Reflections

Meditation is 24/7

2026-10-18T22:47:26.994-07:00

Someone asked the question whether we can drink alcohol along a spiritual path and I answered, “you” consume the wine, but don’t let the wine consume “you.” I don’t drink alcohol but I watch mystery murders as entertainment; someone else might drink alcohol but may consider tv entertainment as an interference. We are here to experience the world—the holy, the good, the bad and the ugly—but what a well-being it is to enjoy being while doing so; that is to say, enjoy a serene, loving and potent energy flowing through us no matter what the activity might be. To the extent that something internal or external throws us off, we have another opportunity to inquire into its self-inflicted root-cause.

Adyashant gives a great definition of meditation,

“Meditation, in this sense, is really a state of discovery. Sitting in quiet and stillness and just being in a state of openness gives you a clear opportunity to watch what happens internally when you stop judging your experience, when you stop judging your mind for being busy, or you stop judging yourself for having a particular feeling. You don’t try to get rid of the feeling. You don’t try to get rid of the mind. You just let go of your judgement. You let go of trying to control the moment. For a while, you surrender into what is.”

Meditation is 24/7: Meditation is being when we are connected to higher energies, and meditation is being mindful when something seems off. In the moments when our serene, loving and potent well-being seems illusive, “you” have another opportunity to get the self out of the Way.

#spirituality #awakening #meditation #adyashanti #alcohol

Read the book of life with an open mind and heart

2026-10-18T05:21:12.459-07:00

A spiritual seeker had a job in a fast-paced environment. When he went to a spiritual retreat and talked to the master he complained about one particular colleague who is arrogant, condescending and doesn’t seem to like him very much. “Master,” he said, “I like my job and enjoy working with most of my co-workers, but there is that one particular individual who bothers me so much that I consider quitting the job.” The master advised him to spend some time with that contentious colleague before making any decisions. A few weeks passed and the man returned happy. “You were right,” he said, “after talking to him I realized that we have a common hobby, soccer, and since then he has completely transformed. “No,” the master replied, “you have transformed!”

“Read the book of life in the mirror of relationships,” J. Krishnamurti says. This world was created for “you” to discover the Oneness behind it. When we hit perceived obstacles we can go within and stay with the feeling that arises and look at it without fear, judgement, or with the attempt to wish it away. With attention, acceptance and letting go the feeling is bound to fade and transform into a completely different state. On the outside, we can see our projection, attachment and judgement and see it as it is. We can learn to read the book of life without any bias, and chances are we are going to like what we encounter.

Move over conditioned mind

2026-10-17T18:06:03.323-07:00

Conditioned mind is what it is. Maybe there can be some neurological healing as it is the case with recovering addicts or devoted meditation practioners; maybe there can be a letting go of pain bodies so that we get triggered less or suffer less. Maybe there can be an emerging wisdom from learned life lessons, but psychological thinking cannot be reformed. It is an aberration from life as is.

True learning, true transformation, and true breaking free happens moment by moment as Grace shines through and when a conditioned mind grasps its own futility and becomes silent for a moment. That’s when S (erenity) E (nergy) L (ove) F (low) come to the fore. It’s either or, it’s now or never. Grasp this fact and merge with life as S-E-L-F and not as conditioned self wishes it or fears it to be.

Feeling the God connection

2026-10-16T03:47:39.471-07:00

What is a common characterization of successful people? They hear the inner nay-sayer just like everyone else, but these concerns don’t measure up to the “we’ll see about that!” mindset they have. It’s not positive thinking. It's knowing, “God has put me here for a good reason. Let’s find out what it is.”

Likewise, the spiritual quest ends when a humming sound takes over. It’s a vibration, an alignment of inner and outer energies. The conditioning of the past with its fears, desires, regrets, projections, etc. is still around, but it gets overshadowed by this energy connection that operates outside of it.

How to reach it? Let go of everything that interferes with this energy alignment!

When Four Become One

2026-10-15T03:22:15.322-07:00

Sadhguru told this story: a Zen monk, a devoted Christian, a Kriya Yoga master and a Daoist went to a meditation retreat together. They had little to say to each other. For the Zen monk the stillness of the mind mattered, for the Christian the love in the heart; the Kriya Yoga master believed spirituality was all about mastering the inner energies whereas for the Daoist, following the Way is about spotting and merging with the external energies that rule us.

