Vishen Lakhiani: The Buddha and the Badass
Vishen Lakhiani: I reinvent myself every week practically, if not every day. I believe that in life, you must grow so fast that the people who haven’t stayed in touch with you for a month have to get to know you all over again. This means that personal growth has to be a lifestyle, so I learn something new every day. Every day I have a new intention in my meditation. Every day I have a new desire, new gratitude, a unique insight, and a new Mindvalley chapter that I complete every day. So, I am continually growing.
OMTimes: Do you hold a Mystical / Cultural Vision for our World? What would you like to see manifested in our collective reality now?
Vishen Lakhiani: There are two reasons why Mindvalley exists. We are an education company. We intend to build the most advanced education technology in the World. The bullseye that I’m aiming for centers around two goals— number one: make humanity into a society that’s net positive to nature. This means that Earth gets better for every year that human beings are on the planet, not worse. Look at the ants. There are three times as many ants as humans in terms of biomass, yet it gets better for every year that ants are on the planet. Every year that humans are on the Earth, it gets worse, but we can do both. We can live in thriving societies. We can live wealthy without sacrificing nature. It just takes a new consciousness that has to permeate humanity. That’s goal number one. I intend to put Mindvalley in front of billions upon billions of people, so we live differently in alignment with nature. We become net positive with nature as a species.
Now goal number two is to create Earth identity. A hundred years from now, I want to ensure human beings are more loyal to Earth’s identity than their own nationality. If you are an American traveling the World, the first flag you will have in your backpack is the Earth flag, the American flag second. We have to expand our level of identification to larger and larger circles until we have Earth identity. If you want to understand what Earth’s identity looks like, watch Star Trek. The Earth Federation in Star Trek is an example of the Earth’s identity. Before we explore the stars before we become an interplanetary species, we have to take care of this planet. We have to become genuinely responsible citizens of this planet.
OMTimes: Tell us a book that you are currently reading.
Vishen Lakhiani: I have so many books gathered around my desk. Right now, I’m really into Bill Bryson. He is a comedic science writer. He writes books on everything from walking the Appalachian Trail to the science of the human body to the history of science. Currently, I am reading a book of his on the history of the English language. I’m also reading Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, and I’m reading a book by the Indian spiritual teacher Mahatria.
OMTimes: Do you have a book that changed your life? If so, how and which one?
Vishen Lakhiani: Three books changed my life. The first is Autobiography of a Yogi. I’m actually re-reading it for the third time. The second is The Silva Method. This has had a profound impact on my life. Today I am even the new face of the Silva Method. José Silva, the founder, passed away in 1999, and the family asked me to bring his work forth, so now his work is part of Mindvalley. And the third one is Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God. Neale is now a Mindvalley teacher, and his new program Awaken the Species is on our platform.
OMTimes: You are already a two-time bestselling author. Do you have any new concepts you’re working on for a future book that you’ve feel comfortable sharing?
Vishen Lakhiani: Yes, I have three books coming out. One is called The 6-Phase Meditation, which is an optimized meditation protocol. The second one is called The Art of Being Unfuckwithable. The third one is The Human Guide to Bending Reality—very related to your question on the Law of Attraction. It literally looks at how to shift the fabric of time and space, what the Hindus call Maya. To bend reality to our collective desires.
OMTimes: A Book That made you cry.
Vishen Lakhiani: Home with God by Neale Donald Walsch. It’s a beautiful book about dealing with death. That was the book that actually helped me overcome my fear of dying.
OMTimes: A Book That made you Laugh.
Vishen Lakhiani: Anything from Bill Bryson, he is an incredible author.
OMTimes: A Book you never finished.
Vishen Lakhiani: Ninety percent of the books on my bookshelf I’ve never finished. I’ve bought 50 books this month on Amazon, and I’ve only finished one.
OMTimes: A Book that you usually gift people, and why?
Vishen Lakhiani: There are several books that I gift people, but Conversations with God has been the number one book that I give to people other than my books. Obviously, as a writer, you gift your own books to people all the time.
Learn more about at Vishen Lakhiani on his website.
