The Mind of Yoga
In Yoga, the mind is a key topic. In Yoga Sutra, the second phrase is “Yoga is the complete settling of the activity of the mind.” It is not a posture or breathing exercise. Book …
Category: Perspective
The Role of Kundalini
The ongoing exploration and discussion of ways of modelling the diverse experiences of awakening had a new round recently, based on the article Kundalini: Up, Down, or ? by Peter Holleran. It’s a fascinating overview …
Present Time
We’re living in a time of profound transition. On the one hand, there are dark global trends taking place that could have serious impacts on the livability of many communities. We are also in the …
The Enlightenment of Yoga
In the Yoga Sutra, the description of enlightenment sounds a lot like clear Cosmic Consciousness or Self Realization. But the “perfections” in book 3 and 4 that come with it are from another age when …
The End of Suffering
Patanjali mentions the causes of suffering in the Yoga Sutra 2v15 Suffering is caused by change, anxiety, impressions, and by opposing the activity of nature. Indeed, discriminating persons know that everyone is suffering. 2v3-11 The …
Nothing Seen yet it Remains
“Although the seen has disappeared for one whose purpose is accomplished, still it is not destroyed because it is common to others.” Yoga Sutra 2v22 In Unity, the seer and seen merge, leaving only the …
Chasing Experiences
One of the hazards of the spiritual journey is chasing experiences: looking for flash or the return of something good experienced before. Thus you see people using techniques to push kundalini, taking hallucinogenic drugs, or …
Skills vs Consciousness
There is a distinction between level of skill and level of consciousness worth exploring. This is an important distinction. It’s one thing for spiritual awakening to unfold. It’s another for us to make skilled use …
Meaning, Life and Karma
This came up recently in a non-duality forum. I thought it worth sharing here. In the philosophies around non-duality, they indicate that all life has meaning and that the principles are simple. However, due to …
Top ‘o the Charts
What does it tell you when the top of the charts song is Happy? #6 is Let it Go. #11 – Best Day of My Life. Of course there’s still lots of angry and pain …
Family Charges
Recently Adyashanti, the Zen based teacher, appeared on Oprah around his book, Falling into Grace. A little more advanced than Eckhart’s approach. One of the interesting details when touching on the pain body was how …
The Four Levels of Speech
The Four Levels of Speech are a fundamental detail that underlies the Vedic perspective. It is the nature of how the world comes to be. 4 distinct levels of speech: Para – absolute, Self, totality …