Depth of Awakening
The initial awakening of Self Realization is key to what follows. But because it’s a new thing for which we have no experiential reference points, there is a lot of confusion about what it is …
Category: Practice
Entrenched Habits
Some habits can be very difficult to change. Even if we successfully get around them for a time, they can rear their head again. They can be like a petulant child who always wants its …
The Importance of Actual Yoga
In Yoga, the key is settling the mind. Then the Self “behind” the noisy mind can shine through. Yoga Sutra 1 v2-3: Yoga is the complete settling of the activity of the mind. Then the …
Embodiment
There are several factors that influence how we move forward through the stages of development. – Preparation of the vehicle so it’s able to sustain new depth – Purification and refinement to allow higher clarity …
What is Destruction?
We tend to see change as a loss, partly because the ego likes to feel in control. It’s also disturbing tamas, our inertia. And yet, the cycle of growth requires change: balance, disintegration, growth, integration, …
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 Layers of Samadhi
I’ve written several articles before about the layers of samadhi or transcendence described in the Yoga Sutra. These are the settling into the waves, then surface of the ocean of being. When we wake up …
Rest is the Basis of Activity
The title was an old saying of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s, adapted from the Shankaracharya tradition. Everything we experience in the world and within ourselves arises out of silent being, alert presence. Silence is the foundation …
Quiet Clarity
For much of our lives, we’ve been having experiences and confirming stories that explain those experiences. While this is a normal part of living life, we need a different approach to awaken. Awakening is a …
Karma Time
Recent events with getting the book out have brought some very old resistance to the fore. I recognized the old lifetime in play. And that lead to a useful insight about karmic stores. I’m a little surprised …
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. …
Selfish Mindfulness
An interesting article in The Washington Post on how Mindfulness is being “diluted and distorted by the prevailing narcissism of our time.” Mindfulness would be good for you. If it weren’t so selfish. Similar things …