There is a quiet unease that defines our time. Unlike the post-war era, this is not the anxiety of survival but, in a similar way, a futile search for meaning and a temporary refuge in meaninglessness. A generation that can summon anything with a swipe now struggles to sit still.
Everywhere we look, calm is advertised. There are apps to track gratitude, retreats to rent stillness, and influencers who sell silence through monthly subscriptions. The marketplace has learned to trade in our restlessness, and we have learned to buy it back as serenity.
In this age of chaos it is important to understand what Buddhism really says about peace and the idea of an informed mind, this week on the AMV Podcast I speak with Mangesh Dahiwale who is a writer, Buddhist thinker, and one of the most articulate voices of Buddhism in India. I asked him to explain Buddhism in the simplest way possible. What followed was a delightfully complex conversation.
Mangesh reminded me that the Buddha’s teaching was never about escape. It was not a rejection of the world but a way to live in it without illusion. Buddhism, in its truest form, is an ethical awakening which is a practice of compassion rooted in clarity and reason.
Mangesh also spoke about the social and political dimensions of Buddhism, how its philosophy is deeply tied to justice, equality, and awareness.
Please listen this conversation and yes, my new book The Great Indian Brain Rot: Love, Lies and Algorithms in Digital India is now open for pre-order. I’ve spent two years writing it, with no PR machinery, only the quiet faith that those who find meaning in these words will help it travel further.
If this space has ever spoken to you, please consider pre-ordering the book. It truly means a lot to me.
Pre order here: CLICK AND ORDER
