Uncategorized

The clock said 1:41 am, but it might as well have shown alien symbols for all my sleep-deprived brain could comprehend. In fact, I could hardly remember any details about my life outside of that hospital room other than the unforgettable fact that a baby was coming, and we had no choice but to keep going.The mental picture I had … Read More

Does it count as a “been there, done that” if you don’t remember much of anything about it? If it’s something you’ve read or watched, remembering only that you did and almost nothing more, is it still part of you? Aging takes a lot away. There’s no getting around it. When our auto-save is no longer saving where we’ve been … Read More

Last week twenty-five pilgrims from Oregon and Washington (plus one who snuck in from Texas) embarked on a journey to visit six holy sites of Paramhansa Yogananda in California over three days: Encinitas Hermitage, Mt Washington, Forest Lawn, Biltmore Hotel, Hollywood Temple and Lake Shrine. Yogananda spent a great deal of time in these places and countless spiritual lessons, stories … Read More

Everyone is alone. Alone with their thoughts, problems, joys and sorrows. Everyone is born alone and helpless, and leaves this world in similar fashion. And yet, everyone is together in this aloneness: sharing experiences, ideas and support. We are born into a family, move through life with friends, and leave with the support of our loved ones at the end. … Read More

  “I just couldn’t help myself.”  I suspect we have all resorted to that excuse at one time or another. It is even an established courtroom defense, known as  “irresistible impulse,” presented as a mitigating circumstance and a plea for mercy.  I was remembering this from my year in law school, aware of how difficult it is to resist an … Read More

We see, and we believe, isn’t that right? Look, there’s a chair. Yep, right over there, that’s a chair. We can sit in it too. But is that enough to say that it is real? Real or not, it would be extremely unwise to ignore the possibility that chairs and other perceived objects exist. An oncoming train will quickly dispatch … Read More

To be human is commonly associated with lack, mistakes and failure. Habitual expressions referring to the human condition include “I’m only human”,  “to be human is to err” and excusing any manner of human foible or fault as  “just human nature”. But what if the truth is that being human, in essence, is to be divine? Paramhansa Yogananda was a … Read More

In my years at our Ananda Pune ashram, we followed each day’s group meditation and breakfast with a morning circle. My wife and I, with our staff and guests, would discuss the day’s projects and assignments, and then we would all affirm together, loudly at first and then more inwardly, “I will do my work thinking of Thee, Lord. I … Read More

In the midst of today’s chaotic world, I find solace in the practice of introspection, a tool that not only grants self-awareness but also fosters a deeper understanding of others. Known in Sanskrit as swadhyaya, meaning “self-study”, introspection is one of the steps along the eightfold path of yoga taught by Patanjali.  Introspection has saved me in the face of … Read More

Are you your body-mind? It would certainly seem so. Every sensation we experience – taste, touch, sight, smell and hearing – reinforces that perception. But is there more to the answer than a yes or no can provide? We are raised for good reason to believe in the physicality of the reality that surrounds us, and our senses confirm its … Read More