Rich Man And The Beggar
Hindu Parable (Author Unknown)
Many years ago, a man was sitting in quiet contemplation by a riverbank when he was disturbed by a beggar from the local village. “Where is the stone?” the beggar demanded. “I mus...
Radical Reflection
Kittisaro
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 piece of life ensures that it continually eludes us. We can never ...
Invisibility In A Time Of Transparency
Akiko Busch
What is the difference between being invisible and just landing in a blind spot? In the woods no more than an hour, I am struck anew by invisibility, and its improvisational choreography, as a nece...
Ambiguity Of Violence
Robert Sapolsky
It is the ambiguity of violence, that we can pull a trigger as an act of hideous aggression or of self-sacrificing love, that is so challenging. As a result, violence will always be a part of the huma...
A Higher Level Of Conscious Engagement
James O'dea
We live in an age of spiritual smorgasbord: People are mixing concepts, aphorisms, and insights from a broad variety of mystical and faith traditions. A blend of notions culled from many spiritual pat...
Two Drops Of Oil
Paulo Coelho
A merchant sent his son to learn the Secret of Happiness from the wisest of men. The young man wandered through the desert for forty days until he reached a beautiful castle at the top of a mountain. ...
Thirsty For Wonder
Mirabai Starr
Contemplative life flows in a circular pattern: awe provokes introspection, which invokes awe. Maybe you’re making dinner and you step outside to snip chives from the kitchen garden just as t...
The False Dichotomy Between Being And Doing
Rob Burbea
One believes that "being" and "doing" are different. Often, "just being" is regarded as preferable or somehow more authentic. With maturing of insight, however, one reali...
If There Is No Self, Whose Arthritis Is This?
Sylvia Boorstein
"If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?" is one of a list of a dozen questions that have been appearing regularly in my email. I think it’s the choice of arthritis, out of ...
Not Taking Things Personally
Mark Manson
An unfortunate side effect of our consciousness residing in our brains is that everything we experience in our lives involves us somehow. The car in traffic today cut you off. The cable news show...
Emptiness Cafe
Susan Kahn
Life moves Like shadow and light, Instantaneously appearing, Though I cannot find time itself. Cities mirrored in thought, Nothing standing alone. There is no seer without the seen, No though...
The Hole-y Bucket
Gopal Dada
A student approaches the teacher with the question, “Could you help me with a question I've been struggling with -- what is the purpose of my life?” The wise teacher responds,...