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: Principles
Obstacle Illusions
The process of enlightenment is a very curious one. It’s not something that happens or is done because it’s not something or someone that is waking up. What awakens is already awake. But it has …
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 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 …
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 …
The Shadow Drives
This came up in another forum. I thought it worth sharing here, editing for context. Humans are human. It is very rare for someone to have no shadow, even a great guru. Much can be …
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 …
The Pain Body
I recently saw a piece of the ’08 conversation between Eckhart Tolle and Oprah, talking about the pain body. He also associated this with the ego. I wrote several articles on the series back at …
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 …
Security of Person
One of the deep changes that arises with awakening is a profound sense of security. While we’ve typically experienced the rest of our life as somewhat fraught and difficult, when we discover our true nature …
Myths of Enlightenment
While there are many reasons to seek enlightenment, there are also a boatload of myths about it. Some are even perpetuated by teachers. I will become enlightened Nope. It is not the me that gets …