The Telepathy Tapes: Talk Tracks Ep 13

Telepathy and Eastern Wisdom with Anu Gupta
Host: Ky Dickens (with Kathryn Ellis) | Guest: Anu Gupta
Release Date: July 6, 2025

Episode Overview

This thought-provoking episode of Talk Tracks dives deep into the intersections between telepathy, consciousness, and ancient Eastern wisdom traditions. Host Ky Dickens (with Kathryn Ellis guiding the conversation) welcomes Anu Gupta, a civil rights lawyer, mindfulness teacher, and lifelong student of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Together, they explore how telepathy and expanded consciousness, often seen as supernatural in the West, are normalized and scientifically discussed in Vedic and Buddhist traditions, and what these perspectives can reveal about the extraordinary abilities of non-speaking autistic individuals.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Eastern Traditions: Telepathy as a Natural Human Capacity

• Not Supernatural, But Natural:
  Anu explains that in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, telepathy and other subtle capacities are considered natural extensions of consciousness, refined through inner work, ethical living, and meditation.

  • “Mind to mind knowing is actually part of human existence. But it happens when one's mind is fully known and purified and still.” (Anu, 03:32)

• The Path to Purification:
  The yoga path (Ashtanga Yoga) is introduced, beginning with moral foundations—Yamas and Niyamas (nonviolence, truthfulness)—followed by physical postures, breathwork, and then mental discipline.

  • “In order for our inner radios to be fully attuned, it needs to be purified or clean. Right. Which is really about living a life of ethical integrity.” (Anu, 05:51)

2. The Role of Ethical Living and Non-Attachment

• Work and Worthiness:
  Kathryn grapples with the idea that one must “be a certain way” to access higher abilities. Anu responds by emphasizing that the goal is not the supernatural abilities (siddhis) themselves—which can be distractions—but self-realization and ethical purity.

• Notable Anecdote: The Cauliflower Thief
  Anu recounts a story from Autobiography of a Yogi in which Yogananda’s guru telepathically prompts a peasant to steal a cauliflower to teach a lesson, illustrating how thoughts are like radio waves—received by attuned minds.

  • “Thoughts are no more than the very subtle vibrations moving in ethereum.” (Anu, 08:59)

• Attachment to Powers as a Hindrance:
  Both Hindu and Buddhist traditions caution that becoming attached to “siddhis” (supernatural abilities) can be a spiritual hindrance.

3. Cataloging the Siddhis (Supernatural Abilities)

• The Five Main Siddhis (13:34):
  1. Telepathy (mind-reading/thought transfer)
  2. Knowledge of past lives
  3. Divine eye (seeing future, remote viewing)
  4. Divine ear (hearing across distance and realms)
  5. Manipulation of elements (e.g., fire, water)

4. Time Cycles and Human Potential

• Cycles of Ages:
  Eastern philosophy sees time as cyclical (24,000-year cycles), influencing humanity’s access to subtle abilities. We're currently in an “energy awareness” age (Dvapara Yuga) where such phenomena are emerging but not yet widespread.

• Evolution of Consciousness:
  Four ages:

  • Kali Yuga (Dark Age)
  • Dvapara Yuga (Energy Awareness)
  • Treta Yuga (Mental Awareness)
  • Satya Yuga (Age of Truth/Instant Knowing)
    (15:03–17:50)

• Ancestry of Wisdom:
  The knowledge is said to be “revealed” through inner realization by sages, perpetuated in the Upanishads & Vedas more as an oral tradition—whose origins are lost in antiquity.

5. Examples of Attained Masters

• Yogananda
  Bridge between East and West, his book Autobiography of a Yogi is mentioned as foundational.

• Deepa Ma
  20th-century female Buddhist saint, exhibited all five siddhis: stories include walking through walls and “cooking with her hands.” She abandoned using such powers, seeing them as distractions from ultimate liberation (21:00–22:40).

  • “Even after receiving these abilities… she said they involve the ego and a hindrance to liberation.” (Anu, 22:18)

• Caution from the Buddha:
  Reference to the Kevatta Sutta, where the Buddha affirms phenomena like telepathy but warns that craving such abilities can distract from enlightenment and enduring peace.

6. Why Do Some Have These Gifts?

• Role of Non-Speaking Autistics:
  Anu suggests that non-speakers, especially those featured in Telepathy Tapes, demonstrate a “higher frequency” and purity largely untouched by societal biases. Their example reveals possibilities available to all humans but often blocked by prejudice and ego.

  • “I think they are, it's not about them, it's about the rest of us...they're here to teach the rest of us to have more confidence in them, to trust them, to have faith in them.” (Anu, 29:18)

• Obstacles to Freedom:
  Lists eight “meanness of the heart” from Vedic traditions that obstruct alignment, including hatred, shame, fear, and three related to bigotry and bias. Anu observes these non-speakers display remarkable patience and compassion despite institutional mistreatment.

