-
A little guidance goes a long way on the road to liberation.
Free
If you find yourself on the spiritual journey, then you know from experience the road is often unclear and the directions are vague. These Shortcuts are designed to help you find your way more effectively. Subscribers receive one Shortcut via email each week. Simply enter your email address below to receive your first Shortcut.
-
Yearly Archives: 2009
A while ago, a reader sent me the following question: “Do you have any thoughts on discipline and freedom?” After exchanging a few emails to clarify more specifically what he was asking, he sent me the following:
I’m on a spiritual path and I pick up stuff from all sorts of places like the Sedona Method, I’m checking out A Course in Miracles and the Work of Byron Katie and non violent communication, and other sources, and sometimes with all the techniques and stuff my mind can get really jumbled and I wouldn’t know which to use or when, and it gets to be this mess in my mind, where all messes are made—haha. I think a reason I cling to the forms and techniques is I would achieve
Tagged with: discipline, freedom, willingness
Twenty-one years ago, I was feeling a bit sick much of the time, and so I decided to find a doctor who was interested in a more alternative approach to health, as I had just gotten interested in a more healthy lifestyle. Fortunately for me, C. Norman Shealy, founder of the American Holistic Medical Association, had his offices nearby, so I scheduled an appointment with him.
After a thorough examination that lasted over an hour, Norm and I sat down to chat. As we neared the end of our time together, he looked at me and said, “What do you believe in?” I had to ask him to repeat the question because, well, no… Read the rest →
Tagged with: A Course in Miracles, health
This article is one of five articles on forgiveness posted today by several different writers. At the end of this article is a list of links to the others. Forgiveness is an excellent topic for the holidays as, to me, Jesus exemplifies forgiveness more than any other spiritual teacher. And while we have no idea when he was actually born, thanks to history, we celebrate his birth in three more days.
I have a somewhat radical perspective with regard to forgiveness. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I can forgive, but I’ll never forget.” Well, I’m sorry, but that isn’t even within a hundred miles of forgiveness. As long as there is any… Read the rest →
Tagged with: forgiveness, freedom, letting go
A sure sign that you are a member of The Half Awake (Half Asleep) Club is the almost inevitable pair of questions that the mind loves to ask:
What do I do with this… this… awakening thing that has happened to me?
and
What do I do now (in general)?
Ah, the poor mind. Even when it gets it, it still doesn’t get it. I’m going to call these questions the Half-Awake Dilemma.
There is nothing wrong with these questions, by the way. As long as one has any identification whatsoever with the world, the body, the ego, the persona, anything in the manifest world of form, the questions will arise. And given that so many of us… Read the rest →
Tagged with: half-awake, inquiry
But beauty, real beauty, ends where intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of a face. The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid. Look at the successful men in any of the learned professions. How perfectly hideous they are! Except, of course, in the Church. But then in the Church they don’t think. A bishop keeps on saying at the age of eighty what he was told to say when he was a boy of eighteen, and as a natural consequence he always looks absolutely delightful.
Photograph of Oscar Wilde taken in 1882 by Napoleon Sarony:
Tagged with: beauty, Oscar Wilde, thinking
By using the term “Half-Awake” I’ve probably given a somewhat false impression to many people. Saying half-awake almost implies that there are 3 states that a person can exist in:
Asleep
Half-Awake (or Half-Asleep)
Awake
However, as a few of you can attest, a schema such as this one would be grossly over-simplified and possibly inaccurate. Let me try to clarify a bit what I mean by half-awake and how it fits into what is experienced along the spiritual journey:
1. ASLEEP
The vast majority of humanity is sound asleep. When I say the vast majority, I mean to say 99.99% (and I may have left out a few 9′s). I… Read the rest →
Tagged with: half-awake, spiritual awakening
I strongly urge all of you to read Who Hears This Sound? Adyashanti On Waking Up From The Dream Of “Me” published a few years ago in The Sun magazine. Someone sent me a link to the article, and I found it to be one of the best and clearest presentations of Adyashanti’s teachings I’ve ever read. It is often hard to find succinct versions of a teacher’s ideas and thoughts, but the interviewer did a nice job of bringing greater clarity to an already fairly clear teaching. That’s one of the reasons I like Adya so much: he is extraordinarily clear for an awake guy.
