Practicing the external martial arts taekwondo and kung fu gave me lots of experience with humility. Resuming this training in my 50s after being away from it for several decades meant that I was a beginner once again and most often the oldest person in the room. It was obvious from the start that I […]
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All life is your guru. There is absolutely nothing that does not reflect the perfection of creation and the power of love that created it. The very cells of your body vibrate in harmony with all that is. Your understanding or your lack of understanding changes nothing. But your experience changes everything. Once remembrance is
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The way to find love is to be love, which is just another way of saying be who you are. You are not lovable because someone loves you. You are not without love if someone doesn’t love you. It is not possible to be without love or to be unlovable. It is only possible to
Everything we hold on to will be relinquished. The people we love, the things we have, the beliefs we defend, the identities we treasure, the bodies we inhabit – all will be left behind. Like the great closing sale of life – everything must go! Every loss we fear will come to pass. What does
“You do you” is sometimes used to dismiss someone you do not agree with, similar to phrases like “suit yourself” or “whatever.” Someone said this to me not long ago. I admit that at the time it stung. But later I thought about the phrase itself apart from the context in which it was used.
In Greek mythology, Arachne was a highly skilled weaver. So confident was she of her talent that she bragged her weaving was more beautiful than that of the goddess Athena. Athena did not take kindly to the comparison. She approached Arachne disguised as an old woman and issued this warning: “I have had much experience
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Start with “I don’t know.” Why not start with where you’ll end up anyway? ~Adyashanti This quote inspired the second chapter of my book Your Breath Is Your Guru. It refers to thinking that we can know or understand truth with our thinking minds. When we begin to question what we think we know, we
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Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Sometimes life brings us a gift of such overwhelming magnitude that it’s hard to resist trying to make sense of it in our rational minds. Our minds are dedicated in their mission to label, categorize, explain, and construct narrative, to fit everything neatly into an organized system
I ran across this phrase recently. It caught my attention because I love the word abide. Looking up its etymology, I found that it carries with it a sense of “waiting onward.” I loved that too. Not waiting passively or impatiently, but with an attitude of alert attention, open receptivity, readiness to engage fully with
Reason says, the world is limited in six directions There is no way out Love says, there is a way And I have traveled it many times ~Rumi When we are unsure about something, or making a decision, or figuring something out, or choosing a course of action, we often turn to reason. We make lists of pros and
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Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things. ~Philippians 4:8 Since the beginning of the year, I have paid a lot more attention to my thoughts. Many of us
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After years without any particular word for a new year, a word did come to me this year – liberate. So I wondered how to focus on this word, to make it a priority, to commit to it. A prayer came to me, and so I decided to have a prayer of the year, to
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I’ve been joking that I’ve waited ten years for another word of the year. My last word of the year was in 2013, and the word was “wait.” At the end of 2013, I wanted to go into the new year with a completely open mind – no resolutions, no goals, no aspirations, no word.
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Recently someone said something to me that upset me. It was not meant to upset me, but I experienced it somewhat like an intrusion, even a violation, although that might be too strong a word. However well intended, it was too personal and crossed a boundary I had not even known was there. Having heard
It Does Not Touch You Read More »
… continued from last post The second image that came to me in connection to living in trust was Peter walking across the water to Jesus. The disciples were in a boat during a storm and saw Jesus walking towards them on the water. Peter wanted to try it out so Jesus called Peter to
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No one tells you There is a sadness When all is left behind Although shed willingly Touch lingers A last caress Of what was once a treasure There is no going back Nor would you want to Yet there were moments When happiness kissed your lips And longing stirred your soul When the dream sang
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The price of staying awake is giving up every reason you have to stop loving. ~Adyashanti Do you know anyone who is a hoarder? I do. When I walk into her apartment, there are piles of newspapers and magazines everywhere. Boxes of unknown contents are stacked along the walls. Every surface is crowded with deals
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Wanting to be good is a good thing. Right? I want to be a good person, a good mother, a good friend, and so on. And I want others to see me as good. I want my goodness reflected back to me in how others think of me, talk about me, and act towards
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A minister was giving what I call an “audition sermon” at a church, in hopes of being called as their pastor. After the sermon, members of the congregation were invited to ask questions. Like many churches, this one was becoming smaller and grayer as the members aged. One person asked the minister what he would
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For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. 1 Corinthians 13:12 When we read this verse, we might yearn for that time of seeing face to face, when all things become clear and we see things as they really are. We don’t often pause to wonder if we will like