answer women want to hear.

[Jay Shetty]

Right. But sometimes the answer we want to hear is definitely not the right answer.

[Bill Maher]

And your wife's okay with that?

[Jay Shetty]

My wife's actually far more. Less the romantic than I am. So she loves that answer. She'll actually appreciate that answer. Well, maybe, yeah, she'll actually agree with it.

[Bill Maher]

Maybe that's why she's the one.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, maybe that's why. There we go.

[Bill Maher]

But you were celibate for a while, right?

[Jay Shetty]

I was for three years.

[Bill Maher]

For three. I was, too. Not by choice. That's the difference. I.

[Jay Shetty]

When was that?

[Bill Maher]

When I was at Cornell.

[Jay Shetty]

When. When were your. When were those years? Colleges.

[Bill Maher]

Yes. I went to a college, Cornell, in the 70s. It had only recently. Great education. Yes. Not a fun, pleasant experience. Most people who went there would say the Same thing. I think it's kind of a cold place in many ways, which is why I never gave them a dime. But yeah, it had just recently, the Ivy League had just recently when I got there, just made, you know, integrated with women at all. I think a couple of the colleges when I went, like Dartmouth, I still think was all male. Wow. Yeah. This is the mid-70s.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow. That's remarkable to even think that it is. So wait, you were one of the first years where.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I think I feel like the ratio I recall being something like four or five to one, which would be bad under any circumstances, but. But especially when you're a shy nerd with no game, no money, no anything, you know, you're just.

[Jay Shetty]

And the women had more choice, of course.

[Bill Maher]

Well, they're always at that age gonna go for older men. Because people when you're that age, as a male, you're just a very rare person who. I saw this other great movie. Look, all the movies.

[Jay Shetty]

I know you've been watching a lot of movies.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, I always do. This one I'd never heard of. It's like 10 years old. It's called 5 7.

[Jay Shetty]

I've not seen this either.

[Bill Maher]

I'd never heard of it. It's really interesting. It's about, you know, the French have this tradition where they don't ask what the spouse is doing from five to seven in the day because they're very realistic.

[Jay Shetty]

Right.

[Bill Maher]

About how, wow, passion wanes and people need a mistress or a lover.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow.

[Bill Maher]

So this 25 year old kid in New York, he meets this 33 year old French woman and he's totally besotted. And one day they're walking along and what else don't I know about you? She was like, well, I'm 33, I have a husband and two children. What? You have a husband? Yeah. Why do you think we meet from 5 to 7?

[Jay Shetty]

Oh my gosh.

[Bill Maher]

And it's, it's a really interesting movie. Except that they put in the mouth of this 25 year old.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Words that would never come out of a 25.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, really?

[Bill Maher]

He's, it's obviously a writer twice his age.

[Jay Shetty]

Right? Right.

[Bill Maher]

Nobody 25 is that cool, that confident, that wise, that good with women.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

But other than that, it's fun if you, if you suspect. But that's much less easy to swallow than Avatar.

[Jay Shetty]

Now the sad thing is that so much of that is. I mean, you know, that's five to seven in that era with some culture. But I'm hearing some horror stories right now of People dating. I was talking to someone I know and they were saying that they were seeing this guy. He was kind of going in the right direction. It was a bit of long distance across the states and she was hoping that it was going in a more serious direction. They're in their 30s. And so she'd reached out to him and messaged him and said, hey, I'm coming to see you this weekend. Obviously, as we planned. Just wanted to make sure that we're on the same path, that this is serious, it's going somewhere. Very, very, you know, acceptable way of messaging at someone. And she didn't get a response for a day. And she thought, okay, well, maybe something's up, it's okay. Didn't get a response for three days. Texted again, just checked in, didn't get a response for seven days. She goes online and she finds this online space where she starts talking about her experience, posts it. Next thing she knows, she gets a message from another woman who says, hey, can I chat to you? I read what you wrote. Realizes that this man's actually in another relationship. He's getting divorced at the same time from another relationship, and he's dating this woman. And it's mind blowing that someone has the audacity and the ability to navigate that many people at the same time. I don't even know how you, how you keep up with that.

[Bill Maher]

It's actually something that I'm sure always went on. What's amazing to me about the story is that someone thinks they could get away with it today. Yes, before the Internet, you know, before that era and social media and tracking people in every possible way. Same thing with criminals. I feel really bad for criminals. It's hard to be a criminal now because they got cameras everywhere. Same thing. I mean, if you're a husband cheating and your wife knows where your car is at all times because it's on her phone, you know.

[Jay Shetty]

You've thought through this, Bill?

[Bill Maher]

No, I don't know.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm speaking from experience.

[Bill Maher]

I don't have to because I'm not married. And one reason is I never want to cheat. I never want to have to lie in a relationship. And that's very hard because I think a lot of people, and you'd be a great one to ask this, but I think the common idea in people's minds is the longer you're in a relationship, the more honest you get, and maybe in a great one, but actually it's the reverse. The longer you're in, the more you start lying muchly to protect Your. Your partner who areas get sensitive. Do you still want to me as much as always? Absolutely. Okay, well, it's a lie.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

But you got to tell it.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I think. I think it's hard because we all say we want the truth. I think if you ask the average person, they'd say, I want people to be honest with me. I wish people told me the truth. But then when someone says it, the old cliche, you can't handle the truth. Like we don't. We can't actually handle it. And I think it takes a lot of maturity, a lot of openness, a lot of self work to be able to say, hey, you know what? Actually, I'm happy to hear what you actually have to say. And you know, it takes a lot of courage to hear the honesty and it takes a lot of courage to say it, but I think a lot of people are scared to say it because they're scared of how it's gonna be received.

[Bill Maher]

Did you ever see Tootsie?

[Jay Shetty]

No.

[Bill Maher]

I gotta get you a screen.

[Jay Shetty]

You need to get me.

[Bill Maher]

I need to get you a. I.

[Jay Shetty]

Don'T watch a lot of stuff. I watch a bit of Stu. I obviously don't watch enough. I thought I watched enough.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I mean, you're probably onto other bigger, deeper spiritual things, but for us normal people. You've heard of the movie, right?

[Unknown]

I've not.

[Jay Shetty]

I've not heard. What year is that?

[Bill Maher]

Is a super classic. I mean, it's. It's 1982. It's Dustin H. I wasn't born. So what? I wasn't born for the French Revolution, but I know about it. Really, Doc, that. That excuse is really. Your generation should lose that. It's a stupid thing to say. It really is. You were bored for it. Yeah, I saw a lot of movies.

[Jay Shetty]

I wasn't aware.

[Bill Maher]

I know, but I wasn't born for Citizen Kane, But I've seen it.

[Jay Shetty]

That's fair. That's fair.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, so Tootsie is. You know who Dustin Hoffman is.

[Jay Shetty]

Yes.

[Bill Maher]

And Bill Murray.

[Jay Shetty]

Yes.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, so the movie is. I don't know if you can make it today because it has to do with gender. But he's an actor in New York and he can't get work. And there's an ad for. In the. Like, you know, there were open auditions for a soap opera, but it's for a woman and he dresses in drag and he gets the part as a woman.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow.

[Bill Maher]

Michael becomes Dorothy and an older woman. You know, it's very funny. And speak and the audience loves him and he becomes a big soap opera star. So he's at a party one night as the woman. Cause he's invited as the. And he's very hot for this other girl who's on the soap opera. And he says. And they're talking, and she says to him, harry, thinking it's a woman. You know, guys are so full of shit. I wish one of them would just be honest and come up to me and say, I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world, and I'd like to go to bed with you. And he hears it later on, he's at a party as himself, as Michael, and he goes up and he tries it, and she throws a drink right in his face. It's a great movie moment because I.

[Jay Shetty]

Need your movie list. This sounds like, oh, well, that's gonna make my life a lot easier. I feel like nowadays all my generation does is spend hours and hours and hours trying to find something to watch and then give up eventually, so. And these movies don't make the lists. Like, you look at IMDb and you start looking at all these lists.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I mean, you know, that movie is 40 years old, but it is. I mean, certain classic movies, you don't have. I guess maybe you don't even have, like, the old DirecTV where you. I still have the 50 movie channels because if you flip through that, they're playing all sorts of movies from all sorts of years.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I'm a. I'm a big Nolan fan, so.

[Bill Maher]

Christopher Nolan.

[Jay Shetty]

I've spent. I've spent my time probably diving most deeply into Nolan's movies, starting with Memento. The Prestige is probably one of my favorite, favorite movies in either of those.

[Bill Maher]

I don't remember those.

[Jay Shetty]

So Momento is the story about the man who forgets every morning when he wakes up. And so he tattoos his memories onto himself and he's on the search for who killed his wife. It's a brilliant, brilliant story.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, I have heard of that. I don't think I did Catch up.

[Jay Shetty]

Highly recommend it.

[Bill Maher]

I watched that one.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. One of the best. And the Prestige is Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson. It's beautiful. It's. It's such a great movie. It's based. It's based on two magicians.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, yes, I did. Yes. Yeah, that's his most. That's early on.

[Jay Shetty]

2006, I think. That is.

[Bill Maher]

Right. And that's. That's more of his mainstream face. Just the way Stanley Kubrick. You know, Stanley Kubrick, I mean, he did so many innovative movies. But he also did Spartacus to start his career. A very mainstream movie.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

And there's two that Christopher Nolan did that. I don't know what they're going. What's going on?

