Beginning many years ago, when my suffering sent me to my knees begging god for help, I apparently was granted a few small mercies. In an early morning parking garage: The truth will set you free. In a desert canyon: Know yourself, the rest will take care of itself. And others like them. Problem was [...]

The world is awash in prophets and guides, gurus and gods, masters and mentors who would - usually for a fee, always for your idolatry and worship - lead you to some imaginary promised land. For a time I had one of these false prophets, until his phoniness, hypocrisy, and inner confusion became so obvious [...]

I suspect that most of the world's problems could be solved - or even prevented - if each of us started from a place of 'I don't know' and moved forward from there. Consider how often you've argued with someone over a topic about which you were certain you were correct, only to later discover [...]

So, you say that you are despondent over the election of Donald Trump? Or, you are depressed over the many who supported Hillary Clinton (or who now oppose Trump and your vote for him)? In short, you are unhappy with the state of things and cannot grasp the thinking of those opposed to you. You [...]

If you're suffering. If you're unhappy about the presidential election. If you're unhappy with your mate or your kids or your job - there's really only one thing you need to do: look within. After all, who or what is unhappy? This is the key to the whole thing, the lone pointer that is the [...]

When I was a kid my older sister was tasked with teaching me and my brother how to pray to god before bed. So each night she'd come in and help us recite the prayer, and at the end of the prayer we were allowed to append a few beneficiaries to our spiritual largesse. The prayer, [...]

I recently went through another one of those stretches where, while my mind was busy agitating over some drama about which I was certain I was 'right' and could be of use to another, a far more valuable lesson was lurking in the background (if I'd just shut my mouth long enough to notice). The source of [...]

Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzo, Ramana Maharshi, Rumi, and scores of other mystics simply and consistently stated that our lone goal in this world is to (re)discover our true nature, the central conceit being that a false ego has arisen to cloud this reality. Sprinkled across human history, these mysterious, rebellious souls reminded those who would listen than [...]

So when you think about yourself and those you know best, what is it that each of us wants above all else? When you peel back all the thoughts and desires, the wants and needs, the layers of anxiety and suffering, what lurks at the center of all that human restlessness? Most of us will [...]

I used to think life was about finding one's purpose, bliss, cause, etc. That we were born with a life sentence and before its end date we had this very tangible goal to achieve. I also imagined there was this tiny population of people out there who had, in fact, found "it." It's pretty clear now [...]