Awakening Inner Knowing

Q: Every time I try to meditate, I wind up falling asleep. Should I be trying to do something to force myself to stay awake?

Meditation is a practice that can involve both relaxation and focused attention. It’s not uncommon to feel drowsy or even fall asleep during the relaxation phase of meditation, especially if you’re tired and/or haven’t been sleeping well. In fact, some meditation techniques, such as Yoga Nidra and Guided Imagery, are specifically designed to promote relaxation … Read More

Q: There is an ongoing debate as to whether spiritual seekers need teachers to reach enlightenment, or whether they can find the way on their own. What do you think?

I’ll give the short answer first and then go into a more full explanation. The answer is no; you can’t reach enlightenment without a teacher. Absolutely, all people who have reached full permanent enlightenment had a teacher of some kind. Whether that teacher was a stranger they met on the … Read More

From the Hands of Many to the Hands of a Few 

At the beginning of human existence, back when we were on a level playing field with all other animals, our instinct for survival was extremely heightened and developed. This instinct was as necessary as any other sense. And because it was employed on a nearly constant basis, it was a dependably reliable means of acquiring information.

The survival instinct was used in much the same way any pack or … Read More

Q: Can you explain the influence language has on our perception of reality as spiritual beings? 

When we’re born it’s with total awareness. The full connection to the All–That-Is is still intact. When you look into a newborn’s eyes, you can see the ancientness of the soul. Because that infant is still completely connected.

Then, in order for us to live within the families and cultures into which we’re born, we need a unifying, shared reality. A new program gets … Read More

Most people think of karma as a spiritual principle of cause and effect/punishment and reward. This view holds that the sum of a person’s previous and current actions determines their fate in the future. For example, if someone committed bad deeds in a previous life, they would be punished for those past misdeeds in this life. If you are a good person in this life, you would be rewarded in your next life.

From a non-punitive view, karma is what … Read More

Walking with Awareness in Nature vs a Walking Meditation

There are several types of walking meditations and all of them offer valuable benefits. The more common ones instruct you to focus on the breath, and/or repeat a mantra and/or be aware of each step as you pick up your foot and put it down, or to pay attention to the present moment, etc. What they all share is some kind of focused attention to help you practice staying fully present … Read More

Q: If somebody asked you, what’s one change I can make right now that will change my life the fastest, what can I do? What would you say?

At the top of the list of changes that can impact your life immediately is to have no contact with media of any kind. Outside of work, use no technology. That means no TV. No Internet. No computers, tablets, or cell phones. No emails. No texts. Put a stop to all of … Read More

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