[Jay Shetty]

Which one? Tenet.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. That's terrible.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

And then what's the other one with Leonardo DiCaprio and. Oh, you know, it's Inception.

[Jay Shetty]

That's one of my. That's an amazing movie.

[Bill Maher]

I'm sure it is.

[Jay Shetty]

That's a beautiful movie.

[Bill Maher]

I'm sure it is.

[Jay Shetty]

I love, I love the concept of the idea of we're living in a dream within a dream within a dream.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. But it's kind of hard to follow.

[Jay Shetty]

It's. I think it's. It takes a bit of reading. But I'm that kind of person who wants to watch a movie and then.

[Bill Maher]

No, no, I'm not movie bright. I'm like, I'm not stupid, but like, some people are much more movie bright. Very often, like a young girl.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

I need to watch a movie with.

[Jay Shetty]

Got it.

[Bill Maher]

Because she can explain to me.

[Jay Shetty]

Got it.

[Bill Maher]

Like, what's going. Like. Okay. Yeah, I, I. And Inception, I was just completely lost.

[Jay Shetty]

Well, anytime. Call me up. I'll. I'll explain the plot and we'll walk through.

[Bill Maher]

Right.

[Jay Shetty]

But, but no, you're reminding me of. I remember I was at a wedding maybe like four years ago, and it was, you know, people in entertainment, and everyone were. Everyone there was a writer, a comedian, you know, every speech was a NETFLIX comedy special, and perfectly delivered. It was amazing. Super entertaining. But I remember I was sitting with a group of people who were all asking me what my favorite movie that year was. And of course, with my naive and unrefined movie knowledge, I said, marvel Endgame. And everyone at the table had all these, you know, indie movies that they were in love with and everything. So I've had that experience before as well.

[Bill Maher]

I'm worse than you with that. I mean, all those kind of popular movies. Any Spandex movie, I've seen hardly any of them. The ones I have seen, I didn't see any difference between. I don't know why Catwoman is the worst and Spider Man's the greatest. To me, it's all the same movie.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, no, there's some good movies. I'm a Marvel fan, too.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, you are?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I'm a Marvel fan, so there's some good ones in there.

[Bill Maher]

I just tried to watch. Well, I did not try. I watched. Well, sort of Dune the Second. Dune.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Now, I have to admit, I did not See the original Dune.

[Jay Shetty]

Got it. I haven't seen the original.

[Bill Maher]

I didn't see the first Dune.

[Jay Shetty]

I've seen that one.

[Bill Maher]

And I missed the first 10 minutes of this one.

[Jay Shetty]

Okay, got it.

[Bill Maher]

I was watching it in the kitchen while I was making food. So I'm not really sure what's going on in Dune.

[Jay Shetty]

Got it.

[Bill Maher]

It's something about they're on another planet. I think it's the year 10,000, and yet everything is just eerily the same. Like, they still have helicopters and they're still fighting and running really fast. And, you know, there's one tribe that has this thing on their nose. Have you seen that? Do you know what that is?

[Jay Shetty]

I think. I suppose it helps them breathe. I don't know.

[Bill Maher]

I guess so. It's very dry.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

And yet Zendaya's skin is perfect. I mean, really. I've been to Vegas for a weekend. My skin got worse than what's going on here on Earth.

[Jay Shetty]

That's a great observation.

[Bill Maher]

The planet. What is it?

[Jay Shetty]

I don't know the name.

[Bill Maher]

Okay.

[Jay Shetty]

I don't know that.

[Bill Maher]

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[Bill Maher]

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[Jay Shetty]

He gets killed in a great fight scene.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, so you have seen it?

[Jay Shetty]

I've seen it. I've seen that one. Yeah, I've seen the movie. I don't remember the name of the planet, but I know the movie. I've seen both of them.

[Bill Maher]

So you don't watch movies? Like, what do you do?

[Jay Shetty]

I watch movies. I watch movies. I think we just watch different movies.

[Bill Maher]

Well, what else do you do for fun?

[Jay Shetty]

I. I definitely love. I'm a huge soccer fan. So I grew up as I'm born and raised in London.

[Bill Maher]

Watching or playing?

[Jay Shetty]

Both. I don't play as much anymore, but I used to love playing and watching soccer. Still one of my favorite things to do.

[Bill Maher]

Where'd you grow up in England?

[Jay Shetty]

I grew up in North London, so it was. Yeah. Soccer is my first love. Football is my first love. And it's something I don't know London.

[Bill Maher]

Well enough to know. What does that mean? That neighborhood, North London? What kind of neighborhood?

[Jay Shetty]

It's. It's a bit in between. It's a bit rough. It's a bit. It's. It's definitely a little rough. I definitely grew up in a neighborhood where there weren't so many Indian and South Asian people. And so weren't. There weren't. There weren't that many when I was growing up.

[Bill Maher]

There are now.

[Jay Shetty]

So there are a lot. There are a lot of South Asian people in England and in London, in that particular area.

[Bill Maher]

Well, London, I read this in Andrew Sullivan's column. He said like 50 years ago was something like, I don't know, I forget the stat, but it went up by 50% the number of non white people.

[Jay Shetty]

Okay, that makes sense. Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

It's amazing when you think.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I mean, growing up in lamenting.

[Bill Maher]

It, I'm just saying, oh, for sure. It's just, you know, acknowledge change.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, it was amazing. You know, I mean, I remember in our primary school, elementary school, part of our studies was visiting every religion's place of worship. That was really common because there was someone from every religion in our class. There was such a great exposure to other cultures. We celebrated every religious Holiday. It was pretty incredible to have such a diverse upbringing. And I know a lot of my friends here didn't have that, so that was a real positive.

[Bill Maher]

It's powerful. I did that. I made a movie called Religilous. It's about. It's a documentary. It's a comedy. And we went to all the different religious sites for the documentary. Yeah. And I made fun of them all, but we never got to. Now you're not officially a Buddhist. Or are you?

[Jay Shetty]

No, no, no, no.

[Bill Maher]

But you did. You were a monk, right?

[Jay Shetty]

I lived as a monk, but in the Vedic tradition, which is more aligned with Hinduism, if you had to put it into a category.

[Bill Maher]

And what's that like? I mean, the life of a monk. I'm sure we all have an image in our head that's very Spartan.

[Jay Shetty]

It's. It's hard. It's definitely hard and challenging. You wake up.

[Bill Maher]

Are these the celibate years?

[Jay Shetty]

Yes. Correct. So you're waking up at 4am you're having cold showers, you're meditating for around four to eight hours a day. You sleep on the floor, you get two sets of robes, you wear one, you wash one. And it's. It's a really challenging lifestyle. But at the same time, talking about what we're speaking about, what was really profound to me, when I think about it, is that it was three years of my life where I didn't have to pursue anything. I didn't have to pursue a woman, I didn't have to pursue a job, I didn't have to pursue a promotion. And I feel like there's something really powerful about a period of our life where you're not pursuing anything external that allows you to actually go inward, to have a go at mastering your mind, not that you ever will, and pursue that perspective. And so when I looked at the science of it, because I've always been fascinated by the parallels between spirituality and science, I was looking at a study that was saying that most of our life, we live it in pursuit, so we live it in anticipation, reward, and then crash. So you anticipate something, you get the reward or you don't, and then you crash after it, whether you are happy and then crash or sad and then crash. And that keeps us in that cycle of anticipation, reward, crash. But when you actually don't pursue something, there's almost a sense where your dopamine stabilizes and you actually get the ability to focus on being present for small things and getting to appreciate the things that you would usually miss or things you Wouldn't see. And so now when I look back at it, I look at that as one of the biggest things I learned there. Because I don't know any time in my life before or after where I haven't been pursuing something. And so that was the most magical thing when I look back to think, wow, what a period of life where you're not pursuing something.

[Bill Maher]

It must give you, with your vast audience, a lot of cred. Kind of like the revolutionary who has spent time in prison. You know, a lot of the people who wound up presidents of countries. Menachem Begin was, you know, some people would call him a terrorist. He went to jail, you know, fighting the British for Israel's independence. But, you know, Mandela, you know, Martin Luther King, you go to jail. Castro, I think before he. You have a kind of a credibility with the crowd that like, yeah, I walked the walk for this. I didn't just talk about it. I, you know, in your case, got up at 4 in the morning and took the cold shower and. Are you allowed to masturbate when you're.

[Jay Shetty]

No.

[Bill Maher]

No, not even. You say celibatent even from yourself?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, fully celibate, yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Wow. What do you do about that?

[Jay Shetty]

Well, it's a great question. There's a. So there's. I think what's really fascinating is before I did the life, I always thought it would be suppression or repression, but actually I found that that engagement that we had there with the meditation, with the clean plant based diet, with the focus, I'm not kidding. At least at that time it was a thought that evaporated, it was a thought that disappeared. And that didn't happen immediately. It probably took months to even feel that way. It was months of dedicated practice that allowed you to get to that point. But I found that that environment was almost protected by like some incredible shield which I've never experienced anywhere else. And I was actually just back there. I go back to the monastery every year. I was back there this January and I traveled there with my wife. Now she comes with me as well. And we were there for a week and I was spending time with my teachers again and the monks again and again. I felt this force field energy while I was there. And the moment I left, I felt all the other allurements and all the other attractions come right back. And I was thinking, wow, there is, there is something special about locations in which kind of like this room that we're in right now, right. Like this has a certain vibe, it has a certain energy.

[Bill Maher]

It really does.

