Unity vs Duality
Early on, silence and expression can seem opposed. For example, in a meditation practice, we may seek Yoga. Yoga Sutra 1 v2-3: Yoga is the complete settling of the activity of the mind. Then the …
Category: Philosophy
The Void
The ancients talked of fundamental elements whose combination lead to the forms and phenomena we see around us. For example, fire element brings light, sight, colour, heat, and so forth. The elements have associations with …
Truth, Brahman and Parabrahman
From a discussion on-line on the concept of truth I thought worth sharing. Not as organized as an article. Edited slightly for context. I’d suggest that expecting there to be one truth that is universally …
True Samyama
The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is a short but potent text that describes Yoga or union. It also contains dozens of formulas to get specific results, like knowing past lives, getting great strength, or flying …
The Strange Reality of Being Human
Most people think of themselves as a single being, distinct from others. This is my body, these are my private thoughts, and this is how I feel. However, this is just a set of ideas, …
The Dasha Mahavidya
I touched on the Mahavidya in The Mahavidya Interview but needed more research to do a proper job. As I mentioned there, the Dasha Mahavidya (10 great knowledge) are from Tantra and are embodied by …
The Christian Meaning of Enlightenment
In “The Christian Meaning of Enlightenment”, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr gives a Catholic perspective on western faith and the loss of its non-dual perspective. He refers to his teaching as a “Franciscan alternative orthodoxy.” He …
The Challenges of Teaching
There is a common idea that awakened people automatically become teachers. But teaching is a skill, one that allows us to speak to the student at their level. Many don’t have this skill. They speak …
Perspective
A worthwhile read in the New York Times Sunday Review: Why 2017 Was the Best Year in Human History. I’d change that to “known history” but he touches on some important points. Things are, for …
The Chance Assumption
“What astonishes me, just as it astonishes a child when he becomes aware of his own identity, is the fact of finding myself here, and at this moment, deep in this life and not in …
The Highest Reality
It’s curious to reflect on Vedanta (end of the Veda) at this juncture. The Brahma Sutra is about Unity into Brahman. The Upanishads, assemblies of key verses from the earlier Vedas, explore Self Realization through …
The Four Dispositions
Swami Brahmananda Saraswati was a man who spent much of his life in seclusion. He left home at age 9 to find a guru and spent much of his life in remote forests of India. …