China: Taoism & Confucianism
Taoism First let me put to rest something that very few people know, or most people misconceive. Taoism (the Tao is usually translated as "the Way") is not a proper term. There are two Taoisms. There is the philosophical Taoism that we know [...]
Around the Platter Variation (right)
As the hands circle right and begin to cradle a ball, our weight shifts forward. At the halfway point, we let go of the ball so that the palms face down and the circle continues back to the starting point at the [...]
Around the Platter Variation (left)
As the hands move left and the weight begins to shift forward, the hands move to cradle a ball (Figure 2) and are held that way until they reach the halfway point in the circle. Then we let go of the ball [...]
Heightened Awareness Glossary
ADVAITA – Dvaita means duality, so a-dvaita is no duality, which is the highest teaching of India. There are six major darshanas, or philosophies, in India – two that are dualistic, two that are between dualism and non-duality, and two that are non-dual. (Advaita [...]
Bird Flaps its Wings
We do the above sequence twice, letting our heels come off the ground (Figure 3). On the third sequence (Figures 7-12), we do one full circle with the wrists and our knees bent. Then, from the top of a second circling [...]
Further Exploration: A Cornucopia
The three things that are universal according to Indian Buddhism are impermanence, suffering, and delusion. When I was expressing the three universals, Roshi Sazaki stopped me and said, "Just suffering, enough. Just suffering, enough.” My friend said, "What’s wrong if he builds a [...]
Monkeys and Holy Men
Often, while staying on the second floor of a two-family house in Baroda, India, I noticed numerous monkeys watching me intently outside the window of my room. I asked my host Kaushik why this was so. “They are waiting for you to leave your [...]
Why the Need for Heightened Awareness
“Bare attention,” or Mindfulness, is the first step in gaining a “heightened awareness.” But by itself, it is not enough. This bare attention to progress leads to a deeper awareness. Bare attention, by itself, means that every action is performed mindfully, in full conscious [...]
Epilogue for Meditation For Healing
Throughout the world there is an evolution in consciousness beginning to manifest in many areas of life. There are many aspects of this evolution actualizing everywhere: the increasing interest in spiritual and liberational pathways, the movement towards a harmonious ecology, planet wide organizations [...]