Here are a few excerpts to read now… Read the rest →
Tagged with: Adyashanti, enlightenment, spiritual awakening
A reader sent me the following:
The moment one has to get involved with another person for any reason (or for that matter getting involved with any functional activity for which the mind needs to get involved), the mind moves away to fully involve in the next expected activity with that other person or activity. All that calmness and peace of stillness is suddenly pushed to the background. One can’t avoid interacting with people or doing some activity as they are mostly unavoidable to a large extent. Not to react with the person would mean ignoring and activating a pain body. Even giving attention to humans or a functional activity is taking away the stillness (and the awareness?) that was there when we did only the observation.How do I
Intelligent practice always deals with just one thing: the fear at the base of human existence, the fear that I am not. And of course I am not, but the last thing I want to know is that.
Tagged with: nothingness, Zen
The secret to happiness:
Make peace with your mind.
Make peace with the person you think you are.
Make peace with the world.
Make peace with life.
Make peace with everything.
Everything.
You, consciousness, make peace.
The mind can’t make peace with itself.
Make peace with all that you are.
The only cause of suffering is your argument with what is.
credit:
joxur223
Tagged with: peace
One of my long time readers sent me some questions about my article To Be Half-Awake (and Half-Asleep). Here are his questions and my answers:
1. You wrote: “It is almost the same experience as awakening from a dream at night. Almost.”What are the differences you observe?
Good question. Well, the big difference is that when you awaken from a dream at night, the dream world disappears and is replaced by the seemingly real world. As you awaken from the dream state as it is called, as you spiritually awaken, you find that you are still in the dream! But what a dream it is! It is still populated by the same people, the same things going on, but for some… Read the rest →
Tagged with: Jed McKenna, spiritual awakening
“I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member.” — Groucho Marx
As I mentioned in a previous post, To Be Half-Awake (and Half-Asleep), my experience of spiritual awakening has been to be in a state that I am referring to as Half-Awake. Moreover, as I discussed, there are others who are experiencing this strange state, including some of you reading these articles (and I heard from quite a few of you after the last one). It is a far more common state than we might imagine, while at the same time, not the experience of the majority of humanity.
Moreover, it has been my… Read the rest →
Tagged with: A Course in Miracles, half-awake, spiritual awakening
I am half-awake. Or half-asleep. Or even better, I am awake and asleep at the same time. It is a strange place to be, and I’m sure there are others who know what I mean. And I’m also sure there are spiritual teachers and writers who would say that such a state does not exist. But still, it is my experience.
What does it mean to be half-awake? The best way to explain it would be first to start with what being awake means. Being spiritually awake means the same thing as enlightened. I prefer the phrase “spiritual awakening” over enlightenment simply because it has less baggage associated with it. There is too much talk in the spiritual world about… Read the rest →
Tagged with: half-awake, spiritual awakening
- Money quote: “For $10,000 you could hire a coach AND a therapist for a year who will give you INDIVIDUALIZED therapy and coaching.” #
- Money quote #2: “Nothing replaces individual prayer, meditation and your personal connection with God on a daily basis.” That is soooo true. #
- The more I read about most main stream spiritual teachers the more I think I must be nuts to be doing spiritual teaching! I guess I am nuts! #
- blah blah blah blah blah blah enlightenment blah blah blah blah…. if it weren’t so damn funny, it would be pathetically sad.
# - Assertions are usually wrong and denials, right. -Nisargadatta Maharaj #
- Only by denying can one
Tagged with: Nisargadatta Maharaj
Q: Since all is pre-ordained, is our self-realization also pre-ordained? Or are we free there at least?
