The barrier between us and that sublime experience is our mind and the quality of awareness it generates. We are the victim or the victor of our own mind.   The same mind, which causes distraction, dissipation, turmoil, insecurity, delusion, hatred, anger, fear, panic and dread​, ​can create courage, stability, confidence, security, love, concentration, single-pointedness, and […]

“A love affair with knowledge and wisdom will never end in heartbreak.” — Michael Garrett Marino   “Knowledge is often mistaken for intelligence. This is like mistaking a cup of milk for a cow.” — Unknown   “If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out […]

There’s a man who has been by himself in a prison cell with a dirt floor, crude stone walls and two windows one of which looks out towards the ocean.    All of the sudden, he hears a scratching noise and he looks down at the ground that is furthest away from the window facing […]

Guy Finley   A young man decided to visit a country known for its uniquely gifted artists. Over the last few years, a growing sense of feeling incomplete had stalked him and the hope behind his journey was to find someone, something, to help him release the great, but still latent forces he knew lived […]

Bryan Robinson   It’s not accidental that some people are happier and more successful than others. What are they doing that separates them from the pack? They make resilience and well-being top priorities.    A winning frame of mind   Some people are born with pit-bull determination, less affected by stressful situations, and more resilient […]

A young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer:   “Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.”   The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this […]

Pestilence was on its way to Damascus and sped by a spiritual master’s caravan in the desert.   “Where are you speeding to?” asked the master. “To Damascus. I mean to take a thousand lives.”   On its way back from Damascus, Pestilence passed by the caravan again. The master said, “It was 50,000 lives […]

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.”  Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.”    “You don’t know? I believe you’re a religious person, and you don’t know what’s […]

“Over the course of one year, give a coin to each person who offends or upsets you,” instructed the abbot of a young man who wanted people to follow the spiritual path.   For the next twelve months, the man gave a coin to each person who offended or upset him, as he was instructed. […]

A spiritual leader got very tired of his​ flock arguing about whose suffering was worst. Week after week, not only did they proclaim the supremacy of their own suffering, but they demeaned their neighbors’ as not being justified in their personal suffering.   They each thought, “If my pain was as little as theirs, I […]