The Forensics of “I” – Part 2
Every human being has a favorite subject: him or herself. This is only natural since it is the “I” who experiences the world and there is no subject that any of us know so well as ourselves. Right? But what if this conceit is, in fact, wrong? What if we know absolutely nothing about ourselves [...]
The Forensics of “I” – Part 1
Rather than kick things off with the usual navel-gazing, let’s be more interactive and get you involved. This only takes a moment and can be an eye-opening experience depending on how deep you want to go. It starts with the following question: What happens when you awaken each morning? Literally, what happens during that very [...]
Conversations with God, 24/7
As a healthy 46-year-old the question occasionally arises, why the constant focus on spiritual development? This usually is expressed along the lines of, “Life is generally good so why not just focus on the good stuff and avoid the bad.” Who has the time anyway? It’s a good question. Why not simply immerse oneself in [...]
Beware the Snooze Button Labeled “Ego”
It is said that each of us is offered an endless number of opportunities to "awaken." That life is filled with these mini-alarm clocks, each tolling at different times and frequencies and each affording us an opportunity to stop, if only for a moment, and reconsider everything we believe to be true about ourselves and [...]
The Teacher(s) in the Mirror
People can really drive you crazy, can’t they? The jerk who won’t let you merge into traffic, the neighbor who lets his dog bark incessantly, the spouse who refuses to acknowledge or discuss marital problems, even the U.S. president whose policies and intentions scare half the population to death (replacing the previous president who scared [...]
Life is Suffering
Virtually all of us exist in a state of chronic, low-grade suffering or, as Thoreau put it, we while away our days in “quiet desperation.” It is the first and perhaps most important of the Buddha’s four noble truths, this idea of life as suffering. Yet most who read these words will say something to [...]
Self-Awareness: The Meaning of Life
Many of us have a relationship with someone who is utterly out of touch with his or her own behavior. You know the type, forever blaming a mate, society, the Communists, sun spots for what ails them. They repeat the same mistakes over and over again and are forever blaming the world for their problems, [...]
In the Shadow of the Podium
There are many thoughts that haunt the average human, and one of the most prevalent goes something like this: What do I have to show for my life? Did I make a difference? What will my life have meant? This mindset is summed up nicely during the concluding minutes of Saving Private Ryan, when the [...]
All is Well
What if everything is really, really OK? What if, as the mystics have taught, all is well, all has always been well and it always will be? Have you ever let yourself believe this - to really believe this? From an early age we are conditioned to be cautious, be careful, not to screw it [...]
The Wisdom of the Child’s Perspective
My son has the dubious distinction of being, well, my son. I say that because unlike a lot of other 8-year-olds he receives the occasional earful of spiritual woo-woo from his old man. Fortunately, my son is a good sport about it all and, in my defense, he actually brings up the stuff as much [...]
The Forensics of “I” – Part 2
Every human being has a favorite subject: him or herself. This is only natural since it is the “I” who experiences the world and there is no subject that any of us know so well as ourselves. Right? But what if this conceit is, in fact, wrong? What if we know absolutely nothing about ourselves [...]
The Forensics of “I” – Part 1
Rather than kick things off with the usual navel-gazing, let’s be more interactive and get you involved. This only takes a moment and can be an eye-opening experience depending on how deep you want to go. It starts with the following question: What happens when you awaken each morning? Literally, what happens during that very [...]
Conversations with God, 24/7
As a healthy 46-year-old the question occasionally arises, why the constant focus on spiritual development? This usually is expressed along the lines of, “Life is generally good so why not just focus on the good stuff and avoid the bad.” Who has the time anyway? It’s a good question. Why not simply immerse oneself in [...]
Beware the Snooze Button Labeled “Ego”
It is said that each of us is offered an endless number of opportunities to "awaken." That life is filled with these mini-alarm clocks, each tolling at different times and frequencies and each affording us an opportunity to stop, if only for a moment, and reconsider everything we believe to be true about ourselves and [...]
The Teacher(s) in the Mirror
People can really drive you crazy, can’t they? The jerk who won’t let you merge into traffic, the neighbor who lets his dog bark incessantly, the spouse who refuses to acknowledge or discuss marital problems, even the U.S. president whose policies and intentions scare half the population to death (replacing the previous president who scared [...]
Life is Suffering
Virtually all of us exist in a state of chronic, low-grade suffering or, as Thoreau put it, we while away our days in “quiet desperation.” It is the first and perhaps most important of the Buddha’s four noble truths, this idea of life as suffering. Yet most who read these words will say something to [...]
Self-Awareness: The Meaning of Life
Many of us have a relationship with someone who is utterly out of touch with his or her own behavior. You know the type, forever blaming a mate, society, the Communists, sun spots for what ails them. They repeat the same mistakes over and over again and are forever blaming the world for their problems, [...]
In the Shadow of the Podium
There are many thoughts that haunt the average human, and one of the most prevalent goes something like this: What do I have to show for my life? Did I make a difference? What will my life have meant? This mindset is summed up nicely during the concluding minutes of Saving Private Ryan, when the [...]
All is Well
What if everything is really, really OK? What if, as the mystics have taught, all is well, all has always been well and it always will be? Have you ever let yourself believe this - to really believe this? From an early age we are conditioned to be cautious, be careful, not to screw it [...]
The Wisdom of the Child’s Perspective
My son has the dubious distinction of being, well, my son. I say that because unlike a lot of other 8-year-olds he receives the occasional earful of spiritual woo-woo from his old man. Fortunately, my son is a good sport about it all and, in my defense, he actually brings up the stuff as much [...]