It was monsoon season in India and massive rain poured down. They felt shelter in a little temple that had only a protective cover but no outside walls. They huddled together inside as the waters came closer. Suddenly there was an explosion of energy and light and they heard a voice: “I have waited for so long for this event. Finally you have all merged into One.”

Connecting with these four dimensions S-E-L-F:

S (tillness) of mind

E (nergy) expansion

L (ove) in the heart

F (low) of life

is a homecoming, a reconnection with what always is. Be still for a moment and observe the energy vibrating along the spine as it moves into the Crown Chakra and feel how the energy center switches from mind to heart centered. Finally, the inner and outer energies align.

Who is looking?

2026-10-14T04:56:41.089-07:00

"The joke of it all is that you are looking

from your true nature right now

without knowing it. If you would stop

being fascinated with the contents

of your mind, you would experience

what I am saying.

Feel your way into

what I am saying

rather than thinking about it."

Adyashanti

Conditioned mind—our psychological “I”-identity—is goal oriented. It wants something, that is, it is either attached to something or wants to avoid something else. We all have those moments of alertness, openness and equanimity when our view is not obstructed, but what to do when we see the biased mind at work. Can we look, see and sense what this bias is all about? What happens to the bias when we watch without judgement? Who is looking?

Let Self call the shots

2026-10-13T03:41:09.710-07:00

"Take no notice of the ego and its activities

but see only the Light behind."

Sri Ramana Maharshi

It's knowing in the Silence of being.

It's the sensing of vibrating inner Energy.

It’s Love for people, happenings and the moment.

It’s a Flow of life that mirrors our inner state of being.

The conditioned self is what it is—let S-E-L-F call the shots.

Can we become more spiritual?

2026-10-12T06:56:16.650-07:00

Devotee: How can one quicken this coming of realization?

Ramana Maharshi: As one strives to know the true ‘I’ the attachment to objects, the bad and degrading thoughts gradually drop off. The more one does not forget the Self, the more do elevating qualities become ours. Realisation will come eventually.

We hear that often from spiritual teachers, follow this practice and you are connected to the workings of the Way “more and more.” Life is non-linear for a good reason, to confront us with the self-imposed interferences that keep us from enjoying the harmony of the Way.

A spiritual quest is like spring-cleaning. We address what we perceive to be the self-imposed obstacles and God cleans out the subconscious for us. We always travel the Way, it just takes us a little time to consciously get our arms around that fact. Keep cleaning!

#ramanamaharshi #spirituality #awakening #ethics

Let Oneness work through “you”

2026-10-11T04:20:37.453-07:00

You cannot get rid of your shadow,

but you need not believe that is who you really are.

Ramana Maharshi

A conditioned mind is what it is. Good luck in your attempt to consciously change it. Maybe the bio-robot will always remain what it is after it has been set in motion, but we can take the wind out of its sails by seeing the bigger picture.

An example. Schooling and professional choices have been a source of conflict in our house for a while now. My wife is from Asia where enormous pressure was applied to her to go to the best schools and choose high paying jobs, whereas in my household there always was a laissez-faire attitude to the degree of too little intervention. Essentially, I could do what I wanted but opted to put all my effort into competing with the best and brightest both in academics and later professionally. My wife and I met at Brown University and we both ended up in the same financial industry working as economists.

Somehow we carry these conditionings with us. Schooling and professional choices for the boys have been a heated subject in our family for a while now. I refuse to get involved much while my wife works endlessly in encouraging them to sign up for internships and jobs all while they are already doing their demanding course work. I am grateful for everything she has already done for them but I also worry that we put too much pressure on them.

Something has changed in me recently though. These days I look at everything more holistically. I see how both boys are taking their initiative to accomplish their goals and I now see myself as simply a cog in the family machine that helps to keep the wheels turning. This entity “me” might still get triggered in certain situations but somehow the energy has dissipated as I see the generally productive interplay of all family members who love each other.

It is as it is. See the “me” as it is and see life in its interplay with “you,” and Oneness has a shot to work through “you.”

#spirituality #awakening #wholeness #ramanamaharshi

Presence with “me” tagging along

2026-10-10T05:23:53.586-07:00

Take no notice of the ego and its activities

but see only the Light behind it.

