Habits of Mind
I was reminded recently that meditation alone is not a magic bullet. It’s a very useful tool but if we don’t culture good mental habits, it won’t serve us as well. The person I was …
Category: Principles
Lit from Within
An interesting article in a local monthly, Common Ground. About Jacques Lusseyran, a Parisian who lost his sight in a boyhood accident and went on to work in the French resistance, survive a concentration camp, …
Mental Health
I saw an outline on the Ayurvedic approach to Mental Health a. The source of mind is Atma (consciousness) b. The nature of mind is Sattva c. Specific means of balancing the mind: – pure …
The Memory of Awakening
I was recently reminded of a useful point. Awakening is not a discovery of something new. It is the rediscovery of what you already are. Many people awakening recognize they have always been awake – …
The Intellect and Intuition
A useful point arose in another forum I thought worth sharing here. Partly, it’s in distinguishing between judgment (mental conditioning) and discrimination. And partly it’s in distinguishing between intellect and intuition. When we use words …
What is Space and Time?
From What is Mind? it’s also worth noting the mind’s relationship with time and space. Science suggests that time is a fourth dimension of space but this is inaccurate. Space arises in self-aware consciousness. We …
Awareness becomes Self-Aware (illustrated)
On articles here like Foundations, Creation- in a Nutshell, and The Big Picture, I’ve described the fundamental structure of existence and the origins of everything. However, this is highly abstract. A few years ago, while …
Recent Research on the Physiology of Initial Enlightenment
I’ve been writing articles on basic practices that support awakening here for some time. Key among them: on the different types of meditation, the difference between actual meditation and “guided meditation” (hypnosis), and the value …
Belonging
While we may emphasize our independence in the west, humans are social animals. We relate to ourselves and others through our community interactions, where we feel connected. This brings us meaning, purpose, and value. That …
An Intellectual Approach to Consciousness
Yesterday, I posted an article on David Chalmers talk at TED on the Hard Problem of Consciousness. Waiting in my browser was an interview with Bernardo Kastrup. Turns out Chalmers was one of the influences …
The Hard Problem of Consciousness
Modern science has been struggling for some time with consciousness. It is subjective vs science’s objective approach. And yet it is intimate to our experience. Not to mention that consciousness keeps showing up as a …
Theft
In our culture, we take a dim view of theft. Stealing from another is unjust but because many also identify with their possessions as an aspect of themselves, they feel violated and fearful as a …