Reading Archives (Author)
Presence: The Quality of Consciously Being Here
A common theme runs through all the great spiritual traditions. It goes by many names – awakening, recollection, mindfulness,...
Tear And A Smile
I would not exchange the sorrows of my heart for the joys of the multitude. And I would not have the tears that sadness makes to flow...
Song of the Soul
In the depth of my soul there is A wordless song – a song that lives In the seed of my heart. It refuses to melt with ink on...
Good in Countless Ways
You are good when you are one with yourself. Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil. For a divided house is not a...
Spaces in Togetherness
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days....
The River Cannot Go Back
It is said that before entering the sea a river trembles with fear. She looks back at the path she has traveled, from the peaks of the...
Giving Simply to Give
"There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their...
Are You Bored Yet?
"I'm bored." Schoolchildren can be afflicted with it by the second day of summer; workers by the sixth month on the job;...
Sitting Aboard Life's Merry-Go-Round
Welcome! Welcome to the fair! I can see, you’re already sitting on the merry-go-round! It’s great how you are driving! You...
Conscious Complaining
Not to start on a down note, but repressing your emotions can destabilize your psyche and do a number on your overall health. When...
Most Perfect Marriage
"I thank you for having had the privilege of being your lifelong companion and helpmate. I thank you for the most perfect marriage in...
Why We Listen Better To Strangers Than Family
Once you know people well enough to feel close, there’s an unconscious tendency to tune them out because you think you already know...
What Happens When We Wonder?
When I think about wonder I think about waterfalls, newborn babies, and whales. I think about seeds, snowflakes, and rainbows. I think...
Forgotten Art of Deep Listening
Think of the difference it would make if each of us felt really listened to when we spoke. Imagine the time it would save to be heard...
It Doesn't Matter If You Believe In It
Gravity is a universal law of nature. It doesn't matter if you believe in gravity. You are still governed by its laws, and there is...
What You Do Afterwards
Creativity is all about what you do afterwards. I’m thinking about something that Miles Davis said about jazz improvisation:...
Beauty Is The Very Nature Of The Kosmos
If science gives us objective Truth, or the “it” of Spirit, and morals give us the Good, or the “we” of Spirit,...
There Is Only One Taste
There is only One State, within which different states arise. There is only One Taste, through which different tastes flow. But One Taste...
You Must Shout From The Heart
The alarming fact is that any realization of depth carries a terrible burden: Those who are allowed to see are simultaneously saddled...
The Thread That Unites Wisdom Traditions
Similarities would seem to suggest, among other things, that there are spiritual patterns at work in the universe, at least as far as we...
In the Lap of Immense Intelligence
Because the universe has direction, we ourselves have direction. There is meaning in the movement, intrinsic value in the embrace. As...
The Theory Behind Forgiveness
I always liked the Course's reliance upon forgiveness as a way to remeber the true Self. This is a somewhat unique approach, found in few...
Small Graces
Night is closing in. It is time for sleep. I have walked a quiet path today. I have done no great good, no great harm. I might have...
Believers in Small Graces
There are those who search God in the quiet places -- no churches, no public displays of piety, no dramatic or flamboyant rituals. They...
But It Is There
We are all born with a belief in God. It may not have a name or a face. We may not even see it as God. But it is there. It is the sense...
The Mystery of Love
Remember that you don't choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into...
The Dilemma That Faces Us All
This is the dilemma that faces us all when we decide to walk the difficult path of forgiveness. Are we complicit in wrongdoing if we do...
Shape Of Silence
The silence is profound this morning. It is not portentous; there seems to be nothing in the waiting. It is a gentle silence, liquid and...
Turning Survival Inside Out
You know how people will lament when they say, “Time to get back to reality,” or “…yeah, but that’s not...
Staying True To Your Heart Is The Essence Of Life
You know how people will lament when they say, "Time to get back to reality,"" or "...yeah, but that's not how...
One Legitimate Use of Power
Gandhi never held any official position in government, he had no wealth, the commanded no armies -- but he could mobilize millions. ...
Lessons On My 70th Birthday
Today is my birthday. I turn 70. I’ve learned a few things so far that might be helpful to others. For the past few years,...
Citizen Of Dark Times
Agenda in a time of fear: Be not afraid. When things go wrong, do right. Set out by the half-light of the seeker. For the well-lit...
The Gaps on Your Resume
My students say to me sometimes, as they apply to doctoral programs or jobs in parish ministry, "How shall I account for the two, or the...
Radical Reflection
We feel we can capture something by thinking about it. In reality, when we grasp at thoughts, the very process of trying to possess a...
Live By Vow, Not By Transaction
As we approach the new year, I find myself thinking about vow. In Zen communities, this is the traditional time to renew our...
Who are you, really?
“Any thought that you have had about yourself, however deflated or inflated, is not who you are. It is simply a thought. The truth...
Meditate Like Christ
One day a Canadian man arrived for his first visit with Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). He didn't know much about Maharaj-ji but...
Practice Without Integration is a Waste
I once met Roshi Philip Kapleau, the author of The Three Pillars of Zen. He was one of the first Westerners to go to Japan and do intense...
Movie Of Me, Now Playing 24 Hours A Day
What keeps us away from the gentle rain of grace? It's our endless obsession, all day long, with I, me, mine. We wake up in the...
A Journey Together
If we could take a journey, make a pilgrimage together, without any intent or purpose, without seeking anything, perhaps on returning we...
True Education
It is always difficult to keep simple and clear. The world worships success, the bigger the better; the greater the audience the greater...
Why Do We Gossip?
I wonder why we gossip? Is it because it reveals others to us? And why should others be revealed to us? Why do you want to know others?...
Distraction From What Is
Effort is distraction from what is. We must understand the problem of striving. If we can understand the significance of effort, then...
Branch Is Not The Tree
"In our search for knowledge, in our acquisitive desires, we are losing life, we are blunting the feeling for beauty, the sensitivity...
Imitation
Another cause of dullness is imitation. You are made to imitate by tradition. The weight of the past drives you to conform, toe the...
Chaos Within, Chaos Without
Do not think by merely wishing for peace, you will have peace, when in your daily life of relationship you are aggressive,...
On Generosity
"We are going to talk about something which needs a mind that can penetrate very profoundly. We must begin very near because we...
On Greed
"Take greed. Do you know what greed is? It is eating more food than you need, wanting to outshine others at games, wanting to...
On Meditation
"When man becomes aware of the movement of his own thoughts he will see the division between the thinker and thought, the observer and...
Self-Compassion Over Self-Esteem
The great angst of modern life is this: no matter how hard we try, no matter how successful we are, no matter how good a parent, worker,...