Recognizing the Real Fear
In the sphere of human relations, faith is an indispensable quality of any significant friendship or love. “Having faith” in...
The Nature of Knowing That We Know
The word "consciousness" literally means "that with which we know." It has also been termed the "knowing...
To Be Worthy Of Our Suffering
Dostoevski said once, "There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings." These words frequently came to...
One-Minute Excellence
One-minute excellence. I can sense the curling of your lips. While such a catchphrase makes me shudder, too, it contains a gem waiting to...
A Meditator's Bag of Tricks
Meditation is not just a question of technique. In training the mind, you have to remember there's a whole committee in there. In the...
Faith: Deepening our Power to Inquire
With faith we can draw near to the truth of the present moment, which is dissolving into the unknown even as we meet it. We open up to...
Honoring Complexity, Being Rooted in Simplicity
The complexity of life can mask its poignancy. The web of daily tasks and events can seem so manifold, so knotty and tangled, that the...
The Myth of Progress
If we find ourselves discouraged by lack of spiritual progress, after several weeks, months, even years, we do not need to be concerned...
The Practice of Desire
Someone once shared with me this very simple yet profound discovery, "If I practice desire, I suffer." What could be simpler?...
The Grain of the Wood
There are two sides to the path of practice: the side of developing and the side of letting go. And it's important that you see the...
Cool Loneliness
As human beings, not only do we seek resolution, but we also feel that we deserve resolution. However, not only do we not deserve...
The Dark Side of the Sacred
Emotions live in the body. It is not enough simply to talk about them, to be a talking head. We need to focus our attention on emotions...