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The MBA Professor Who Teaches Non-Duality (Dr. Srikumar Rao)
More on the middle way
Scott Britton
August 22, 2025
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“Everything the human body is going to do is preordained at birth, up to and including you're going to pick up this pen at this instant and put it down here. And the guy says, that's what I want free will. And Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi looked at him and said, you always have the choice of determining whether you are the doer or not.” (10:08 in this cast)
Dr. Srikumar Rao is the founder of The Rao Institute, a celebrated TED speaker and bestselling-author who created the pioneering Creativity & Personal Mastery course. A program so impactful it has remained the only business school course in the world with its own alumni association. It is taught at Columbia Business School, London Business School, Kellogg, and Haas (UC Berkeley).
In this conversation, we explore how someone teaches the dissolution of the separate self to future business leaders. Dr. Rao's approach challenges the very foundation of Western achievement culture by showing high performers that their greatest breakthroughs come not from being better doers but from recognizing they're not doers at all.
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This episode is great for:
High achievers feeling burnt out from constantly chasing the next goal
Entrepreneurs struggling with anxiety about business outcomes
Anyone who intellectually understands "letting go" but struggles to live it
People interested in Eastern philosophy applied to Western business contexts
Ideas that really stuck out to me:
The spiritual path begins with putting down imaginary burdens. Dr. Rao's guru told him, "The train is powerful enough to carry you and your suitcases. Put them down." This simple metaphor becomes his gateway for introducing non-dual understanding to business students. Those suitcases represent our false belief in being a separate self that must control and manage every aspect of life's unfolding.
Life unfolds according to a perfect cosmic script. Dr. Rao explains that nothing happens by chance. Yet paradoxically, we still have the choice of whether to identify as the doer or recognize ourselves as pure awareness.
The "I am the doer" belief is the original cause of all suffering. When you believe you're the one making things happen, you open a Pandora's box of second-guessing, anxiety, and the need to control outcomes. True non-dual understanding recognizes that life is happening through you not because of you.
Mental models are the practical expression of non-dual awakening. Every persistent problem contains mental models that aren't serving you. Dr. Rao admits all models are false including his own. The question is what models best serves awakening?
You and the universe are one consciousness dancing. He beautifully describes how you and the universe move together in an intimate tango. When you change how you lead internally, the external world must follow your new rhythm. This reveals the non-dual perspective that what appears to be two separate dancers is actually one unified movement of consciousness expressing itself.
Presence is your primary offering not your achievements. Drawing from traditions that recognize consciousness as fundamental, Dr. Rao emphasizes that your state of being affects everyone around you more than any action you take. You're either pulling people into your vortex of peace or being pulled into their vortex of turmoil.
Everything is a tool for self-realization. This is where non-duality meets practical life. Your difficult business partner, financial stress, and relationship conflicts. They're all appearing in consciousness to help you recognize what you truly are beyond all temporary identities and roles.
Dr. Rao demonstrates that when you realize you're not a separate person trying to control outcomes but consciousness itself temporarily wearing a business suit. Everything transforms. The stress drops away, creativity flows, and paradoxically results improve.
Is the future of business about awakening from the illusion of separation altogether?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see : )
- Scott
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Episode Transcript
Show Notes
00:00 - The Power of Letting Go
03:04 - Understanding Tension and Resistance
05:50 - The Role of Action and Acceptance
08:41 - Free Will vs. Destiny
11:27 - The Purpose of Human Existence
14:11 - Tools for Awakening
17:02 - The Impact of Presence
19:54 - Surrendering and Performance
22:39 - Navigating Obstacles
25:33 - Mental Models and Their Influence
30:29 - The Power of Perspective in Life's Challenges
32:47 - Evaluating Mental Models: True or Useful?
33:57 - Starting Your Journey with Mental Models
34:15 - The Dance of Co-Creation with the Universe
36:14 - Letting Go of Doership for True Happiness
37:56 - The Flawed If-Then Happiness Model
39:28 - Finding Happiness in Acceptance
41:17 - Managing Mental Chatter for Inner Peace
45:55 - Creativity as a Natural Outcome of Passion
48:42 - Being a Vessel for Change