[Jay Shetty]

It does. Right this location has an energy. I walked in.

[Bill Maher]

And not for what you're going for.

[Jay Shetty]

But locations do have energy.

[Bill Maher]

They really do.

[Jay Shetty]

They really do. And I think that those places where people have meditated for tens of years, hundreds of years, thousands of years.

[Bill Maher]

And where is this one? Because I want to avoid going there.

[Jay Shetty]

You don't want that force field. Yeah. You don't want that force field.

[Bill Maher]

No. I'm not as strong as you, but I'm not strong.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm not strong. I'm actually very. I wouldn't consider myself strong in this.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, well, you're stronger than me because I. I couldn't last. I mean, let me. Let me ask you. I'm just so curious about this. Let me break it. So you're there for three years, 36 months. I'm guessing that the first month must have been the worst, the hardest, because you're obviously. Cause you're transitioning.

[Jay Shetty]

It is the way.

[Bill Maher]

And I can't believe I'm doing this. What am I, crazy? What the fuck am I doing? I only lived so many years on this earth. Why am I not enjoying it? I mean, there's things going on. I could go see Tootsie.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, exactly.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, there's movies, there's lots of fun things. Okay, but where are we?

[Jay Shetty]

Like, after six months, six months in, it's changed. Because first month, you're thinking while you're sitting on the floor. God, why am I sitting on the floor? It hurts my back, it hurts my leg. I can't even meditate. I can't focus. That's. That's day one week, one month, one.

[Bill Maher]

So you don't even get a chair.

[Jay Shetty]

You don't get a chair there? No. There's no meditating on chairs.

[Bill Maher]

You don't get a chair.

[Jay Shetty]

Not from. Not for meditating.

[Bill Maher]

What about a bed?

[Jay Shetty]

You sleep on the floor. You have a thin little yoga mat and a little bed sheet. And when you're in India, you have the mosquito nets. So you're sleeping in this really tight tent because the mosquitoes will eat you at night. I remember one of my.

[Bill Maher]

Shouldn't you welcome that?

[Jay Shetty]

I remember one of my friends went to sleep with his head, you know, because your head shaved. He had his head shaved at the net. And we woke up and his head looked like the moon because they had craters all over it from the mosquitoes eating it alive.

[Bill Maher]

So do you have a roommate?

[Jay Shetty]

You have communal living. So there's 20, 30, sometimes 100 people in a room, depending on the size of it. When you're traveling as well.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, so sleep on the floor. No amenities.

[Jay Shetty]

No.

[Bill Maher]

A hundred people in the room. Sounds like Club Med.

[Jay Shetty]

Sounds like Club Med.

[Bill Maher]

Have you been to a club?

[Jay Shetty]

I know what Club Med is, but I've never been.

[Bill Maher]

I did a movie called Club Med, believe it or not, and we stayed there for a month. It's. I shouldn't.

[Jay Shetty]

This was a doc or a.

[Bill Maher]

No, no, this was a movie. It was a movie of the week. And, you know, the idea behind Club Med is for people on a budget who are. It's actually a brilliant idea because it's for people who are going to enjoy the outdoors anyway. They just want to swim and fuck. They don't need. So you go to this place and it's very Spartan, you know, it's like a monk's thing. You get a bed and a. I mean, it's no locks. I seem to remember you get beads. You don't even.

[Jay Shetty]

No way. What do you do with the beads?

[Bill Maher]

Because. To, like, buy drinks. But there's no money. Because we want to. You know, it's kind of smart, you know, so just. Let's get up. We're going to be at the beach all day. We don't need a $800 a night room.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

So I feel like that would be a good.

[Jay Shetty]

That's your experience of.

[Bill Maher]

That's a.

[Jay Shetty]

That's your monastic.

[Bill Maher]

I'm going to get.

[Jay Shetty]

That's your monastic experience. But you.

[Bill Maher]

But you are stronger. I mean, that is an amazing amount of streng. I mean, let's not kid ourselves.

[Jay Shetty]

I think it's strength that we built up over time.

[Bill Maher]

I don't.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I don't think it was. It was something I went in there with.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, so where are you after a year? Is there a point where you're like, you're digging it after.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I mean, six months in, I was having the best time of my life. I was like, I'm going to do this for the rest of my life.

[Bill Maher]

You really. So what brought you out of it?

[Jay Shetty]

What brought me out of it was my body breaking down. I literally couldn't hack it.

[Bill Maher]

Like, you mean from sleeping on the floor?

[Jay Shetty]

From sleeping on the floor. From waking up at 4am from eating what you're given because you don't get to choose. There's no menu. Everyone eats the same thing. I'd have friends of mine, monks, who were waking up at 2am and I'm being woken up and I'm a light sleeper. And if someone's sick, I'm getting sick, and My immune system's getting rocked. And so I realized very quickly that I didn't have the physical ability to stay there. And then at the same time there was this on if I'm honest with you and honest with myself, there was this rebellious spirit of wanting to share what I'd learned in a way that resonated with all my friends back in London.

[Bill Maher]

You sure did.

[Jay Shetty]

And in a way that I felt would help people that I grew up around. And not that that was discouraged, but it wasn't encouraged. That wasn't the goal of being here. And there was far more of this regimented fall in line which is really important for that sacred life. And I respect it. I think it's needed. I just didn't fit in. It's a strange thing to say, but almost after three years of trying to become a monk or being a monk, I realized I wasn't one. And that's almost like the hardest thing. So the first month was the hardest, but the last month was even harder because you've kind of used all this self awareness training to come to the conclusion that I don't think I belong here, but there are things I've learned here that I think are so profound and powerful.

[Bill Maher]

This may be a stupid question, but why do you need the torturous physical part? If really what's going on in the mind, you know, why do you have. Has it be. Has to hurt? I mean, if you don't hurt your back, you wouldn't get to the mind. No, I'm asking.

[Jay Shetty]

It's a great question.

[Bill Maher]

No, it's a great question because, I mean, couldn't you do it at the radish?

[Jay Shetty]

So you could now? Definitely I do now. I would say that there's a beauty in it because that helps you go beyond the body because your body is such an uncomfortable place to live at that point that you have to go inward into the mind and further deeper. Whereas if you're in the full comforts, you don't actually ever have to go that deep. You don't have to. You're not forced to go and challenge to see what lies beyond the body. And so there was a beauty to. And while I was there back in. When I was there in January this year, I go back to trying to live as close to that as I can. I'm waking up at 4am yes, when I go there now I'll have a bed because I'm staying in quarters that are a bit more for visitors as opposed to monks. But I'm waking up at 4am I'm doing the practices. And there's a beauty in it. I'll tell you, Bill, it's so powerful because it just takes you back to realizing how little you can live with, how little you need for that period of time. And it does give you special access to go deeper and go beyond the body. There is a power to it.

[Bill Maher]

Are there people who start the program like you did and flunk out, just like in the Marines, you know, I mean, they're the people who think they can do the Marines. And then it's like, you know, I.

[Jay Shetty]

Feel like that guy. Yeah, I feel like that guy. That's why when you say I'm strong or whatever, I feel like it's the other way around. Like, you did that.

[Bill Maher]

Who just.

[Jay Shetty]

There were more people who stayed than left.

[Bill Maher]

But some did leave, of course.

[Jay Shetty]

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. For different reasons. And. And it's not discouraged.

[Bill Maher]

I think I know the reason and.

[Jay Shetty]

You know, discouraged to leave, it just. It feels like a personal failure. I think that's how I felt when I left. There was a. There was definitely a depression hanging over me because it felt like I'd aspired to do something in my 20s. I'd built it up, and then I'd failed. And that's how I felt, at least internally.

[Bill Maher]

So I was this close some nights, freshman year at Cornell, like, wanting to just pack it up and go home because it was so hard, because it was so shitty.

[Jay Shetty]

What part of it?

[Bill Maher]

Not the academic part. That was what saved me. I did have academic epiphanies at Harvard. Harvard, Cornell. And that was worth. That's what you're going there for. But I did not have the fun college experience. It just wasn't a fun place. And of course, I got myself sort of ostracized in the dorm first year because the kids were, like, really immature. And I was telling them, you know, enough with the shaving cream fights. It's not amusing me anymore. And then, of course, I just made myself a pariah. So, like, there was lots of reasons.

[Jay Shetty]

What made you stay?

[Bill Maher]

That's what made me think of this pride, you know, just. You don't want to be the guy who. Something in me was like, you know, what if you put your tail between your legs and you go home now and you can't even hack college, Your life's not going to turn out well. You. You. This is. Something in me knew that this was a. A trial by fire. My version. Look, people went to Vietnam not that long before this happened, so there are way Worse Trials by Fire. And what you did, I mean. I mean, I just can't imagine the fact that it got to the point where you had to quit, because physically, that's. I just don't. But again, connect me to why that makes your mind better.

