Our guest on this episode is Professor Emeritus Piet Hut. Piet is renowned in the field of astrophysics, and recently retired as head of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey—which was once home to great scientists like Albert Einstein. But as you’ll find out, Piet’s interests reach far beyond the big bang and computer models of the universe.

Before he was a professional scientist, Piet recounts tinkering with motorcycles and conducting somewhat dangerous chemical experiments at his childhood farm. But by his late teens, he was also studying yogic texts and making weeklong retreats in Trappist monasteries.

At the heart of many contemplative traditions, Piet recognized echoes of the scientific method: the process of formulating hypotheses and testing them with repl ...