The Advaita and Buddhist Traps of Binary Thinking Binary thinking splits the world into opposites—true or false, real or unreal, self or no-self. We try to choose between them, but in doing so, we miss the truth: reality is beyond opposites. On the spiritual path, binary thinking tricks us, pretending to offer clarity while keeping…
The journey of spiritual awakening is a winding road with many twists and turns along the way. While there are some common patterns and spiritual awakening stages that many people experience, everyone’s path is unique and unfolds differently. As someone who has walked this path for decades, I can say that the spiritual awakening stages…
Satsang has been a profound part of my spiritual journey, and I can’t overstate the impact it has had on my personal spiritual growth and transformation. The word “satsang” itself has such a beautiful resonance – derived from the Sanskrit terms “sat” (truth) and “sang” (company or association), it means “being in the company of…
Memory, Identity & The Past Memory is very crucial for functioning in this world. Without memory it will be very difficult for us to operate effectively in the world. We require past knowledge to carry out our day to day activities. Where is the supermarket located? Have I already bought milk for the week? How…
Manchester is yet again shaken by a traumatic incident after a terrorist attack on a synagogue by Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, wearing what appeared to be an explosive vest armed with a knife. Two victims were killed, one by friendly fire from the police, who also shot the attacker. The city…
Another USA government shutdown has started with the prospect (at the minimum) of lay-offs – 750,000 federal employees expected to be placed on enforced leave, with pay withheld until they return to work, essential workers like military and border agents may be forced to work without pay, parks will be closed, rubbish pile up and…
Conservationist Dame Jane Goodall, a world-leading expert on chimpanzees, has died aged 91. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio said that she “inspired millions to care, to act, and to hope”, and called her a “a true hero for the planet”. Biologist Stephen Jay Gould said her discoveries “revolutionised science” and Roger Fouts, a psychologist who studies the…
Patricia Crowther, known as the “high priestess of the Moon Goddess”, and considered the spiritual heir to Gerald Gardner, the founding father of modern Wicca, has died at 97. She made it her mission to dispel myths about witches and their practices. “Witchcraft simply means the craft of the wise people.” She was adamant that…
Julie Andrews, is an amazing 90 today – ‘crisply accented, sweetly tuneful and girlish in her most famous movie musicals, but always with a sense of humour about her angelic image.’ She won the 1965 Oscar for playing a “practically perfect” English nanny for Walt Disney and mischievously drove around Los Angeles with a “Mary…
Emma Watson, Hermione in the Harry Potter films, and more recently in Beauty and the Beast and Little Women, has caused some merriment by taking to the public airwaves to announce she was giving up acting because she disliked the attention it attracted. Shades of Prince Harry. She has also been getting skewered by…
