Popular conceptions of Hinduism’s Yoga and Vedanta traditions have tended to articulate embodiment as a problematic state to be transcended. And yet these traditions also emphasize the need to live in, and engage with, the world of matter; indeed, for all but a few monastics, the sphere of embodiment is the battlefield we will invariably find ourselves on. How do we reconcile the apparent paradox? In this seminar, we will do a deep dive into one of the most beloved analogies offered in ancient India’s wisdom texts– the chariot of the self, found in the Katha Upanishad. Instructor Vineet Chander, Hindu chaplain at Princeton University and Vedanta Studies Fellow at NYU, will unpack each facet of the analogy and present a fresh take on the lessons it presents us with. The seminar will journey from the abstract and theoretical to the practical and applicable, inviting us to consider how living out the analogy may offer us a radical approach to living a life of awareness, intention, and grace.