Ramana Maharshi

Presence can be compared to a humming sound in the background. One can have an ear for it even while being aware of the pleasures and pains of this entity we often identify with.

It’s a feeling of heaviness when the going gets tough that we are aware of and a state of excitement when things are going our way. Normally in those heavy cases we project, escape, vent, while running with the “me” energy when the going gets good. This time around though, the feeling of heaviness or excitement just co-exists without owning us. There is no follow through when this identification is missing. The humming in the background calls the shots and the “me” goes along come rain or shine.

Rising vibration

2026-10-09T04:38:12.516-07:00

The masters say that arising thoughts can be popped just like bubbles floating in the air, but for many of us the process feels like pushing a basketball under water—it bounces back with a splash. Attack repressed thinking and the thoughts will attack you! What’s the difference?

Actually, nature has a great analogy. Water can be steam, fluid and ice dependent on the temperature. Likewise, we are our thoughts when we are in a low vibration state, and the thinking process is alien in a high vibration state; in the intermediate states, we can awake and separate one from to the other.

This is why the messages of the masters seem so obvious yet so hard to manifest in real life. The thinker is the thought, whereas in silence and love, the “I Am” state cannot be affected by a thought that might rise to the surface and burst into nothingness soon after. Emptiness is!

If thoughts and feelings run “you”, what can “you” do about it? Who wants to do something about it? What created the conditions when we are cold as ice in the first place? Inquire into the nature of arising feelings and thinking and the temperature—the vibration—rises accordingly.

The story of the struggling swing coach

2026-10-08T04:13:55.837-07:00

There was once a golfer who was really good at the game. His swings were effortless, elegant, occasionally even magical. There was only that much money he could earn on the pro tour and the endless travel was hard on his family so he decided to take up coaching as well. He was a good coach and helped many people remove the swing mistakes they made, but his game suffered. After all the swing analysis he was suddenly thinking too much. One day he just went for a game with his son, and suddenly, his magic swing was back.

The story of the swing coach is a good analogy of the spiritual path. With Awakening—at least that happened to me—there was no path. From one day to the next the world I was living in changed. All that I remember of this time was the innocence and the Light and seemed to be everywhere, but then came the avocation to share this Light with others and suddenly obstacles popped up. “God” can’t be understood and can’t be explained, but we can bathe in “His” Energy that is everywhere when we stop looking for it.

One day the magic returns. Teaching is not the obstacle, the teacher is.

When two become One

2026-10-07T03:51:41.802-07:00

If you know me,

you know that I reside

in the hearts of all beings.

Just summon me and I will return!

Now until the dualistic identity mind melts

and dissolves,

it may seem that we are parting.

Please be happy.

When you understand the dualistic mind,

there will be no separation from me.

May my good wishes fill the sky.

(Yeshe Tsogyal)

If “you” see two, look again—

the inner is the outer; so,

there must be something off.

Dualistic mind covers Original Mind

like the clouds cover the sky.

Look again and the mirage lifts.

Peering through the veil

2026-10-06T05:34:29.851-07:00

This bio-robot—conditioning such as prior memories, the weight of humanity’s evolution, the self-inflicted neurological damages and pain-body—is not us. A Course in Miracles reminds that the weight of the world was a dream that never was and one day it falls off like a veil.

We might not be completely innocent yet, especially because this entity that maintains this bio-robot reminds us daily of the weight of our missed opportunities, but we can already peer through the veil and—mostly—not be affected by it.

Can a bio-robot uninstall itself? Probably not, but can an energy source infinitely larger than this self-created entity, outshine the darkness of our self-inflicted blindness? Absolutely! The bad news, we are doing this to ourselves. The good news, there is no one around to do it.

Can you feel the difference between being and being a person?

2026-10-05T03:06:49.459-07:00

Our perceived dissolution of the “me” identity into the sea of Oneness can be compared to the drifting of an iceberg into warmer waters. In time it melts and merges with something infinitely more vast, but on a day to day basis, this entity still has the power to sink ships with its impressive underbelly in violation of the harmonious world of Oneness.

It has happened more than once to me that our boys say something and I responded, “hold that thought until you are fifty or sixty; your perspective may change by then.” What no one wants to realize—what seems to be impossible to realize—is that it is the subconscious underbelly that drives things, not the entity that declared itself as captain of the ship.

