From Clarity to Chaos and Back Again: Breaking Free from the Spiritual Pendulum The spiritual path is not a straight line. It rises in moments of clarity, falls into confusion, rises again with new insight, then sinks once more into suffering. Some days, you feel boundless, as if awakening is just within reach. Other days,…
“I am not the body.” These words, spoken by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and other Advita texts are repeated in spiritual circles. People say them like a sacred chant. But words, even the wisest ones, can become empty if we rush past their meaning. What did he truly mean? And what are we missing when we…
This reflection began one morning while I was traveling on the train in Melbourne, somewhere between two nameless stations. As the train hummed beneath me, the carriage was full and silent, as if everyone had agreed to disappear into their own thoughts. I sat there unnoticed, watching life play itself out in fragments. A train…
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…
