Knowledge is an important component of our spiritual growth.
Over the period of some 30 years, I have written these articles to illustrate a variety of spiritual ideas and principles.
Knowledge can guide us in our practices, let us know what to expect along the way and support us in times of doubt. However, knowledge alone can only take us so far. Direct experience is equally as important so I encourage you to choose the practices which resonate with you and make them part of your daily life.
These articles have been grouped by categories to help you select the ones that may be of greater interest to you.
Edited versions of some of these articles have been published in other places, including the Chopra Center Lifestyles Newsletters.
I have always tried to fully research each topic and apologize for any inaccuracies. Unlike scientific “facts”, spiritual wisdom is open to interpretation. These articles reflect my understanding of the subjects. Please read them with an open mind and find the path that best suits you.
Health, Well-being and Lifestyle
Releasing the Emotion
Most of us don’t have control over many of the things that happen to us (this will come in time) but we can learn how to deal with them so that they cause the least damaging effect on our physiology. There is nothing wrong with expressing an emotion, in fact, it’s often the healthiest thing to do. The problems arise when we hold onto those emotions so they become part of our physiology and a
More Isn’t Always Better
Trying harder isn’t always the answer. The simple way often produces the best results. The same can be said for the fact that if something is good, more isn’t automatically going be better. Moderation and balance are always the best plan with any program. This was very apparent in an incident that happen some years ago. One day at our Center in San Diego, I answered my phone and was immediately asked, “Are you the
Listening Is Sometimes the Best Help
I think it’s fair to assume that most people would like to be able to help others, the problem is that most of us often don’t know what to do. In the case of physical or material help our potential roles are usually fairly obvious, someone needs help carrying a heavy load, someone needs some financial assistance, etc. It’s in the area of emotional support that things are a little less clearly defined. When someone
Lessons Come When We Least Expect Them
It’s easy to lose sight of the Divinity in people, things or anywhere in creation. As soon as judgment rears its ugly head, Divinity gets instantly hidden from view. I had an interesting experience of this some years ago. I was in New York teaching a workshop at the same time Deepak Chopra was there giving a public lecture. As I had the evening free, I went to hear him speak. The hall was crowded
A Westerner’s Guidelines for Attending Yagyas
A Yagya is a sacred fire ceremony and, as such, demands a certain amount of respect. However, sometimes we can get too serious rigid in the ways in which we approach our spiritual practices. Some years ago, I was asked to prepare a document for westerners attending Yagyas in the West, which I did. However, I also decide to write a more light hearted version, which I am sharing here. After all, Enlightenment means to
The Ego – Friend or Foe?
It’s common to hear people on a spiritual path saying that we need to destroy or erase the ego. However, while we have a physical body, it’s necessary to have an ego just as much as we have a mind and intellect. Rather than focusing on eliminating the ego, our aim should be to balance it so it acts in harmony with all our other layers of life. In terms of evolution, the non-local Absolute