An entity decides to do better next time around, not knowing that this self-created entity is the aberration from Oneness that created the problem in the first place. If you mention this fact to anyone it falls on deaf ears because the self-created entity doesn’t want to hear that it is illusionary. Sit with this statement. The reader of this post is just a conditioned thought!

The heart wants what it wants until it is pure, that is, no longer influenced by pain bodies of the past and illusionary mental concepts that tell it where to go. The iceberg analogy works because we are already swimming in what we are. Insight and letting go are the answer: insight in the illusionary nature of mental concepts and letting go of existing pain bodies.

If you want to speed up the letting go process, S (stillness) E (nergy) L (ove) F (low) contain the answer. Be still for a moment, sense that energy that advances to the crown chakra, feel how the inner energy system switches from head-centered to heart-centered and submit to the flow of life. Emily Snow asked, can you feel the difference between being and being a person?

Well, can “you”?

Recognize “the space” and stay with it!

2026-10-04T04:15:37.121-07:00

In the early morning hours I observed an inner tension. I stayed with it. For the first time the “teacher” wasn’t looking for gems of wisdom to share with others. I stayed with this tension and recognized the call to be Home.

What we call “soul” is a cleverly outlined path in time to counterbalance this self-programmed entity called “ego” to catapult us Home in time. Where we came from and what it took to get here doesn’t matter.

The only thing that matters is the fact that there is a “space” and a whisper “be still and know I am God!” that is available moment by moment. Recognize this space. Stay in it and a journey of a lifetime is completed.

Happy At-One-Ment—welcome Home!

Awareness

2026-10-03T06:15:49.688-07:00

A zen master wanted to retire and asked his monks to write a koan to find out who the most promising student is. Only the student who was apparently next in line dared to compose one:

Our body is the bodhi tree

and our mind a mirror bright.

Carefully we wipe them

and let no dust alight.

An unknown monk—Huineng—saw it and wrote his version at night when no one was watching:

There is no bodhi tree

nor stand of a mirror bright.

Since all is empty

where can the dust alight?

The zen master didn’t dare to announce Huineng as the winner as he feared a mutiny amongst his students, even though Huineng was obviously the more advanced practitioner. Huineng left the monastery soon afterwards.

Both koans have their importance and downside. If you dust the mirror you don’t realize Awareness’ emptiness as Huineng rightly stated, but dusting may help the students discover emptiness for themselves.

Everything is connected. Who knows, maybe the runner-up may have inspired Huineng to write this well-known koan which has inspired zen practitioners for 1400 years. See the story in its entirety, that’s Awareness.

The imaginary mountain, the master, the competition, the striving participants and the awe-struck students are all part of a divine play. See the play for what is and there is no ego around to take issue with anything.

Every day is Easter!

2026-10-02T04:26:44.158-07:00

Resurrection takes place after the crucifixion. The real meaning of Easter is resurrection—and enjoying the sweet chocolate—not death.

The spiritual quest is over once you stumble on “the space.” It’s not another fancy concept to project into—like the Holy Spirit or God—it’s real!

After the resurrection there is only S (ilence) E (nergy) L (ove) F (low) with no self around to do anything. Being is calling the shots outside of “you.”

Before resurrection there is the agony, the drive, the wanting and escaping, but there is also “the space” that opens up and invites us to let go.

Viktor Frankl described “the space” beautifully when he found: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Properly understood, Easter is every day, just as long as we remember to pause and “be still and know I am God”—let “the space” do its magic!

The vanishing observer

2026-10-01T03:48:51.165-07:00

The observer who applies mindfulness to the daily activities and thought processes is a fine methodology for a spiritual seeker just as meditation is—the temporary dearth of thinking—but it is not the real thing. “Being, Consciousness, Bliss” is a good description of the real thing—the screen on which existence is projected. There is observation but no observer!

I find it strange that no one ever mentions this: how is being mindful of the psychological self any different from the strive of modern man to be ethical? The enlightenment movement tried it since the 17th century, Christianity tried it over the last 2000 years, Judaism tried it for 4000 years, but no one succeeded. The ethical, religious and spiritual observer does not work!

“Being, Consciousness, Bliss” is a humming sound, a higher vibration. The statement, “wherever you go there you are” contains a lot of value. If the identity of personality that is perceived is flawed—and it is because it is a product of a corrupt “I perception”—no matter how high the ethical, religious and spiritual aspirations are—every observer will carry it with them.

