Spirituality That Works

Q: Can you provide a description of what a good, maybe comprehensive spiritual practice is? What is spiritual practice?

There are many actions one can take in the name of a spiritual practice. You’re familiar with many of them. And pursuing any one of them will help you to feel that you are “doing” a spiritual practice in your “effort” to become more spiritual. But there comes a time in your development when you’ll realize they are all nothing more … Read More

Who isn’t struggling to keep up with the demands of daily life? With all the busyness, it can be difficult to focus on the present moment and to find inner peace. That’s where meditation and mindfulness come in. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they are not exactly the same thing. While both practices involve quieting the mind and focusing on the present, they differ in their approaches. Meditation is a more structured practice that involves focusing on a … Read More

Where Do You Dwell?

I remember one chilly evening spent on a mountaintop in India with a 119-year-old master. We’d become very fond of each other over our many visits. This particular night, we were gazing out from the top of Mt Abu, looking over the vast plains of Rajasthan below, and I was lamenting that he had it easier on his mountaintop. He only had one job as a guru, and that was to live a spiritual life with … Read More

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

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