A: Destiny refers only to name and shape. Since you are neither body nor mind, destiny has no control over you. You are completely free. The cup is conditioned by its shape, material, use and so on. But the space within the cup is free. It happens to be in the cup only when viewed in connection with the cup. Otherwise, it is just space. As long as there is a body, you appear to be embodied. Without the body you are not disembodied — you just are.
Tagged with: destiny, Nisargadatta Maharaj
So the most important thing to realize is this: Your life has an inner purpose and an outer purpose. Inner purpose concerns Being and is primary. Outer purpose concerns doing and is secondary…. Inner and outer, however, are so intertwined that it is almost impossible to speak of one without referring to the other.
Your inner purpose is to awaken. It is as simple as that. You share that purpose with every other person on the planet – because it is the purpose of humanity. Your inner purpose is an essential part of the purpose of the whole, the universe and its emerging intelligence. Your outer purpose can change over time. It varies greatly from person to person. Finding and living in alignment with the inner purpose is the foundation… Read the rest →
Tagged with: Eckhart Tolle, spiritual awakening
- Is there such a thing as enlightenment? The skeptic says “no!” But if you are enlightened, you’ll say “no” too. #
- Of course, I guess I should ask, who’s the one that is enlightened? Ah, so obvious! No one to be enlightened. #
- Reminds me of Sailor Bob: “the only difference between an awake one and one who isn’t is that the awake one knows there is NO difference.” #
- Clarity. Always clarity. When in doubt, sit, wait for clarity. To quote Valentine Michael Smith: “Waiting is.” #
- Wifi at 29,000 ft. Now you can tweet 6 miles high. Too bad, huh? LOL #
- I have a friend who thinks that awakening INCREASES the personality and the EGO. What say you Twitter-ites? You can
Tagged with: clarity
- No “I” no problems. No “me” no problems. #
- Just think: every problem you’ve every had is GONE when you drop this silly belief called “me”. #
- If there’s no “me” then there’s no “you.” And vice versa. #
- Who has a monopoly on Truth? No one. Ultimately you have nowhere to turn but to your Self. You have to find the answers within YOU! #
Tagged with: problems
When I have time, I love to respond to my reader’s questions. I want to share a few recent emails I’ve exchanged with someone:
Reader:
Hello Tom,
Can I ask you a question? In your recent posting of your tweets, you said:
No matter what I write down, it isn’t true. No matter what I think, it isn’t true.
Adya also said the same thing in his book. This sentence basically contradicts itself. But I think maybe you are saying it is not “completely” true. Or you have a better elaboration?
My response:
Yes, the sentence does contradict itself. Unfortunately, I’m in the same boat as Adya or any other spiritual teacher, it’s just that I’m way too honest about this stuff (and so is Adya). EVERYTHING that is… Read the rest →
Tagged with: Adyashanti, truth, words
- Is it just me or do most spiritual teachers and writers seem to be lacking a sense of humor? Good God, lighten up! #
- “Tom, what’s the purpose of having friends and family?” That one is easy: entertainment! #
- One thought believed separates Heaven and Hell. And any thought will do. — Adyashanti.
And that one thought can be “I’m enlightened.” # - Or “I’m NOT enlightened.” #
- Some books are much better when listened to as opposed to being read. A New Earth is one of them. Eckhart is beautiful to hear. #
- No matter what I write down, it isn’t true. No matter what I think, it isn’t true. Or feel. Nothing!!! Woohoo!!! #
- Now I know why the Buddha said:
Tagged with: enlightenment
- What if everything you have turns out to be nothing? Oops! Oh, well, you can have more fun when you realize it’s nothing. #
- Can spirituality make your life better? Yeah, sure it can. That’s what the experts say, right? Jesus’ life sure turned out great.
# - What happens when you point that alive, awake Presence at a “problem” you have? Try it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. #
- What if you discovered that the person you’ve been your whole life really is just a character you’ve been pretending to be? Hollywood is me! #
Tagged with: twitter
Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denying the existence of a Soul, Self or Atman. According to the teachings of the Buddha, the idea of self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding reality, and it produces harmful thoughts of ‘me’ and ‘mine’, selfish desire, craving, attachment, hatred, ill-will, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilements, impurities and problems. It is the source of all troubles in the world from personal conflicts to wars between nations. In short, to this false view can be traced all the evil in the world.
