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Written Words

Written Words2020-04-06T16:32:13-07:00

Prana At Work

April 3rd, 2023|Categories: Spiritual Odyssey|

One of the hardest things for a beginner to understand is the fact that there must be physical changes for spiritual changes to take place. We are so used to thinking of spiritual as being something ephemeral that we cannot at all relate it to [...]

The Meaning of Suffering

March 29th, 2023|Categories: Climb the Joyous Mountain|

The Buddha, 2500 years ago, pointed out that three conditions are common to all beings: impermanence, lack of any lasting ego-self, and suffering. Dukkha (suffering) means more than pain as the opposite of pleasure, and the Buddha said that such suffering is the inevitable result [...]

All Things Are As They Have Always Been

March 5th, 2023|Categories: Spiritual Odyssey|

As soon as we have words we have concepts. No matter how articulate the speaker, how believable the teacher, using words forces the speaker to form concepts in order to convey ideas to others. When one Zen teacher continually counsels his followers to “rest in [...]

The Guru Business

March 1st, 2023|Categories: Abandon Hope|

The guru business is good and getting better. Almost
 any teacher or would-be teacher from India, Tibet, China, or Japan can come to the United States wearing robes and immediately acquire a coterie of followers, ready
to kiss their feet and gift them with fruit and [...]

Satipatthana

February 23rd, 2023|Categories: Heightened Awareness|

There are many types of meditation resulting in trance states, complete relaxation, intense concentration or wide-awake focusing on the now. None of these, in the writer’s opinion, has the majesty of the Satipatthana meditation, the Way of Mindfulness. This meditation is all encompassing, and soon [...]

Just What Is Spirituality?

February 11th, 2023|Categories: Spiritual Odyssey|

Many books are being written by sociologists and psychologists, in which they glibly speak of “higher consciousness” and “Enlightenment,” without in the least knowing what they are talking about. It is fashionable to make reference to ancient concepts and use terms that are just vaguely [...]

Abandon Hope

February 7th, 2023|Categories: Abandon Hope|

“Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” This would appear to be the opposite of everything we believe in, the death blow to our expectation of living a full and fulfilled life. But it isn't. Quite the contrary, it is the way to wake up [...]

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