What's Happening Now
Pope Francis, May He Rest in Peace
Before he died, Pope Francis called out the disorienting landscape we live in with AI. It's a reminder to always ask, is that so?
Gross National Happiness
In Bhutan, they measure gross national happiness. What would it be like to have that here in the United States?
AI Isn't Human
I keep writing blogs about this, and here's someone else who sees the ineffable truth that inspiration and connection belongs to humanity and living creatures.
This Is Humanity!
A clear example of how humans can show up for other species, and in the end, give the world what it truly needs, care and kindness.
Ingenious!
If global warming leads to more water everywhere, then this is a brilliant idea!
What Gets Me Smiling
The Beauty of Japan
If you've wanted to go to Japan and haven't made it yet, check out this article with stunning pictures of some of the most beautiful places imaginable.
A Real Bug's Life
If you enjoyed the animated movie, A Bug's Life, Disney has come out with a docuseries about real bugs!
Ikigai - The Japanese Approach to a Long and Healthy Life
Live your best life, follow these simple steps.
A New Baby Black Rhino!
The little tyke was born in captivity. Our best wishes to him!
Antidepressants, or Tolkien
A fun game to guess which word is the name of an antidepressant, or a Tolkien character!
Teachers, Teachers, Teachers
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle explains Buddhist principles clearly, and offers present day interpretations of many spiritual texts. From The Power of Now, "Love is a state of Being. Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you."
Alan Watts
A 1960s, self-proclaimed "spiritual entertainer," Alan Watts uses engaging and provocative analogies to describe Zen Buddhism. From Become What You Are, "You may believe you are out of Harmony with Life and its Eternal Now but you can not be. For you are Life and you exist Now … so become what you are.”
Reverend Jaganath Carrera
For an up-to-date and inclusive translation of Patanjali's Yoga Surtras, refer to Reverend Jaganath's Inside the Yoga Sutras. With another translation on the way, he offers, "The goal of Yoga is not to obtain something that is lacking. It is the realization of an already present reality. Yoga practice does not bring about Self Realization directly - Yoga removes the obstacles that obstruct its experience."
Sri Nisargaddata Maharaj
A chain-smoking gnani (self-realized) Guru from the 1960s, Maharaj encouraged practitioners to dive deep into the question, who am I? From published conversations with him in a book entitled, I Am That, "When the mind is kept away from its preoccupations, it becomes quiet. If you do not disturb this quiet and stay in it, you find that it is permeated with a light and a love you have never known, and yet, you recognize it at once as your own nature."
Abraham Hicks
As the inspiration for The Secret, the teachings of Abraham resonate regardless of the source. Far more than manifesting things, these teachings are Zen at the core - we choose our own experience A favorite quote, "Do not look for love of self, look for Love that is Self." We are, as Abraham says, liquid love; that is our True Nature and loving is our natural state of being,
Other Teachers and/or Spiritually Informed Books
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
- Epictetus, The Art of Living
- Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of Heaven is Within You
- C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
- Vernon Kitabu Turner, Soul Sword: The way and mind of a Zen warrior
- Nischala Joy Devi, The Secret Power of Yoga
- Eknath Easwaran, translation of, The Dhammapada
- Cheri Huber, There Is Nothing Wrong With You
- Amit Goswami, Ph.D., The Self-Aware Universe
- Any and all poems by Hafiz or Rumi