When we start on the path of sadhana, though we may understand that there is something greater than who we think we are, we tend to operate as if sadhana is just stretching and making bigger who we think we are. In that light, we believe that there is only one playing field, and that to be spiritually enlightened is …
Feeling This Loss….
Community is so important for all of us. We are a family made up of people who are wanting Love. This path we have all chosen is not always easy. But the truth is, the alternative is worse. We have to remember that we are in Purgatory, living out our past actions, and as we move forward consciously, we find …
Family Recipes….
“Life will be easier if I don’t practice.” Why will it be easier? If we practice we will have to face what we have. But we don’t want to face reality. We are driving a 1950 Buick, thinking we are at the wheel of a Porsche. Accepting reality begins with accepting our environment and our vehicles for what they actually …
How To Use a Fourchotomy….
To work with a fourchotomy, you have to begin by being honest with yourself. This means being willing to hear your honest, unfiltered answer in the moment; if you pause to think it over, you will be answering from the wrong place entirely. It takes practice to hear your honest answer and not fall prey to your mental chatter. Assertive …
What Is a Fourchotomy….
The world appears to us as we choose to see it. Most of us see the world in binary terms, framing our experience in pairs of opposites. These pairs of opposites define and limit our perception by shrinking the world into a kind of template; that template in turn limits our choices and actions. Recognizing and dismantling this template is …
The One True Sacrifice….
The last blog established how “sacrifice” can be a destructive force. From this point of view, sacrifice is a negation; it implies scapegoating, discarding, abandoning. It is not sacrifice, though, that is the problem. It is what we sacrifice, and to whom, that determine whether our offering leads to good or ill. Sacrifice Hoard / grasp Scapegoat / abandon …
What We Are Willing To Sacrifice….
We all live by rules, assumed rules. We live by unconscious rules that are so embedded in us that we believe they are universal. But when we reflect, we see that these rules are not only not universal but in many cases harmful and counter to Love. These rules have been developed in environments that promoted the shrunken self, and …
Speak the Truth and Don’t Get Angry Part Two….
“What we bring to the table” is a phrase I use often. It means what and how we feel, think, express, and act in any given situation. In The Art of War, Sun Tzu instructs us to: Know yourself. Know the terrain. Know your opponent. But most of us only know and can speak to the terrain and the opponent. …
Speak the Truth, Don’t Get Angry, Part One….
Baba used to tell the story of Dronacharya and Yudhisthira. Dronacharya was the teacher to the Pandavas. One day, Dronacharya told his students, “Speak the truth, don’t get angry. I want you to go home, learn this, and come back.” The next day, everyone came back, and each one could recite the statement except for Yudhisthira, who said, “I understand …
Where We Are Today….
For many people, what’s happening now in our country seems unusual. It is not so unusual in my life. I lived for years with someone who had no core, so he was always craving to be the center of attention. Though he didn’t realize it, this person believed his existence depended on the gaze of others. So he put people …