For each of us, our responsibility is to focus on doing our own inner work, tend to our own garden and keep our opinions out of the gardening of others. However, none of us live isolated on an island. Our human experience is deeply intertwined through shared connections to the humans around us. While we … Continue reading How to maintain strong boundaries and also be kind.
In our fast-paced, digitally driven world where we are more connected than ever before, it's surprisingly easy to feel disconnected and completely invisible - like a tiny drop in a vast ocean. You might find yourself wondering if your presence even matters, especially with the onslaught of headlines reminding us daily of global challenges that … Continue reading Touch the ripples of life all around you.
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.
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.
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.
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 - "Your Daily Dose" is a … Continue reading You see that the dog’s aggression is coming from a place of vulnerability and pain.
We live in a technological age where we all carry a screen in our pocket that gives us a certain kind of glimpse into the world. 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 … Continue reading “Human”-ing is a team sport.
Let’s create a moment to take a step back from the noisiness of the world, for a clear-eyed look at the societal landscape we inhabit. It doesn't take a mystic or a sage to sense that the world we have created crackles with tension. Division festers, and a pervasive sense of unease seems to cling … Continue reading Responding to a sick society.
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.
Sometimes we encounter experiences that seem too formidable for our hearts to bear. In our vulnerability, we seek refuge in avoidance, shutting down our emotions and turning away from the pain. This retreat into numbness feels like a shield, a temporary sanctuary from the chaos. "Your Daily Dose" is a quick two minute read packed … Continue reading Experience life at full-strength!
Today's journey takes us through our relationships with the people around us, and the world at large. It has become clear that 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 that seems different, or “not from … Continue reading They are in fact both on the same side… they are both on the side of war.
We often walk through life glancing past the faces around us. Not recognizing each individual as a complex universe unto themselves, as we autopilot our way through the world. 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 … Continue reading The universe within, leads to the universe without.
"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, and here's a short description of Tonglen. "Your Daily Dose" is a quick two minute read packed with … Continue reading Use what seems like poison as medicine.
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.
We move through life, brushing against an untold number of souls - some who inspire us, others who challenge us, and still others who trigger reactions we'd perhaps rather not acknowledge. Human connection operates as a profound mirror. Our relationships don't simply exist in isolation; they illuminate the unresolved territories within our own consciousness. When … Continue reading Let every person you meet be your teacher.
We often navigate our lives through a lens of judgement, quick to categorize people into boxes of "good" or "bad", “heroes vs villains.” But this binary thinking blinds us to a profound truth that could transform every interaction we have: the beautiful, messy complexity of being human. "Your Daily Dose" is a quick two minute … Continue reading Even our boundaries inflict damage when they are created in ignorance and not in understanding.
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's so easy to experience the world as a hostile place. In a world saturated with negative headlines and endless streams of disappointing news, it's almost difficult not to develop a cynical worldview. We scroll through social media, watch the news, and witness humanity's capacity for harm, sometimes leaving us feeling disconnected from the very … Continue reading It doesn’t always help us to love the world. But it does prevent us from hating the world.
