Everyone feels “lost” every now and again: out of touch with themselves and others, and feeling rudderless in the world. Often, this feeling is the result of a strenuous workload, a personal loss, or life change, but sometimes it’s for no particular reason that you can identify. For those times when you feel this
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There are about 1 million and one “must read books” out there. Which makes the task of finding a good book to read exhausting. It’s easy to get lost an Amazon or a bookstore when you’re looking for that one book that suits your mood, because moods are fleeting and can change from day to day,
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One of the central concepts of Buddhist philosophy is the notion of attachment, or clinging. Upadana is a word from ancient Pali and Sanskrit, which is usually translated as attachment, grasping, or clinging – but it’s literal meaning is “fuel.” This relates to the metaphor of the mind as being like a fire: burning, consuming,
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The ultimate goal of all spiritual practice is to transcend the ego, and awaken to your true Self. Throughout human history, many masters and teachers have developed many different ways and methods of approaching the problem – but there is none more direct than self-inquiry. Other methods often involve fixing the attention on the breath,
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Did you know that the English word “spirit,” has it’s roots in the Latin word spiritus – which means “breath”? We find a similar connection between breath and Spirit in many other languages. The Hebrew word ruach means “spirit, wind, breath, and/or mind.” The Greek pneuma, as well, means “air, breath, soul, vital force.” The
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One of the central aims of Buddhist meditation is to cultivate compassion, or loving-kindness – and metta meditation is designed to do just that. Metta is a word from ancient Pali (the language of the earliest Buddhist scriptures) which does not translate easily into English. It is a term which conveys warmth, friendliness, non-violence, benevolence,
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In a previous post, I talked about the many ways that the ego can sabotage our lives. Today I’d like to dig a little deeper, and get the heart of what the ego really is, and how exactly it keeps us from being happy and content. And, as always, some practical advice; some action steps
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Forgiveness is one of the most powerful tools we have for healing and personal transformation. Jesus, Buddha and Lao Tzu all taught that forgiveness is essential to knowing inner peace and spiritual wholeness. Now doctors and researchers realize that forgiveness is essential to our health – mental, emotional and physical. Anger and resentment suppress the
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Life can be hectic. Most of us have our hands full just trying to keep it all together. We do what we have to just to get by, from day to day. We seldom stop to ask ourselves, “Why am I here? Where am I headed? What’s it all about?” But it’s exactly this kind
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A few weeks ago I decided to try something a bit different… I meditated on the roof of a 61 story building. Unlike most of my meditation sessions, this one was unique… not only did it give me a breath of fresh air, it also helped bring me closer to the source that brings us all
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