Karma Mimamsa
Traditional Indian philosophy has 6 branches or approaches, known as the upangas or darshanas. Often they’re seen as competing philosophical systems when if fact they largely each describe the reality of a different stage of …
Category: Books
A Case Study
I’ve talked before about winding down the shadow, teaching prematurely, and having peer support. Issues with these are important to recognize in others and groups so we don’t get caught up in their junk (as …
Endless
There never was a time when I was not, nor you, nor these rulers of men. Nor will there ever be a time when all of us shall cease to be. — Bhagavad Gita Chapter …
I Am Not I
Among the great questions of the human heart, none is more central than the question, “Who am I?” And among the great answers of the human spirit, none is more central than the experience of …
Enlightened Duality
The closing of the book Halfway up the Mountain by Mariana Caplan is a chapter on how enlightenment is only the beginning. She correctly notes there is no “top end” or final state. From the …
The Mature State
I’ve talked some of how enlightenment is not a goal in itself but rather a platform for living. Here this is put another way. The unitive state is not an end in itself; rather its …
The Matrix
Awakening can be said to happen through the non-Self being “devoured” by Brahman or through the descent of the divine. It is not something we control or manage. Rather it comes as grace. We can …
Spiritual Corruption
The personal ego is a self-serving mechanism by its very nature, designed to protect our perceived individuality. Curiously, it will even place protecting itself above protecting the organism when convinced to do so. Soldiers on the …
Whose Reality?
“Those who play at being angels, end up as animals.” — Blaise Pascal, The Ascent to Truth I ran into this quote recently while reading Mariana Caplan’s book Halfway Up The Mountain. It rather succinctly …
What is Knowledge?
This showed up in my in-box and I thought it useful to explore. Arjuna asked Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita (Ch.13 opening), “What is knowledge?” And Krishna replied, “Knowledge is to know the field and …
Who Abides
Some traditions and experiences point to the divine as being discovered within, particularly in the heart. But what is more true is that we discover who we are, the Self, within. After that, the division …
Death of a Yogi
Recently I was reading a commentary on Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita (Song of God). The chapter is called The Yoga of the Imperishable Absolute. One topic was the nature of death for a …