[Jay Shetty]

Which part? Oh, the physical challenge. Because there's. Well, first of all, the simplicity of. It removes all feelings of I, me and mine. So when you don't have your bed, you now are rolling out a mat anywhere in the room. There's a detachment to that you don't have. You get a mat, yeah, the little yoga mat, like a little thin yoga mat with a bed sheet. But, like, you don't have a place that's yours. It removes that feeling of ego, that idea of, this is my space. This belongs to me. It gives you a sense that, hey, this is ours. We belong to this space. This is something we all have to maintain. Because you don't know where you're going to sleep. When you have two sets of clothes, you wear one, you wash one. It again creates that simplicity of independence, of taking care of yourself. So all of those physical limitations or simplifications allow you to access these modalities that you wouldn't. You'd never think of detachment if you didn't have anything at all. If you're constantly surrounded by things, it's harder to understand that principle. So I think the extreme extremes help us learn the lesson, so that when you're not in the extreme, you can actually find the balance. And so to me, even the. For example, when I'm sitting on the floor and my. My leg's hurting, my back's hurting, I'm now having to go beyond the body to see if there's something inward to go toward, to find peace within. I'm having to find peace in my breath. And by the way, that's true for anyone who bodybuilds today. If someone's working out, it's not fun lifting that weight. You've got to go to your breath to get through that last rep, to push through. That's how it works. So that resistance is a healthy resistance. It's just that I pushed it way too far. I was. I was a bit too. I was a bit too excited to see how far meditation could go and how much I could push my body. I was a young man. I was 22 years old, and, you know, not being as mindful as I probably should have. So it wasn't that it had to hurt as bad as it hurt me.

[Bill Maher]

But see, this fascinates me now because, you see, now you have so many things in your life that beyond what the normal person has, which we would consider things that really feed an ego. I mean, you talk to some of the most important, celebrated people in the world, right? Oprah and Obama and the wealthy. You've had every, you know. Okay. And you're very successful. As money is coming in, I'm sure you're not burning it in a pile, are you?

[Jay Shetty]

No. All right.

[Bill Maher]

So, like, it's just. You must have gotten the bends from coming up from the no chair to Obama, you know? So these things that are ego gratifiers, shall we call them that most of the world is like, with their phone, please like me and see me and give me this shit.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

And you got it.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Does it not affect you? Does it. Are you. What do you. What. What's going on in the. In the two parts of your mind where it's like, you got some parties about me. Like, this is cool.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I'm very. I'm very fortunate and grateful that I've got to live two very opposite lives. And it's been extremely, extremely difficult for me to wrap my own head around it. And I mean that I'm sad.

[Bill Maher]

I can't.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. And it's. It's a. And it's. It's a battle every day is the real answer The. It's a battle every day you have. Ego is something that you are. You are working with every day. It's. If you.

[Bill Maher]

Why are we saying it's a bad thing?

[Jay Shetty]

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. No, no, no. I'm saying that there's some ego's good.

[Bill Maher]

Right. Don't you need some ego? I mean, that's what Freud says, you know.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. There's. Well, in the. In the Vedic literatures, it's described as real ego and false ego. So the difference is that false ego is when you identify your worth with the thing. False ego is I am worthy because I have, whereas real ego is I am worthy because I live and breathe and I'm here.

[Bill Maher]

Or maybe something good as opposed to.

[Jay Shetty]

That would be even the second. The first would just be that I've been given an opportunity to do that. There's worth even in that. There's worth in just living and being and breathing.

[Bill Maher]

You're helping a lot of people now.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm trying to. I'm trying to.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. I think people would say they. You have helped them.

[Jay Shetty]

Definitely.

[Bill Maher]

So doesn't that, like, make you feel good?

[Jay Shetty]

It Also makes me feel good. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[Bill Maher]

Nothing wrong with that?

[Jay Shetty]

No, no, nothing wrong with that. I think. I think what it is, is it's almost like when you buy into your own hype. I think it's. If you walk into a room. I remember watching an interview with Robert Downey Jr. That I loved. He was being interviewed at the Cambridge Union, and he said, when I walk into my house, it's not like my family goes, oh, my God, it's Iron Man. Like, let's. You know, it's. He's like, it's not like that. It's like my wife will be like, can you take the trash out? And I think if you're walking into every room and you're like, oh, yeah, I interviewed this person. Look what I did. And look at who I am. I think that is an unhealthy sense of ego. It's an unhealthy sense of self worth. It actually will make you extremely lonely and it will actually depress you eventually. So I think that's the kind I'm being cautious of.

[Bill Maher]

But now you waded into my area, Jake, Go ahead. Because now you talk about celebrities, they're all full of shit. Robert Danish Jr. Does not. His wife does not tell him, take the trash out. Somebody else takes the trash out in that house. He's a fucking movie star. He's got a lot of money. Is all his life rose petals? No, of course not. And he's married, so he's gonna have to, you know, you gotta serve somebody, as Bob Dylan said, you know, okay. But his life is cushy and lots of people everywhere he goes, deserved. He's a brilliant actor, done some amaz. Amazing work. We could go through his movies.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I love his movies.

[Bill Maher]

But, you know, when he goes out to dinner, you know, he doesn't wait. He gets the best table. He. What I'm saying is his ego is fed constantly. He's always at award shows.

[Jay Shetty]

And that's where you got to battle it. That's the point. That's my point.

[Bill Maher]

It's harder if occasionally, you know, at home he's got to eat some shit with the. You know, he's. He's not. It's not as simple as my wife tells me to take the trip. Celebrities really like to play that up. That I'm just like you.

[Jay Shetty]

But. But no, I. I don't disagree. And I think that's why, for me, I. That's why I'm saying it's a battle. Because if life has Become easier and more comfortable. You have to be more cautious. You have to be more aware because it's so easy to get lost in that journey. And so I relish the battle. I enjoy it every day. I prefer being in a place now where I'm challenged, where I'm questioned, where I have to think about these things. If anything, it forces me to take more shelter, it forces me to surrender more. It forces me to take my practices more seriously. Because it's almost like if you're training every day, if you're a warrior and you're training every day, but you never go into battle, you don't know how strong you are. So when you're on the battlefield every day and your ego's being pushed up and you're being given all this praise and you're given all these accolades, and then you have to stay grounded, then you're really figuring out how strong you are. So I think I'm realizing or reminded of how weak I am every day. And that's a beautiful reason why I focus on taking so much shelter in my practice.

[Bill Maher]

What would you say is the most indulgent, materialistic thing you have in your life? Oh, gosh, right now.

[Jay Shetty]

So many, now, really so many things.

[Bill Maher]

Well, anything, I mean, it can be anything. It can be, you know, I don't know what, I don't know what your tastes are. Maybe, you know, it's a vintage record player. I don't know what you.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, that's. How did you know? That's a good shout out. I have a vintage record player.

[Bill Maher]

That's great.

[Jay Shetty]

That is amazing.

[Bill Maher]

Would it give you pleasure?

[Jay Shetty]

That's impressive. I do have a vintage record player. That's why I'm laughing. That's why I'm laughing. I have a love for design. I have a love, love, love for design. And I love how design can transform spaces.

[Bill Maher]

If I find out you have a shark tank, I'm gonna.

[Jay Shetty]

I do not have a shark tank.

[Bill Maher]

Nuts.

[Jay Shetty]

I do not have a shark tank. I have a vintage record that I love.

[Unknown]

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[Jay Shetty]

Welcome to the White Lotus in Thailand Cup. It's a wellness center. You should get a facial. It's the lady in the eye.

[Bill Maher]

Airport.

[Jay Shetty]

Thought you were my dad. My God. The Emmy award winning HBO original series returns.

[Bill Maher]

There has been more crime on the island.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm a little freaked out. What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand.

[Bill Maher]

What does that mean?

[Jay Shetty]

It means we're not dead yet. Amen. Amen.

[Unknown]

A new season of the HBO original.

[Jay Shetty]

Series the White Lotus premieres February 16th at 9pm on Max. It's. It's a 1960s brawn that a lot of Apple's initials products were designed based on that. And I love it. It's such a beautiful piece that inspires me daily. I was a huge fan of Steve Jobs and so.

[Bill Maher]

Really?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. Big fan of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs spent a lot of time in India and spent a lot of time, or at least what he did spend time with monks. And so he has quite a spiritual explorative side.

[Bill Maher]

Run this one through the spiritual grinder for me. Like he seemed like the last type type of guy to die from what he died from. Yeah, like that's pancreatic. Usually somebody who strikes obese, you know, diabetes. He was skinny.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

You know, he seemed skinny.

[Jay Shetty]

Doesn't mean healthy though.

[Bill Maher]

No, no, not necessarily. Absolutely not. It's much more complicated than that. I mean this just shows we don't know what the fuck.

[Jay Shetty]

Well, at that time too, I think we had very little insight or conversation around gut health. Very little conversation about the microbiome, very little conversation about the impacts of sugar. Very. You know, we weren't talking about all these things.

[Bill Maher]

We were in my life.

[Jay Shetty]

You were?

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, that's amazing. I. I just didn't know a lot of people growing up.

[Bill Maher]

But I mean I. I met a guy you probably would like a lot because he's a guru. I mean a literal guru.

[Jay Shetty]

What's his name?

[Bill Maher]

Whatever the Dr. Neil. He's. I'm going to give you his shampoo here. He makes the only clean shampoo in the world. The old naturopathics and he. I been my holistic doctor for 20 years before I went to him. I really wasn't that aware. I was always kind of interested in health. When I was in my 20s. I was too poor to do anything about it really. You got to eat three cheese subs when that's all the. You only got a dollar ninety for lunch.

[Jay Shetty]

Totally. I used to eat a Moz bar and drink a Sprite every day.

[Bill Maher]

You did?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I grew up eating four chocolate products.

[Bill Maher]

A day in England.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I used to a chocolate bar, a chocolate yogurt, a chocolate ice cream and a chocolate biscuit every day. My mom was like, I got addicted to chocolate. It took me years to curb my addiction. Years. I was like, that was, that was something that was hard.