7. The Power and Responsibility of Thought

• Six Senses:
  In Buddhism, thought is counted as a sixth sense—thoughts themselves carry energy.

  • “Thinking as a sixth sense… has really helped me understand… oh, we've been moving through these dark ages… and now we're moving into the second age. And that's what's being asked of us.” (Anu, 33:33)

• Thoughts Transmit Energy:
  Quoting Yogananda directly:

  • “In telepathy, the sign vibrations of thoughts in one man's mind are transmitted through the subtle vibrations of astral ether...creating electrical waves that in turn transform themselves into thought waves in the mind of the other person.” (Anu reading, 36:00)

• Responsibility of Inner State:
  Our thoughts ripple outward, impacting the collective “field.” Becoming aware and fostering positive thoughts is a vital personal and collective responsibility.

• Conditioning and Community:
  The company we keep, our media diet, and our past experiences influence our thoughts and their impact. Purifying our associations is part of the inner path.

8. Trauma, Healing, and Growth

• Impact of Trauma:
  Anu connects trauma and conditioning to persistent negative thoughts and cycles. Eastern traditions advocate for deep compassion and healing practices to integrate, not identify with, past wounds.

• The Beauty of Living the Paradox:
  Enlightened or “elevated” individuals—including many non-speakers—still enjoy life’s pleasures and stay grounded in the human experience, balancing “worldly dharma” and “internal dharma.” (41:32–43:04)

9. Closing: Wisdom for All

• Invitation to Explore:
  Anu encourages listeners to be open to personal experience rather than blind belief, echoing the Buddha’s call: “Come and experience it for yourself.”

• Suggested Resources:

  • Autobiography of a Yogi (Paramahansa Yogananda, narrated by Ben Kingsley)
  • Deepama: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master (Amy Schmidt)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They’re here to teach the rest of us to have more confidence in them, to trust them, to have faith in them. And that’s something they repeatedly say, right? ...They’re teaching us to test the extent of our own compassion and our own empathy and our ability to believe that this is possible.”
  — Anu Gupta (29:18)

• "[Yogananda’s guru] telepathically communicated with just a peasant who was passing by to go inside and steal one of the cauliflowers... But what he was really trying to show...is that thoughts are no more than the very subtle vibrations moving in ethereum. And just as correctly tuned radios... pick up a desired musical number out of thousands... a mind that is deeply sensitized and receptive can actually pick up countless thoughts..."
  — Anu Gupta (08:59)

• “There's this sutta, actually, the Buddha talking about telepathy... he basically says that, oh, telepathy is totally possible. But he then said that ethical insight and liberation from birth and death are the higher aim, and telepathy is something that can distract one from reaching for those higher aims.”
  — Anu Gupta (23:25)

• “Thinking as a sixth sense... what we are then asked to do is become aware of what's happening in the moment. And once we become aware of it... we can notice it and then begin to place our attention... on something that is of higher frequency and that is the habit that we need to be in.”
  — Anu Gupta (33:33)

• “Because they really do affect other people. And yeah, I want to be sending out love and good and peace with my thoughts, you know?”
  — Kathryn Ellis (37:22)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Quote | |-----------|--------------| | 03:32 | Normalization of telepathy in Eastern traditions | | 05:51 | Attuning the mind: ethical purity and meditation | | 08:59 | Yogananda's cauliflower thief story | | 13:34 | The five siddhis explained | | 15:03 | Why aren't siddhis common? The cosmic cycles | | 18:30 | Origins and oral tradition of the Vedas | | 21:00 | Deepa Ma as a modern exemplar of siddhis | | 23:25 | Buddha’s caution on telepathy and ethical insight | | 29:18 | Non-speakers as teachers and the “higher frequency” | | 33:33 | Thoughts as the sixth sense; responsibility for thought energy | | 36:00 | Yogananda’s scientific explanation of telepathy | | 41:32–43:04 | Remaining grounded in the human experience while striving for self-realization | | 43:42 | Book recommendations & closing remarks |

Takeaway

This episode is a call to reframe our understanding of telepathy—from the fringes of supernatural curiosity to a latent human ability accessible through ethical living and deep inner work. By listening to the silent wisdom of non-speaking autistics, guided by ancient Eastern philosophies, we are invited to recognize our untapped potential and the everyday miracles that unfold when we harmonize mind, heart, and soul.

Recommended reading:

• Autobiography of a Yogi (Paramahansa Yogananda)
• Deepama: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master (Amy Schmidt)

“Stay kind, stay curious, and remember: being a true skeptic requires an open mind.” — Ky Dickens