“The inward battle—against our mind, our wounds, and the residues of the past—is more terrible than outward battle.” Swami Sivananda I saw a sea otter rolling in the bay. It held a crab or small turtle against its belly, and on its back, it would eat a piece, then...
“Not to feel is to stop the heart from breathing.” So often, we war against sadness as if it were an unwanted germ, and pine after happiness as if it were some promised Eden, whose gate is keyed to the one secret flaw we need to rectify in order to be worthy. Even our...
“Be serene in the oneness of things and erroneous views will disappear by themselves.” Seng-Ts’an I am sitting in Bryant Park in New York City as I write this. It is summer and the tall oaks all lean south for some reason. It is midday and everyone is slouching in...
Suffering makes an instrument of each of us, so that standing naked, holes and all, the unseen vitalities can be heard through our simplified lives. Sometimes we can’t get what we want. While this can be disappointing and painful, it is only devastating if we stop...
“Please remember, it is what you are that heals, not what you know.” Carl Jung This is very difficult to remember. I struggle with it daily. Even when I understand this enough to open my heart like a sponge to the day, someone I love comes along in pain and I start...