[Bill Maher]

What did you eat? What was the meal plan in the three year.

[Jay Shetty]

So you're eating plant based and so and it's all generally Indian dishes. So in the morning you're eating sometimes a dosa, which is like a thin, savory crepe is the closest I can compare it to if you ever had a dosa. It's like South Indian food. It's very light.

[Bill Maher]

I love Indian food.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. So it's like a thin, savory crepe.

[Bill Maher]

Is it good or is it. It's great.

[Jay Shetty]

It's great.

[Bill Maher]

No, even in the, in the month.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. It's not indulgent in the sense that you're not, you know, but it's, it's healthy. It's, it's great. It tastes wonderful. Then there's, there's upma, which is another Indian delicacy, which is simple kitchari, which is like mixed vegetables and rice. So you're eating very simply, but you're eating healthy and it's good. But we'd be traveling, so you'd be eating things on the road sometimes and it wasn't so great. Sometimes you didn't know when your next meal was going to come. If you're traveling for quite a while. So they would, you know, you'd always try and eat what you had.

[Bill Maher]

So you don't describe Steve Jobs demise to something. Woo woo.

[Jay Shetty]

I, I wish I knew. I wish I knew. I don't, I don't know enough about how he ended up with his health challenges.

[Bill Maher]

No, but do you think there's some sort of plan or, you know, like, like, was it always destined that he was going to only live that long? Or, you know, is there a bigger picture to that or is it like atheists like me believe everything is fairly random. Like club random. I mean, I would literally name the club after it.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I've always found the middle to be where I find my home in that I think life is both free will and fate. And what I mean by that is that free will, you're right, free will creates fate. And so our actions do have an impact. But then there are certain things where we have limited amount of actions to choose from. And so you've got an interplay between fate and free will at any point. I. I didn't get to choose where I was born, so there were. There was a limited set of choices. So when I grew up, you could either be a doctor, a lawyer, or a failure. Based on my parents, those are my three options. And I would never have imagined having a career in media or entertainment or. Obviously podcasts didn't exist, but I could never imagine being a host. That wasn't even in my vocabulary growing up. And so you start seeing how these intersections of our life kind of limit us and then allow us to flow. So I've always seen this interplay between free will and faith. So I live as if my actions matter. I think that's a good way to live. But then I also accept that my actions matter, but that I can't be deciding of the result. I can't choose where they go.

[Bill Maher]

I think you should host Saturday Night Live. I do. I think it'd be really funny.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow.

[Bill Maher]

You know, because, you know, the swami sketch, you know? You know, just to have a whack at spirituality and stuff like that.

[Jay Shetty]

You know, if you encourage it, maybe. Maybe from your. When your lips do it, would you do it? I would do it. Definitely. Definitely.

[Bill Maher]

Exactly.

[Jay Shetty]

I think it's great to laugh at ourselves.

[Bill Maher]

We're going full throttle.

[Jay Shetty]

I think if we can't laugh at all the idiosyncrasies at every establishment, it's. It's a bad. It's a bad idea.

[Bill Maher]

So go for it. I want to see you in a Cardi B video. I. I want the whole thing for you.

[Jay Shetty]

It's funny you said that. I always said that Cardi B would be one of my ideal guests on the show because my joy is in not speaking to people that are like me or that look like me or act like me. And my joy is in finding mindfulness within each person I meet.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I'm so glad you mentioned mindfulness. She just had a stud put in her ass crack.

[Jay Shetty]

Okay, I didn't know this.

[Bill Maher]

No, I.

[Jay Shetty]

Where did you learn that? How do you come across that on your TikTok algorithm or your, I don't know, your newsfeed or the New York Times newsletter? I don't know.

[Bill Maher]

No. One of my writers tried to make a joke out of it, and it didn't work. What's funny about Nicki Minaj? I mean, Cardi B having her ass cracked, pierced can bring me something that's naturally funny. No, I. I Was like, it's almost too obvious. And, you know, also, it's in bad taste. And I'm just. Well, wait a minute. I am all about bad taste anyway. But, yeah, Cardi b. You. I could see it.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I could see it. Maybe on my tour. I'm about to go on tour with the podcast.

[Bill Maher]

I know.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh. So I'm excited for that.

[Bill Maher]

You know, I blame the pot. I forget the plugs.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, no, you don't need.

[Bill Maher]

I'm so glad. That was so. That was. But that was. That was so good the way you did that.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm excited about it. I'm really looking forward.

[Bill Maher]

I don't blame you. And you should be. And tell me all about it. I hear you going on tour with the podcast.

[Jay Shetty]

Thank you for the plug. I really appreciate it. That's so kind of you.

[Bill Maher]

I never forget.

[Jay Shetty]

No, I'm really excited. We're taking the podcast on tour for the first time ever. So the podcast is over six years old now. It's been an incredible journey, and this is the year I thought it would be incredible success. Yeah. It'll be nice to go and meet the community. We've had, had millions of fans that have been so loyal.

[Bill Maher]

What will be different about it? Live or nothing.

[Jay Shetty]

I think what will be different about it is I'm gonna get to interact with the audience. The audience is going to get to interact with the guests, ask questions. I want to open it, interact with.

[Bill Maher]

The audience so they'll do the thing where they pass the mic.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm gonna love to go out there and see people, give people hugs, meet people, hold hands. I'm like, oh, excited to get out there and look people in the eyes and thank them.

[Bill Maher]

I don't think that's a good idea.

[Jay Shetty]

I. I love it. I enjoy it.

[Bill Maher]

I like being with. There's going to be a lot of people.

[Jay Shetty]

I know, but it'll be fun.

[Bill Maher]

It's going to take a long time to get through the whole.

[Jay Shetty]

No, no, not through the whole crowd. I'm not going to get through.

[Bill Maher]

Well, then who gets. Who gets selected for that?

[Jay Shetty]

I don't know. We'll find out.

[Bill Maher]

I know, but then, see, now we're. Now we're breaking down into, you know, the VIPs and the people who don't get the hug. You see the problem?

[Jay Shetty]

Well, no, but it's random choice. It's club random. There's no. There's no rhyme or reason.

[Bill Maher]

Anybody who buys a ticket to your show is going to want to give you a hug.

[Jay Shetty]

Okay.

[Bill Maher]

And either you're gonna give 6,000 hugs.

[Jay Shetty]

I can't do that.

[Bill Maher]

Exactly.

[Jay Shetty]

I'd love to.

[Bill Maher]

And now what we're down to is some people get it and some people don't. And now you're in the worst kind of areas of ego and division and all the stuff that you think. So if you do something where there's a VIP experience.

[Jay Shetty]

No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying as in I would just go out into the audience. I'm not saying in a second.

[Bill Maher]

But you just said you're not gonna do all 6,000.

[Jay Shetty]

No, of course not. But here's.

[Bill Maher]

Here's the thing who gets it.

[Jay Shetty]

Here's the thing that the community I have, and I know this because I went on a one man tour, my own show, two years ago when my book came out. In 2023, I went on a tour, but it was just me. It wasn't a podcast. I'm not kidding you, Bill, and I really hope that you'll get to come. I really, I would love for you to be there. One thing that everyone said. So part of my event was me bringing people up on stage, asking people to do uncomfortable things that I believed were powerful for growth. So we had everything from setting a couple up randomly on a date on stage through to me putting a person inside a solitude cave to meditate for 15 minutes during the show with a.

[Bill Maher]

Question and then sawing them in half.

[Jay Shetty]

No, no, no. I wanted to do that bit, but they said it was legally difficult, so.

[Bill Maher]

Damn, that would have really.

[Jay Shetty]

We missed that one. Yeah, that would have been amazing. Yeah, that would have been amazing. And then we, you know, to the point at the end of the show where I asked people to called someone in their life that they hadn't told they loved for a long time. And they did that live on stage. It was really beautiful. But here's the reason I'm telling you all that is my community rallied behind each of those people in a way you've never seen before. And I saw the audience, you saw 5,000, 6,000 people rally behind this one person who was having this experience, whether they were in that solitude cube, whether they made the call, whether they. They told the whole audience about a breakup that they just went through or a tough divorce, you saw the whole audience run and hug that person. So I believe that even if I can't hug 6,000 people, 6,000 people will walk away with a hug from someone else in the audience, and it'll be that much more powerful because my audience and My community is all about building that rather than it being around me. It's not about me making something incredible happen. It's about them feeling that from each other.

[Bill Maher]

Are we sure not. We're not becoming a megachurch?

[Jay Shetty]

That's a great question. And are we sure.

[Bill Maher]

I think you're doing great. I'm just trying to watch you. The guardrails. Because I'm in this business and I know, I've seen, you know, you don't want to end up like Britney Spears. You don't want to be shaving the head, hitting people with the arm.

[Jay Shetty]

I already shaved the head. That's good. Yeah, I got the hair back. So no more shaving my head now. I like my hair.

[Bill Maher]

Right? You're not even allowed to have hair there.

[Jay Shetty]

You're not allowed to have hair because.

[Bill Maher]

Just like the Marines, the first thing they do.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, it's. It's great detachment and you.

[Bill Maher]

And you have such a nice head of hair.

[Jay Shetty]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, you're gonna love this shampoo.

[Jay Shetty]

Really?

[Bill Maher]

Yes.

[Jay Shetty]

That was. That was good.

[Bill Maher]

No, but it's true. It's the only truly natural shampoo there is in the world.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I love a new shampoo.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, I'll try it out, too. This guy's been to India a million times.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow.

