"Use what seems like poison as medicine." Today’s meditation journey is called Tonglen, a practice that has its origin in Tibet roughly a thousand years ago. Tonglen meditation profoundly influences our relationships with the humans around us. Here's a short description of Tonglen. Tonglen meditation, also known as “taking and sending,” reverses our usual logic … Continue reading Use what seems like poison as medicine.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison.
The illusion of being separate and isolated, this is the “prison” we are addressing today. Albert Einstein, physicist, had a logical way of looking at what the world is and what humans are, that was at times so clearly simple that it made him sound like a spiritual teacher. To him our oneness with the … Continue reading Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison.
Let every person you meet be your teacher.
All of our human connections serve us, they call forth within us that which is still unresolved, pointing out to us where we are not yet free. Whenever you are triggered by anyone ask yourself these questions: "Why am I not free from this? Why does this control my inner state? What is the work … Continue reading Let every person you meet be your teacher.
Even our boundaries inflict damage when they are created in ignorance and not in understanding.
We often navigate our lives with a lens of judgment, quick to categorize people into boxes of "good" or "bad." This narrow perspective, however, obscures a deeper truth: the complexity of the human experience. Today's meditation takes a look at the humans around us with a reminder - It's likely that every human you see … Continue reading Even our boundaries inflict damage when they are created in ignorance and not in understanding.
Let EVERYONE be your teacher.
To be human is to find ourselves entangled in the intricate web of human interaction, navigating a landscape of emotions and reactions. In some of these interactions, we may feel triggered, frustrated, or even angry. However, these very moments can be transformed into opportunities for profound self-discovery. Every human around us, is a catalyst for … Continue reading Let EVERYONE be your teacher.
It doesn’t always help us to love the world. But it does prevent us from hating the world.
It's easy to experience the world as a hostile place. It's easy to feel a consistent disappointment in humanity when we look at all the harm caused in the world, and it reminds me of words that hit me right in the heart when I read them in Shantaram years ago: "It doesn't always help … Continue reading It doesn’t always help us to love the world. But it does prevent us from hating the world.
How to maintain strong boundaries and also be kind.
For each of us, our responsibility is to focus on doing our own inner work, tend to our own gardens and keep our opinions out of the gardening of others. However, an integral part of our human experience is the shared connections we have to the humans around us so while we are tending to … Continue reading How to maintain strong boundaries and also be kind.
Touch the ripples of life all around you.
Have you ever stopped to consider the impact you have on the world around you? It's easy to feel small in a vast universe and feel as though your presence doesn’t matter. And to add to this, we have all in the past acted from ignorance and at times caused hurt too. But the fact … Continue reading Touch the ripples of life all around you.
How we react to our differences, determines whether we make war, or find strength in our diversity.
In 1623 English poet John Donne wrote down the words, "No man is an island" - even in those moments that we may feel ourselves to be utterly alone, the truth is we are surrounded by other humans. Nothing is created - nothing comes to fruition - unless humans cooperate to bring it into existence. … Continue reading How we react to our differences, determines whether we make war, or find strength in our diversity.
I can walk through the world always at the mercy of people around me, or I can walk through the world free.
Sometimes we find ourselves navigating life as if we're adrift in a stormy sea, our emotional state tossed about by the whims of those around us. Every word, every action, becomes a potential storm, leaving us feeling powerless and overwhelmed. But what if there was another way? A way to navigate life with a sense … Continue reading I can walk through the world always at the mercy of people around me, or I can walk through the world free.
This is the strongest medicine for your soul.
Have you ever paused to consider the profound impact of a simple blessing? Not just a casual wish of goodwill, but a heartfelt acknowledgment of another's inherent worthiness? The practice of blessing others, it turns out, is a potent catalyst for personal transformation. It is a challenge that expands our consciousness and invites us into … Continue reading This is the strongest medicine for your soul.
You see that the dog’s aggression is coming from a place of vulnerability and pain.
Our daily interactions with the humans around us is a constant back and forth dance. We build boundaries to protect ourselves, yet, we yearn to break those barriers down for a chance at true connection. Tara Brach, a renowned meditation teacher, suggests, a very simple metaphor for understanding human behaviour. "Imagine you are walking in the … Continue reading You see that the dog’s aggression is coming from a place of vulnerability and pain.
“Human”-ing is a team sport.
We scroll through social media feeds bombarded by curated perfection. Lives seemingly effortless, relationships picture-perfect. But beneath the carefully crafted veneer, a deeper truth resonates: we're all just "winging it." This, according to Charlie Mackesy's heartwarming book, "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse," is the very essence of being human. “How do … Continue reading “Human”-ing is a team sport.
Responding to a sick society.
Today’s meditation journey takes a look at the world around us with a slight pause to recognize what society has created… "If being appropriate means conforming to a deeply pathological society, then be wildly inappropriate. If finally seeing the oppressive suffering of others is painful, then endure the pain. If you want freedom from denial … Continue reading Responding to a sick society.
Seek the wearer, not the cloak.
In today’s message, Rumi paints a vivid picture of our human experience: a soul inhabiting a physical form, much like how a person wears a garment over their “self”. We spend a significant portion of our lives fixated on what we can see from the outside, rarely are we reminded of the eternal being within. … Continue reading Seek the wearer, not the cloak.
Experience life at full-strength!
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by life's experiences, to the point where closing your heart seemed like the only way to cope? It's a natural instinct, this desire for self-protection. But what if I told you that shielding your heart actually diminishes your experience of life itself? We sometimes have life experiences that feel too … Continue reading Experience life at full-strength!
They are in fact both on the same side… they are both on the side of war.
Today's journey takes us through our relationships with the people around us, and the world at large. A few years ago I had a clear realization of how our "survival self" is primed to "discriminate". The most primitive part of our brain is hardwired for survival and ready to cast suspicion on anything and anyone … Continue reading They are in fact both on the same side… they are both on the side of war.
The universe within, leads to the universe without.
We often walk through life glancing past the faces around us, each individual a complex universe unto themselves. Yet, what if we shifted our perspective? What if we saw in each person, not a stranger, but a reflection of our own inherent wholeness? This is the journey we embark on today, one that begins within … Continue reading The universe within, leads to the universe without.