Many spiritual seekers have experienced the vanishing observer in satori moments, but how to make observing, manifesting, being a permanent fixture of our life? As mentioned before, there is nothing wrong with mindfulness or meditation—these are fine techniques of spiritual doing. Spot the collapse of the identity on the inside, listen to the humming sound of the higher vibrations,

The worst interference is not the dark night of the soul episode where we know that we are caught on the wrong foot. The worst interference is complacency when we feel we have made it, or feel we are a cut above the fellow seeker who chooses a different path. True mindfulness and meditation is observing the observer until only observation remains.

Choice-less awareness

2026-09-30T04:42:02.088-07:00

There are endless discussions in philosophy, neuroscience, spirituality and biology if we have free will. Why don’t we ask a different question, is there an individual who has free will? If the decision maker is part of the illusion, then how can something that doesn’t exist have anything?

I once had a satori experience when “I” vanished and only a screen on which “life as is” was projected remained. I felt it, sensed it, knew it. Like every satori experienced, it vanished after some 20 minutes or so, but the knowledge remained, there is no “I” other than the screen.

When “you” are part of the illusion of separation, keep inquiring and keep listening to the viewpoints of others until Oneness shines through. When the veil of separation has lifted, enjoy being carried by the energy of “life as is. Choice-less awareness then carries the day. Enjoy!

Freedom—Let go, let God (Video)

2026-09-29T03:52:03.074-07:00

We alternate between the materialistic state, the mindful and the meditative state. Freedom is always here now. Faced with the realities of life we can leave the “story of me” behind. Things just happen. There is no “me” around to mind either way. Let go, let God. Video presentation below:

https://youtu.be/sLnXG--VVJ8?is=v0JOoiPDNkETK3ha

Just follow the higher energies

2026-09-28T03:39:01.471-07:00

Life is a subconscious journey we all need to undertake in order to become aware of our inner programming. Knowing this, the spiritual traveler lets “choice-less Awareness” call the shots. It’s not that we do whatever we fancy. We follow the higher energies as they present themselves and pause if something seems amiss.

A spiritual quest can be

summed up as this:

Normally it is bliss,

but we self-inquire

if something is amiss.

#awakening #spirituality #awareness #selfinquiry

Your choice, be part of the creation or manifestation!

2026-09-27T04:47:52.279-07:00

J. Krishnamurti told this story. God, the devil and a human being went for a walk. Suddenly God stopped and picked up a stone. “Here my child,” God said, “this is the stone of wisdom, I give it to you!” The human being smirked at the devil and said, “What can you do now?” “Don’t worry,” the devil responded, “I make an institution out of it!”

Every moment we are connected to the “Field of Infinite Possibility.” Creation flows through us, but the moment we identify with a conditioned thought-feeling energy, we become part of the manifestation. The opportunity is to spot that energy, to own it, to understand it and to let go of it. Creation reigns when we step out of “the story of me.”

A wish for enlightenment

2026-09-26T06:38:34.971-07:00

“You must wish for enlightenment,” Suzhen Liu said in one of her talks. “That’s strange,” I thought to myself, “isn’t the wish for enlightenment another desire, just a more refined one than all the materialistic ones?”

There is a space at our disposal—and it takes an alert, open and equanimous mindset to be in it—that is Home. Sure, we may be out of equilibrium from time to time but we can always return.

It’s not a reaching for, it’s not a running away from—it’s a letting go, an insight, a return to Original Mind. Just as the instinctive jumping from the rope in the dark relaxes as we realize it’s not a snake, the space just opens up.

The Prodigal Son remembered one fine day and so can we. All it takes is the sudden realization, “be still and know I am God” and the quest is over. The wish for enlightenment is just the remembrance of Home-coming.

Desire is thought producing feelings

2026-09-25T04:31:09.835-07:00

Desire is thought producing feelings.

David Bohm

The insight for anyone traveling the Way is simply this: nothing that our thinking process comes up with beats the creation arising from the “Field of Infinite Possibilities.” Feelings are the gateway to what lies beyond our conditioning. Along the Way our feelings beget action. Any occasion where thoughts produce feelings which in turn drive action is inferior. The opportunity is to observe when psychological thought tries to interfere with “life as is.” That’s when we are invited to pause and take another look at what is in front of us.