[Bill Maher]

He loves India.

[Jay Shetty]

I love it.

[Bill Maher]

George Harrison loved India.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, really? I mean, George Anderson loved India. I know that.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, that's cool. Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, he got the whole Beatles to go.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, Ringo left after two weeks. Ringo was like, I'm not staying on the floor. And he missed his English food. And, you know.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, of course it's different. It's hard.

[Bill Maher]

But I mean, I don't know if you believe this. Certainly people from that, shall we say, realm of religious thinking believe this, that we're all at different stages because we've been reincarnated different, different times. And you can't hate people like me and Ringo. We just haven't been reincarnated that many times. I mean, like, it's very doubtful that at the. Almost at the age of 70 that I'm going to suddenly have this.

[Jay Shetty]

Who knows, who knows, who knows?

[Bill Maher]

Never say never. But I don't think I'm going to go and do the three year on the floor.

[Jay Shetty]

No, not three years. Not three years. Maybe three days.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, but. But maybe after I've been reincarnated, this is what they would say. Maybe after I've been reincarnated four or five more times, I will be at. Is that the way you see it, like, you think you probably have just been reincarnated more times, so you're at a. You're closer to where we're getting. Where we are a being beyond our, you know, burdensome physical body.

[Jay Shetty]

I don't claim to have any of that evolution. I think that there's a. We're living at a beautiful time where the greatest gift of spirituality is available to anyone and everyone because it's so talked about.

[Bill Maher]

How do you define spirituality?

[Jay Shetty]

The ability to learn about the self. That's as simply as that.

[Bill Maher]

The self.

[Jay Shetty]

The self, yeah. The ability to learn about the real, true self. I think that conversation is so widespread today. It's so accessible today. There's podcasts, there's books, there's social media pages. It's everywhere. So the ability for anyone and anyone.

[Bill Maher]

See, I think I know myself as most people my age do. If you haven't noticed, you haven't caught on by now. But I think you're talking about a different kind of knowledge. Maybe I don't know myself at all. That. That's. I. I am absolutely open to entertaining that possibility. I think it's possibility.

[Jay Shetty]

I think it starts there. I think it starts there. It starts with. I mean, the one thing you do know is which movies you love. And. And I often. It's funny you said and. And I'm not. I'm being serious. I think sometimes I ask people, I'm like, hey, what kind of movies do you like? And we don't know what we like to eat. We don't know what we like to watch. We don't know what we, you know, we don't really know that much about ourselves even starting there.

[Bill Maher]

No, those are things we do know.

[Jay Shetty]

I would hope so, but I would tell you.

[Bill Maher]

Do you know what we want to eat?

[Jay Shetty]

Most couples argue every night about what they should eat.

[Bill Maher]

No, they argue about what the other one wants to eat. They don't. They know what they want to eat. What they argue about is they ask their wife, and they don't agree. Where do you want to go? And she says, I don't care. You pick. And then the first six ones she vetoes.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. Yeah. But I think that self awareness has many levels. And I think what I'm saying is that I think mental is important. I think physical is important. I think emotional is important. And then I'm saying spiritual, on a soul consciousness level, it's important. That's not easy, but it's available is what I'm saying. So I don't believe that I'm more evolved or I've lived more lives, therefore I know more. I believe that it's accessible. Today I got very lucky. I met some remarkably compassionate and kind people, and they opened up the doors for me. And I believe that. That's all I'm trying to do for anyone else.

[Bill Maher]

So, swami, can I ask you this? All right, I'm with you on all this, but psychiatry kind of bullshit. Right. And this is why I say, like, on the level that I'm talking about knowing myself.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Not on your life.

[Jay Shetty]

Have you been to a psychiatrist or.

[Bill Maher]

A therapist, briefly, under duress.

[Jay Shetty]

Talk to me about this situation.

[Bill Maher]

I want to. You can help me. Okay, so. But in general, my view was always like. Because my. Well, I shouldn't say that. Too personal. But somebody I know went and I know fooled them because I know myself. And when somebody who just met me is, like, telling me about my life, it's all I can do to stifle a laugh. Like, you think you could possibly know me better than me? I have all my memories now. I may be wrong about some things, but basically, I think I'm going to trust my judgment about me more than you. That may not be true for all people. To me, that's my problem with psychiatry. Yeah.

[Jay Shetty]

I don't think a guru, a therapist, a coach, a teacher should be telling you about.

[Bill Maher]

I think those are different things that you're lumping together.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm lumping them together because I think they're all positions of authority in someone's life and can become. That's why I'm lumping them together. That there isn't the ability, like a guru, a teacher, a coach.

[Bill Maher]

A guru doesn't do what a psychiatrist does.

[Jay Shetty]

No, they don't, but. But I don't think anyone should be telling you about you. I think everyone should be inquiring and asking you questions that help you learn about yourself.

[Bill Maher]

Well, that's exactly what a shrink would.

[Jay Shetty]

Say they do, which is not a bad thing.

[Bill Maher]

I think that's not a bad thing, but it's also kind of a bullshit thing.

[Jay Shetty]

You really believe that?

[Bill Maher]

I do. Well, I did have an experience.

[Jay Shetty]

You've never been asked a great question by someone that you felt helped you learn more about yourself?

[Bill Maher]

I'm telling you, bro, it was everything I could do to not laugh out loud.

[Jay Shetty]

Maybe it's like dating, right? That's like a bad date. That's like a bad.

[Bill Maher]

You're right.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. That's a bad day.

[Bill Maher]

There's a good bad in every profession.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. Exactly. That's a bad date.

[Bill Maher]

And maybe this person is good, but for me, it was just a joke.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. It's like a bad date. And if you didn't pick the person to go on a date with and you were forced to go on a date with them, that's.

[Bill Maher]

But, I mean, it just got to also. Just asking. I felt like matter what I said, no matter how arbitrary what I said.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. To this psychiatry, they would find something profound in it.

[Bill Maher]

Correct.

[Jay Shetty]

Right, right, right. Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, I literally listen to this. I. I don't remember the details, so. Forgive me, but we went into de. My family history, as they always do. My mother and father were both in World War II. My mother, an army nurse.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow.

[Bill Maher]

Was in London during the Blitz.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. And some nervousness or anxiety that I'd carried from my mother being in that situation into me, even though it was 12 years later that I was born. And again, just could almost not stop from laughing out loud. Like, it just made me think, some of this is valuable. There are people who really, you know, their minds are messed up, and they do need therapy, and it can help, and it does. But for all those people on the Upper west side who are just having normal fucking Upper west side problems, it's just an indulgence that you could never entertain if you were poor. It's a rich man's indulgence. Talk about white people's privilege going to. Hiring a friend to listen to you rattle on about your fake problems.

[Jay Shetty]

It isn't that the challenge that we need friends? Isn't that the real call to action here? Where.

[Bill Maher]

Yes, but the answer is not to hire one who calls themselves a shrink.

[Jay Shetty]

But sometimes that's where people start. Right? Like, they. As in that's sadly where they're at.

[Bill Maher]

I feel like anytime you're hiring someone, whether it's a prostitute or in a personal position, you're going down the wrong road.

[Jay Shetty]

I look at it this way. I mean, it's simple. It's a simple assessment, but. But I think it makes sense that there are some parts that are really useful and important and skills that will help people. And, like, you have a holistic doctor, like you said, some people will be like, oh, holistic doctors are bs. Like, that's what they would think. But you've seen great value from.

[Bill Maher]

There are things he's talked about which I do think are bs and he knows that that's okay. I also have Western doctors. I think you need both.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, you do, and I really do.

[Bill Maher]

And, you know, I mean, we're very good friends. So it's. I'm not insulting him. But yes, parts of what he believes and he has enveloped in his practice because he's very serious about that part of his life, I think are too inflected with things that are based in religion, based in Buddhism, and I mean, some of it could have chakras and emotions in your organs. I don't discount anything because I don't think people know shit.

[Jay Shetty]

Totally.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, that's my main above the credits title for everything I think about medicine is we don't know that much. We know so much more than we used to. And people conflate that with, we know pretty much everything now. And it's like, no, in not just 100 years, maybe with AI two years, we'll be going, whoa, that's what we thought in 2025.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. Well, that's why I want to encourage a more nuanced conversation with what we're saying, because I think we're so good these days of labeling something as useless or relevant or useful or, you know, irrelevant. And I think it's so much more nuanced than that. It's like therapy can be incredible and it can be challenging or it can be condescending. It can be whatever it is just like anything else. And so it's like having a nuanced conversation and going, yeah, actually. Well, you know, my whole, like, I agree with you. I like having Western medicine and Eastern medicine in my life. I value both, and I think both have value. And I think the challenge becomes when we go, well, oh, that's just. And, you know, whatever. I think when you throw something to the side like that, it's kind of the easy way out, actually, because it is easier to just discount something without actually.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, to me, the main contribution, although there are many. I could break down specifics in the hundreds of Eastern medicine, is the idea that there is a mind. Mind, body, connection.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Bill Maher]

And that when you just diagnose by the numbers on the. On the blood work you just did, you're getting a part of the picture.

[Jay Shetty]

Totally.

[Bill Maher]

But it's so not all of the picture. And until Western medicine recognizes that, don't ask me for my blind obedience.

[Jay Shetty]

And the second brain, the gut. The gut is such a core part of Eastern health. My wife's.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, do we even know where the immune system is?

