In this section, you’ll find blog posts related to Inner Knowing and finding your Inner Teacher. Topics include learning how to pay attention in order to make perception shifts to become more awake, deepening our spirituality and connection to nature, as well as developing a strong connection and conversation with our Inner Teacher or Inner Knowing. These terms may be used interchangeably.
Use the right sidebar Articles Menu to find full-length articles and transcribed excerpts from Karen’s classes.
Q: Why is there suffering? And why do nondualists say it’s all in our heads?
Let’s consider the second part of your question first. Putting it as simply as I can, the nondualist perspective is that what we call reality is nothing more than a reflection. No different than the watching of a film. You can watch the film on the screen, and get so absorbed, that you’ll have emotional and physiological responses, but the movie isn’t real. So, therefore, … Read more
Q: When I was in the dentist chair, to get away from the discomfort, I tried to put myself up to the ceiling and detach. I imagined myself looking down at my body so I would feel less distressed. This didn’t work all that well.
Had you practiced and been successful at doing that before?
Q: No, not really.
If you’ve never left your body before, it’s not likely you would be able to leave your body in a moment … Read more
Q: In my reading lately, it seems that most Eastern philosophies and religions keep pushing the point that everything is suffering. Do you agree?
I need to get you guys to start reading other books besides Buddhism, and Hinduism! Trying to translate the Eastern nondual view for the Western mind creates so many challenges, including the need for an entirely different vocabulary, and framework for seeing the world.
Even though I’m going to be accused of speaking out of both … Read more
Q: Why didn’t you tell me up front that this spiritual path is hard?
Would it have changed your mind?
Q: No.
True. So, why waste energy when your mind was already made up?
Q: I would have known more about what to expect—I would have been better prepared.
Life and actions prepare—not anticipation, worry, or fear. Life is both easy and hard no matter what path you take. Determination and heart are what make the difference. So, wholeheartedly embrace … Read more
“When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t … Read more
Q: Is there a spiritual unified theory of everything?
The challenge with the question you are trying to resolve is that there is no language to adequately explain this. There is no representation that can work because all representations are bounded. You are looking for a theory of everything that explains your enlightenment experience in a way that lines it up with your waking experience.
You wish to understand what weaves it all together. “What allows it all to exist? … Read more
Q: What are the key elements of a spiritual practice?
This is a very large subject, but as meditation is often pointed out as a key element of any spiritual practice, let’s start there. Various meditations are used for various practices and outcomes. And, there can be levels to these meditations. But, as with all spiritual practices that move us toward oneness/awareness, the truth is that any meditation practiced diligently can get the job done.
But even within some spiritual … Read more
Q: I sold my company five years ago and have built a net worth of ~$10 million, but compared to my friends I feel like a loser and still keep trying hard at startups that stress me out and make me miserable. What should I do?
The monetary number is not the issue–10 million, 10 billion. That’s just a way of counting coups. It’s how you’re comparing yourself to your peers in a way that makes you feel lacking and/or … Read more