- Every time you say “I am this” or “I am that,” about whom are you talking? I WHO? Seriously, where is this “I” you are so convinced of? #
- Go through everything around and say, “this is what I am.” Do it for everything. Then recognize that they are all nothing, too. Like you. #
- What is awakening? What is enlightenment? We do our best to describe the impossible to describe. Oh, well. At least you can have fun trying. #
Tagged with: twitter
The disappearance of this fundamental question [How do I know the state of an enlightened one?], on discovering that it had no answer, was a physiological phenomenon, a sudden ‘explosion’ inside, blasting, as it were, every cell, every nerve and every gland in my body. And with that ‘explosion’, the illusion that there is continuity of thought, that there is a center, an ‘I’ linking up the thoughts, was not there anymore.
Tagged with: UG Krishnamurti
- Give up making decisions. Let Life and your intuition show you what to do. They are always right on the money. #
- My friend Takuin nailed awakening with a story from Michael Caine: http://bit.ly/fChhs #
- Listen to people. They spin the most incredible tales about why their lives suck. But listen closely. Those are YOUR tales of woe. Total BS. #
Tagged with: twitter
Let’s try something a bit different. I recently read a few things by U. G. Krishnamurti, one of the most intriguing “enlightened” people of the past century. U. G. had a lot to say about a lot of things, but one thing that caught my attention was this:
Sex is only for reproduction, but you have turned that into a pleasure movement. What else is sex for than reproduction?
It is interesting to me the incredibly varied viewpoints on sex that one runs across in spiritual literature. Interestingly, in the original dictation for A Course in Miracles, the author had a very similar comment, namely that sex was intended only for reproduction. It would seem that abstinence is a quite common viewpoint. But then again, we have… Read the rest →
Tagged with: sex, UG Krishnamurti
- Being. Without anyone “doing” the being. #
- There is no “me-ness” in what I am. #
- Who? Who? Who? It’s the only question you need explore. Who is at the core, the very core, of everything that happens. Everything. Who! #
- You have no identity. It isn’t that you have the wrong idea of who you are, it’s that you have ANY idea of who you are. You ARE. Period. #
Tagged with: twitter
My good friend Takuin Minamoto has asked a question over at Takuin.com that I felt deserved an answer. First, let me re-print Takuin’s question, and below I will give the answer I left in his comments. I encourage you to read the other fabulous comments at his site. I think he has started a theme that I will be coming back to increasingly over the next few weeks. First, Takuin’s question:
This is a question for fellow writers of spiritual matters, but anyone is free to comment below.I have noticed a trend – and it is nothing earth shattering – in this world of spiritual teaching:
A man or woman may come to
Tagged with: enlightenment, teaching
- Another day, another nobody. #
- Look around and simply remind yourself: I’m looking at nothing. Literally. I suspect your “practice” will take a nice forward leap. #
- Whatever will shake you loose and wake you up is just what you will get. This week prayer, next week meditation, and after that? A six pack? #
- Anything to avoid the Void. #
- Everywhere you turn, it’s the Void. Every time you look inside, you are confronted with Nothingness. Will you look, really look at it? Good! #
- Life wants you to fully live. But it might have to wear you down a bit to get you to let go enough to really live. #
- Emptiness, nothingness, the Void is
Tagged with: twitter
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
We don’t appreciate magic enough. The universe is a magical place to say the least. I love this suggestion of Clarke’s, though. Will technology ever become “sufficiently advanced” to replace magic? I doubt it. And no, by magic I do not Harry Potter or something more like the arcane or Wicca. I’m referring to the magic that seems to happen as we awaken more and more to the Truth. Maybe miracle would be a better word. But I like the word magic.
Tagged with: magic
To read more go to the Article Archive →