[Jay Shetty]

I'm not sure. Yeah, but the gut.

[Bill Maher]

Probably the gut.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Because humans will anything and put anything in their mouth. So the place where you need, like, the most awesome Kind of defense is the gut.

[Jay Shetty]

Is the gut.

[Bill Maher]

Because they will put anything down there going, yeah, absolutely. I mean, humans, not good people. Am I wrong?

[Jay Shetty]

We're doing all right. We're doing all right.

[Bill Maher]

You think we're doing all right?

[Jay Shetty]

No, we're not. We're not. I'm doing all right. Gee, that didn't take long. No, it's trying to be. No, I mean, the challenge is we keep repeating the same mistakes.

[Bill Maher]

Actually, it's amazing.

[Jay Shetty]

It's amazing we've survived based on all of our.

[Bill Maher]

Considering how nuts people are.

[Jay Shetty]

Totally.

[Bill Maher]

That the lid stays on and it could fall off tomorrow.

[Jay Shetty]

Absolutely.

[Bill Maher]

But in America, I mean, don't get me started on the people who just don't understand because they have no perspective of what the rest of the world is like, what their life could be like, what their life would have been like a hundred years ago. They have this dumb idea, a lot of the kids, that we're living at the worst time in the worst country. No, assholes. You're living at actually the best time. And even with our flaws. Go ahead, try it. Live in Mauritania, which I believe is a steamship.

[Jay Shetty]

But that's a psychological challenge, isn't it? It's like we can only see as far back as we can see. And that rearview mirror is just smaller and smaller as we.

[Bill Maher]

So you grew up in what town? North London.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, North London.

[Bill Maher]

And your parents were together?

[Jay Shetty]

Yes.

[Bill Maher]

And what do they do?

[Jay Shetty]

My mother was a financial advisor and my dad was an accountant.

[Bill Maher]

And did they bring you up with a religion?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, I grew up in a Hindu household.

[Bill Maher]

Hindu?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, in a. What I would call a ritualistic household. And what I mean by that is you follow the rituals. You don't know why you do the practices. You don't know why there isn't a depth to that practice. There's a ritual, traditional aspect to it.

[Bill Maher]

But you must have seen Slumdog Millionaire.

[Jay Shetty]

I have seen Slumdog Millionaire. I was older.

[Bill Maher]

I had to get in one.

[Jay Shetty]

I have seen Slumdog Millionaire.

[Bill Maher]

That's a great movie.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, that's a great movie.

[Bill Maher]

I'm sorry. I was being precise. So, okay, so you were brought up. And when you say, yeah, because it's a hard religion to define, what's that? Hindu. Is it not? Because it's like all gods and one God, you know, like, there's one.

[Jay Shetty]

There's one.

[Bill Maher]

As opposed to, like, the Christians in the Muslim, which are like, we have the God, and if you disagree, we're gonna fucking kill you. Hindu is more like, we'll incorporate you. Well, you'll become one of our gods.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, the philosophy. Well, no, the philosophical understanding is that there is one God, but there are many gods that take care of different departments. So you could think of it like the president and the cabinet or like.

[Bill Maher]

Or like saints.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

People pretty different. Saints.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, There are different gods for different parts of management of the universe is how it's seen.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, I was told as a little Catholic boy there is one God. The nuns. We're very, very prideful about that. Like, I think they thought that made us superior in the west. You know, like, we have one God, as opposed to those heathens and pagans and people in the shithole countries who have many gods. Aha. Primitives. We have one God and his name is God, and he has a son who's also God. And there's a ghost who's also. I'm like, fuck. Or becoming Hindu, you know, but not really. I mean, three gods, you know, Already we're in a polytheistic religion. And you can pray to the saints. I remember that. St. Christopher. You know what that is? It's a big thing, like in Christian countries.

[Jay Shetty]

Well, you've got someone on your team who I met earlier. His name's Vayner.

[Bill Maher]

Yes.

[Jay Shetty]

Just such a cool name. And, and I was saying, I asked him straight away, where did he get that name? It's a very rare name. You wouldn't hear it.

[Bill Maher]

Right.

[Jay Shetty]

And Vayu is the God of air.

[Bill Maher]

Like, you know, God of air.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, yeah. And so it's a. It's a beautiful name, but it's like there's. There's a. There's a God for every aspect. Everything has a personal aspect. Nothing's impersonal in the world.

[Bill Maher]

What have you incorporated from that in your. In your teachings today?

[Jay Shetty]

In my teachings or in my personal life?

[Bill Maher]

Your teachings, yeah.

[Jay Shetty]

So my teachings are definitely the practices, the habits, the mindsets I learned, not the religious aspects. I feel that faith and belief in God is nothing individual journey.

[Bill Maher]

Philosophical. From it made its way into philosophical, for sure.

[Jay Shetty]

Not theological, I would say, because I believe that theological belief is a personal choice, is a personal exploration. I think your relationship with God is individual and. And I encourage you. It's beautiful.

[Bill Maher]

There is something called God in the Vedic tradition.

[Jay Shetty]

Yes, for sure. Yeah, for sure. But no, no, no. So in my teachings, I'm very focused on how people can build the qualities, the characteristics, the mindsets, the beliefs, the values of living a mindful life. I'm not trying to get people to Follow a certain God or believe in God.

[Bill Maher]

When you get feedback from people, what do you think? Think or I'm sure you know, what is the area that most of them say they help? That you help them with purpose.

[Jay Shetty]

Meaning, Purpose.

[Bill Maher]

That's so vague.

[Jay Shetty]

Well, like. Well, I mean, it could be anything. It could be I was on the verge of committing suicide and now I believe my life is of worth and value and has meaning. It could be I went through a divorce and I lost all sense of self worth. And now I know that I have value and purpose and meaning to my life. It could be, okay, hey, I, you know, I just came out of college and I've just been stuck and confused and don't know what I'm meant to do. And now I feel I found my path. So those are the different types of things people could say.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, I mean, you do have to have a purpose in life.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. And I think it's the hardest thing to find because we've had, we've made our value and purpose as humans defined by what we do. The question what you do is not only the number one question you are asked, it's become the primary way. If you think about it, even just a few years ago, all of our names started being defined by what we do. Baker, blacksmith. Like when you look at the names and how they evolved, it became about occupation. So our whole identity has revolved around occupation, not purpose. And then if you look at how society has changed, towns and cities in the past would be built around a church. You could see the cross from anywhere. Or a temple. You could see the chakra from anywhere in India. Then as time went on, you had the state building, you could see the flag from anywhere. So we went from God to country. And then if you look at it today, you'll see the skyscraper from anywhere. So we went from God to country, to money. So you can see the change of purpose and value in the simple building of buildings. Because humans are basic. We define what's valuable by what's the tallest thing in the town. And so when you look at that, you look at how no wonder people have made their job feel like the entirety of their identity and purpose. And so I think, think while some people like me and you, it seems like you've loved what you've done your whole life, you're still doing it. It's purposeful to you and meaningful to you. Well, maybe not.

[Bill Maher]

No, I'm gonna. You, you. Maybe I can just. You're such a smart person, but maybe I can shed light on something that you would not know because of the age I'm at, I'm almost 70. Every decade of your life, I feel like when I look back, you have a different. There's a theme to every decade. Like in my 10 to 20, before 10, I don't. I don't know, get baseball cards or something. But 10 to 20, it was like, survive. High school, hazing, college, more the same. The breakup with the girl, it was just like, survive. Just like, I might not make it. And by the way, throughout history, like, children mostly didn't, or at least half of them did. It wasn't until again, to the point about, you're living in the best age. Like, we assume most kids are gonna make it. Most kids didn't. At least half didn't. For most of history, okay, 20s was like, be a success. Like, I know what I wanna do. I knew I wanted to be a comedian when I was 8 or something. Like, now you're doing it. Don't be a fucking failure. Because this is the kind of business, it's great if you succeed and it's nothing if you don't. So just don't fail. 30s, when I was actually starting to succeed, then it was like, get girls. This didn't happen enough in my teenage years and my 20s. Let's get girls. 40 more girls. 50s. All right, girls, but this is the last time.

[Jay Shetty]

No, no, no.

[Bill Maher]

50S. It starts to be. You're going back to survive. Live. Stop doing the things that your body cannot take you doing anymore because they will kill you. You can't drink like that. You know, you just can't. You can't have unprotected sex or whatever the you were doing. Stop doing it. And where I'm at now, it's funny because, you know, survive, don't retire. Because purpose. You kind of know, if you lose the purpose in life, you're gonna die. People have done it. Like, within weeks, Andy Rooney was on 60 Minutes. He quit, or we fired or whatever. He was like, dead in a week. You know what's funny? When you get fired from a show and then you're in a coffin. I mean, it was crazy.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

But that's what's. Because, you know, it's an ageist country. So, like, you never know when they're just gonna. And then what do you do all day?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

And you have to have a reason to get up. You have to wanna live.

[Jay Shetty]

But that's what I'm saying, that you were fortunate, and I've been fortunate to find it in our Work. But I think the challenge has become that if work is your only place of value, that's not a healthy way to live.

[Bill Maher]

And this is gonna get only worse because AI is already and will in the future take ever more jobs. There's ever more things that people used to at least feel valuable and useful. Maybe I'm just.

[Jay Shetty]

Useful is the right word.

