Many have extolled the value of gratitude. “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough,” said Meister Eckhart. In Rumi’s words: “Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.” In our own times, Willie Nelson noticed that “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned […]
Continue readingConcentrating the Mind
We usually think of ‘concentrating the mind’ as focusing our attention on some experience — a process that can take effort and discipline, particularly if we are trying to keep the mind concentrated. While this approach can be useful at times, I find another interpretation of concentration equally valuable. The Latin root of ‘concentrate’ is […]
Continue readingDoing and Being
Why do I keep going into the doing mode? Moving from one task to another with hardly a break. Or when I’ve nothing urgent on, looking for something to do — check emails, or the news (again). Deep down, I must unconsciously believe that I will, in one way or another, feel better for getting […]
Continue readingAnchored in the Ground of Being
As many of you who’ve followed my thinking know, I’ve long been concerned with the unforeseen consequences of exponential growth, and the various crises it could lead to. And here we are in the middle of one – or rather the early days of one. We are witnessing an exponential escalation such that no one […]
Continue readingThere’s no such thing as ego.
There’s no such thing as ego. That doesn’t mean you and I don’t get caught up in egocentric thinking and behavior, but we are mistaken in thinking of the ego as some separate individual self, some “thing” in the mind. When I observe my own experience, I notice an unchanging sense of “I-ness” that has […]
Continue readingLoving Love
We love love. It’s one of our most basic needs, and one we’ll go great lengths to meet. But love is not something we find. It is our natural state of being. We need only remove the blocks to our awareness of its presence. That block is the ego-mind, which sees the world through the […]
Continue readingThe Sound of Silence?
How does silence sound? If there is silence there is no sound. There’s nothing to hear. While this may be true of physical silence, when it comes to the mind silence is not quite what it seems. Perhaps, like me, you have noticed when the thinking mind is quiet — when you are deep in […]
Continue readingEffortless Being
Behind all our endeavors lies the desire to feel good — to be happy, feel content, relaxed, and at ease. No one wants to be in pain or to suffer unnecessarily. This is our true bottom line. We may think we are seeking some external goal, but we are seeking it in the hope that, […]
Continue readingThe Dolphin’s Way
Why do we find dolphins so alluring? For some it is their playfulness, the joy that comes from being in their presence, their intelligence, the love we sense, they way they’ve been known to protect humans or alert them to danger, or their general lack of aggression. Why do we admire these qualities? They are […]
Continue readingSavoring the Moment
Pause. Just pause. Nothing else. And notice your experience. Notice what is there. In this moment. There will probably be various perceptions — sights, sounds, smells. Bodily sensations of one kind or another. Perhaps some feelings or a general mood. And most likely, along with these, some thoughts. Maybe some strong ones dominating your attention. […]
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