💭Spirituality & Philosophy

When anything difficult arises—any kind of conflict, any notion of unworthiness, anything that feels distasteful, embarrassing, or painful—instead of trying to get rid of it, we breathe it in. The three poisons are passion (this includes craving or addiction), aggression, and ignorance (which includes denial or the tendency to shut down and close o... See more

I cannot get over how interesting it is that these communities of thought, of influence, exist and we’re unconsciously sharing beliefs with others. And that shared beliefs, patterns of practice, have boundaries. You know, Medicare fraud is rampant in Miami but not in Fort Lauderdale, which is twenty minutes away? 

How did you become aware of this ph... See more

As I said, to put our faith in tangible goals would seem to be, at best, unwise. So we do not strive to be firemen, we do not strive to be bankers, nor policemen, nor doctors. WE STRIVE TO BE OURSELVES.

But don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean that we can’t BE firemen, bankers, or doctors— but that we must make the goal conform to the individual, ra

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As I see it then, the formula runs something like this: a man must choose a path which will let his ABILITIES function at maximum efficiency toward the gratification of his DESIRES. In doing this, he is fulfilling a need (giving himself identity by functioning in a set pattern toward a set goal), he avoids frustrating his potential (choosing a path... See more

A common mistake is not to be Ishmael but Captain Ahab. Ahab—the doomed skipper of the Pequod, the whaling ship whose crew Ishmael joined—was singularly consumed with finding and killing Moby Dick, the great white whale. The days leading up to Ahab’s fateful encounter with the great whale were a fever dream singularly focused on the object of his o... See more

Prince Shōtoku reminds us of the fundamental truth of how our very existence lies within our relationship with others. When we deeply reflect on who and what we are, we come to realize our profound connection and mutual dependence on all things. This is Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching of interdependence and what he viewed as the proper relationship be... See more

One way that I passionately believe we’re connected and need each other is story. The Tibetan Book of the Dead was written centuries ago but is still true for us today. The Greek tragedies, the stories of human struggle, the most ancient words we have, tell the essential narratives of love and loss, suffering and triumph, rage and forgiveness, all ... See more