[Bill Maher]

Maybe I'm just a cog in the big machine here at Gigantic Enterprises. But I'm doing. And AI is going to take that job. Zuckerberg was bragging about it the other day and so was the guy from Nvidia. Oh. I think in the future AI is going to do a lot of these mid level coding jobs. Great. They can all work in a coal mine. What's gonna happen then?

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. And that's why the work's needed even more right now. Because people are gonna have to use that time space.

[Bill Maher]

These tech folks don't care. Yeah, I mean, I really don't. You know what it is? I understand when you something you're good at. We love to do things we're good at.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

I don't play tennis. I tried it. I wasn't good at it. I'm good at basketball. I play that, you know you're good at. Sock.

[Jay Shetty]

I'm okay.

[Bill Maher]

I'm okay. I think you're probably pretty good. So, you know, they're good at creating new instruments of technology. They don't really care what the repercussions are. The phone fucked up people's mind. They don't really care.

[Jay Shetty]

Well, I always say this AI is.

[Bill Maher]

Going to do it worse. They just don't care because it's fun. It's fun to do your hobby.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I think if an inventor creates something that they don't want their children to use, it tells you everything. I always think about it that way.

[Bill Maher]

Point.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. If you invent something and you keep it away from your children, that says a lot.

[Bill Maher]

It says a lot about your hypocrisy.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. But I think it all comes back to the root challenge, that there is nowhere in our education system where someone learns that they should build things to help people. That just doesn't come up. It doesn't exist. I studied at Cass Business School and, you know, got a decent education and a first class honors degree. And service or helping people or being of service to others was something I would never even have come across if I didn't meet the monks, because that was their way of living. And I remember giving a talk about this a few years back at A big corporation. It was one of their big annual events. And I was on stage, I was talking about the value of service. And this one man came up to me, and he was in his 30s, and he said to me, you know what? I never thought about anyone else apart from myself until I had a child. And that was the first time he said. And he was being really vulnerable, and he said, I've never thought about anyone beyond my child. And so I'm thinking, when anyone's creating anything in the world, we're rarely thinking about how this affects someone's child, someone's son, someone's daughter, someone's parents, someone's. Whoever it is. Because that was never the goal of society. The goal of you creating something was to win and success in your 20s to 30s and get girls. And so if the goal was to be successful and get girls, then where did helping people come into any path?

[Bill Maher]

Right.

[Jay Shetty]

And so I think that's where the challenge is that we've got to figure out that it's like, how do you.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, you're right. I had to get past. Not that I was a bad person, but I had to get past.

[Jay Shetty]

I don't think anyone's a bad person.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. But I had to get past that phase in my life where I thought I had been gypped out of a fun adolescence, which I was kind of like, I had one girlfriend, and she broke my heart. And then, you know, it was just.

[Jay Shetty]

That's how it was then.

[Bill Maher]

For years, it was just terrible. And. And. And then. And then I got nicer again because. Because I could afford to. Because, you know, it's actually people, I'm sure young people think, oh, my God, 50s and 60s. They're actually the. The best times as far as, like, you've established yourself. You're comfortable in your own skin, you're doing better.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

There are issues with it that are not ideal, but on balance, yeah, I'm much happier. Yeah, partly. Mostly because you are just comfortable with who you are. You know who you are. You know, what works for you, you know, what doesn't. I mean, I'm not gonna go to the madrasa. Not that it's a madrasa, by the way. Did they ever have. So that three years, there was no, like, break where, like, you get a week off.

[Jay Shetty]

I would travel to different monasteries. So I wasn't just there. We would go to Europe. Europe. And for example, we were teaching meditation on. But you didn't go, like.

[Bill Maher]

Like Hong Kong, like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse now, where you're In a hotel room. And you're like, I gotta get back.

[Jay Shetty]

To monasteries across Europe. So I was going to London. I was living in monasteries there. I was going off to give classes at colleges. I was living in monasteries in Europe. I would then go back to India. So you're moving around. You're not in one place because it's encouraged for you to be with different communities. I remember, you know, being in Scandinavia, teaching meditation on the streets. It was the most unique experience I've ever had. People were so open, excited to learn. It was pretty remarkable.

[Bill Maher]

So where do you. So your decades you've only had, basically.

[Jay Shetty]

I mean, I'm 37.

[Bill Maher]

Right. So you've had three, basically three decades to assess. And they. They are, like I said, Even though they're very different. Yeah, Very different for you.

[Jay Shetty]

Yes, very different.

[Bill Maher]

Like. Right, okay. So what do you think the 40s decade is going to be? What. What's going to be your assessment of that when you come to the end of that one?

[Jay Shetty]

I would. So I'm. I definitely know from a health point of view, when you were saying in the 50s, you learned what you could and couldn't do. At least now I know that the. The magical decade to solve is 35 to 45. That's like the time when you can really reverse aging and start that process. So I'm definitely focused on that from a health point of view. I hope that I can do that. That's a big problem.

[Bill Maher]

Gulp. I missed that.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, that's a big priority for me.

[Bill Maher]

I missed that completely.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. No, I'm grateful. That's what I'm saying. I think these conversations are being talked about more. I'm, you know, I'm getting. Getting the fortune on my podcast to sit down with the greatest minds in health and wellness every single week that.

[Bill Maher]

I know what you're referring to there. They recently discovered, or at least it was in the news recently, that aging doesn't happen completely incrementally, year by year. It happens sort of in jumps. And there are times maybe this is the time you're talking about where it really jumps a lot.

[Jay Shetty]

Correct? Yeah. 35 to 40.

[Bill Maher]

Right. So you want to kind of like, arrest that one.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, yeah. At that point. You can still make changes after 45. 50 becomes harder.

[Bill Maher]

Well, hopefully harder to build. Hopefully AI will help with this.

[Jay Shetty]

Hopefully. I mean, I don't think it's impossible. I'm not saying it's not possible. I know plenty of people who've fixed their health after so many variables. There's amazing Stuff.

[Bill Maher]

There's so many variables that go into it. Again, like, I know people who live terribly, unhealthy lives, but they're just so happy.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. And are just fine. You know, I know people who've lived their lives perfectly healthily and died early and people who have abused their bodies.

[Bill Maher]

I'm so glad I did. Remember this, please, because I, you know, memory. I'm not even sure it's a good thing, but our connection is Arianna Huffington. Really?

[Jay Shetty]

Oh, okay.

[Bill Maher]

You know, one of my oldest, dearest friends.

[Jay Shetty]

I didn't realize that.

[Bill Maher]

I didn't know. I'm so glad I remember.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I didn't know that.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I mean. And she would be the first to agree. I was the first person to, like, put her on tv.

[Jay Shetty]

Wow.

[Bill Maher]

I'm not saying I'm responsible for her success. I'm not. She was always going to be a whirlwind, but we became very good friends in 1994 when I had my first show, Politically Incorrect, and she was married to Michael Huffington, and he was running for the Senate out here. And she was a conservative. She was a conservative helping a Republican candidate win election and did not. But her first issue that she came on our show with was about Prozac. Giving Prozac to children. Still an issue, I think. And it was very natural that after she went through Huffington Post, which was a great success, that she would then get into the wellness. Because she was always into. She was always.

[Jay Shetty]

She's incarcerated. Incredible.

[Bill Maher]

This earthy, Greek, European woman.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Who treated me like, you know, somebody. Family, you know, and guarded over me like that. And, you know, cared for me like that. Absolutely. So when. When I knew, you know, when I first heard about you, it was like, oh, okay. That's.

[Jay Shetty]

She gave me my fashion.

[Bill Maher]

Exactly. I mean, it's. It's. It's very full circling.

[Jay Shetty]

That's really beautiful. I had no idea. That makes me so happy knowing that.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, yeah. Should all have dinner with us.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. I would love that. I would love that.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. Nobody.

[Jay Shetty]

I wouldn't be where I am without Ariana Huffington. So I feel extremely.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. In some ways I wouldn't either. I mean, you know, I mean, we go back a long way, and, I mean, there's nobody who I trust and their counsel more. You know, she lives in New York now, so we don't see each other as much as we used to, but we always. A few times a year, you know, and, you know, I can always tell her anything and, you know, know, again, there's nobody like her.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah. She's been an incredible support since day one and just, you know, allowed me to have wings. It's been really beautiful.

[Bill Maher]

And God bless her, also loves money and is great at making it.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, she uses it, right?

[Bill Maher]

Hey, everybody, get. Get good sleep. That'll be $750 million. I mean, you got to give it to. Sure.

[Jay Shetty]

I mean, everyone's gonna sleep.

[Bill Maher]

But I appreciate you coming here. I know you don't need to. No, it was just a mitzvah, as the Jews say, and. And I appreciate it.

[Jay Shetty]

I appreciate it, too. The joy. The joy and pleasure is all mine. I think, you know, getting to meet someone as iconic as yourself is. Is a true honor, so I'm grateful for that. And I feel. I feel smarter just sitting next to you, and I feel like, well, I'm gonna have, like, my next seven movie nights, all sorts.

[Bill Maher]

I never really remember a lot from these episodes, you know, but what I always. Picture of the person laughing.

[Jay Shetty]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

You know, I will see your head going back because you're a good laugher.

[Jay Shetty]

Thank you.

[Bill Maher]

And you have a. Just, you know, it's why I do this. Okay.

[Jay Shetty]

Well, that's a lot of fun.

[Bill Maher]

If you ever need a uncomfortable floor.

[Jay Shetty]

There we go. I can just. This is what it looks like. This is what it looks.

[Bill Maher]

This is really uncomfortable. I've passed out on a couple of times myself.