As a writer, I must admit that I feel somewhat threatened by Chat GPT. The AI can write a grammatically perfect text with philosophical gravitas that I struggle to achieve—and it can do it in a few seconds. I’ve toyed with it for over a month now. Early on, I was convinced I would start using it exclusively to write my articles. I fed it some of my thoughts and scribblings, and the outcomes seemed so polished and insightful, sprinkled... Read more
Recently, I’ve become aware of the idea of interrogative thinking and am fascinated, probably because it rhymes with an idea I came up with in the early 2000s. Back then, I posited that being blindly positive could become toxic and suggested replacing it with constructive thinking; based on the question: “What is the most constructive response to this event or situation?” The originators of interrogative thinking seem to have found similar limits to incessant positivity. As the name suggests, they... Read more
“I am giving a meditation talk next week at our church,” a friend told me during our monthly discussion. “My goal is to talk loosely about my thirty-year meditation experience and then open the floor to discussions. What do you think? How do you talk about meditation when you give talks and workshops?” I responded by saying that his approach was as good as any I’ve tried and that having open discussions in an era where people have access to... Read more
My daughter asked me which three movies I’d take with me to a desert island. Without overthinking, I replied, “Airplane, Princess Bride and Die Hard.” What all these movies have in common—in addition to revealing my age—is that they are comedic. Yet, if you scour through my writings on this website and read my books, you might conclude that I have no sense of humor. Sadly, in the spiritual world, I am not alone. Why is Humor Absent from My... Read more
Know this Atman Unborn, undying, Never ceasing, beginning, Deathless, birthless, Unchanging for ever. How can It die The death of the body? Knowing It birthless, deathless, endless, For ever unchanging, Worn-out garments Are shed by the body: Worn-out bodies Are shed by the dweller Within the body. New bodies are donned By the dweller, like garments. Not wounded by weapons, burned by fire, dried by the wind, wetted by water: Such is the Atman, Not dried, not wetted, burned, not... Read more
Compassion has been at the heart of my interspiritual attempts for years. As I wrote in Co-Human Harmony, I’ve defined compassion as the ability to empathize with others and act accordingly. Perhaps I got that idea from Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh in my late twenties. He wrote that “Compassion is a verb. It’s not just something you feel, but something you do.” Here are some of the other interspiritual influences I’ve relied on to inform my... Read more
One of the first things I encourage people to do in the interspiritual mapping process is to write their interspiritual life story. It offers clues about interests, needs, values, aspirations and distastes. What you don’t like is often as important as what you like. Here are a few questions to help you write your interspiritual life story. What is Your Religious or Spiritual Background? Were you raised in a religious or spiritual environment? If yes, what did you like about... Read more
Practicing interspirituality can be confusing. That is why it is important to have a mapping process that allows individuals to piece together how they will use inspiration and practices from various wisdom traditions to aid their spiritual exploration. Don’t know what interspirituality is? Read this first. In this article, I will outline the most important processes to consider. In subsequent articles, I will offer a deeper dive into each element to aid during the interspiritual mapping process. The advice I... Read more
Mindfulness has become extremely popular in the past twenty years. Strangely enough—even though it has both Buddhist and yogic roots—it has mostly been taken over by academia and stripped of its spirituality. This new secular form of mindfulness focuses on feelings and is married to cognitive behavioral therapy. The goal is to reduce feelings of stress and increase feelings of happiness. The Benefits are Great—But There Are Downsides The are numerous benefits to the Westernized secular approach. Mindfulness practices reduce... Read more
One of the great lessons we can learn from ancient spiritual seekers is their observance of natural laws and rhythms. A seasoned mystic flows effortlessly with life while observing and obeying its laws and rhythms. Honoring the changing seasons, experiencing and listening to bodily rhythms of digestion and elimination, all while understanding and welcoming the aging process. Flowing with these and other changes instead of resisting them are the hallmarks of people who have a deep sense of the spiritual,... Read more
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