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Spiritual practices can “brain wash” us.
I was once warned to be careful, that religion or spiritual people could “brain wash” me. This proved to be true but in a surprising way. My mind desperately needed cleaning. The filth of misery—resentment, anger, worry, fear, jealousy, envy, low-self-worth, and a myriad of others—stained and soiled most of my thoughts; this mental muck…
Read MoreThe mind is the gateway to the soul; It can ignite spiritual growth or breed self-driven will that causes incessant misery.
Do you ever consider the true power of your mind? This is where we make the choices that determine the quality of each moment and each day. These decisions influence our education, relationships, career and future. Everything centers on how we use our mind. Do we use this marvelous thinking machine to access a gateway…
Read MoreGod supports spiritual progress; he does not gratify ease-seeking egos.
Mis-understanding what God does and doesn’t do and about what we are responsible to do leads to frustration and doubt about the value of the spiritual life. God participates in our spiritual growth and development but does not satisfy our immature material or emotional desires. If we’re broke, God will not help us hit the…
Read MoreMeasure progress by how far you’ve come—not how far you’ve got to go
We are human; our daily performance sometimes falls short of our expectations. We may revert back to our old ways, making choices and taking actions based self-driven will. When this occurs, we may compare our performance to where we believe we should be and become disappointed, thinking that we know better and should do better.…
Read MoreThe “Big I” causes most of our misery.
Infection from the “Big I” disease occurs when my thoughts, words, and actions focus on my desires and needs. My only concern for other people is how they affect what I want. It’s all about I, I, I, me, me, me. Media, marketing, and entertainment spearhead this self-deification, continually shouting “Do this” or “Buy this”…
Read MoreOur mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy.
Our mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy. The power and influence of our mind has been long recognized. Over 2500 years ago, The Dhammapada noted: Hard it is to train the mind which goes where it likes and does as it wants; but a trained mind brings health and happiness. Our…
Read MoreIf our day is dark, we can we can curse the darkness or we can seek illumination. One focuses on the problem; the other, the solution.
Adversity, grief, and challenges will darken every life. They may range from a shadow to the obliteration of all light, the terrible dark night of the soul from which relief seems impossible. But we always have a choice—do we stay in the darkness or do we move toward the light? Do we depend solely on…
Read MoreA thousand declarations of love mean less than one caring act.
Do I speak of love but fail to demonstrate caring? Do I rail against the plight of the less fortunate but never volunteer to help? Do I proclaim that everyone has a right to their belief and opinions but close my ears and mind to what they say—or even denigrate that which does not agree…
Read MoreMake a “to be” list in addition to a “to do” list.
We get so caught up in living the rat race that we forget to actually live. We develop patterns—the mental-emotional response habits—that continually produce stress, anxiety, worry, and fear. We rush about, cramming as much activity as possible into each day; then, we crash, take a mood-altering chemical to help us relax and feel better…
Read MoreThere is no law that I must allow people to “push my buttons”
After all, they are MY buttons. Do I give other people the power to make me angry? To make me feel guilty? To make me ashamed? Do I react to what others say, how they look at me, or what I think they think about me? Do I silently accept what “they” say I should…
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