John Friend, Genpo Roshi, Katagiri Roshi, Swami Muktananda, Adi Da. These are all teachers that I or my teachers have studied with, and who have been involved in scandals involving sex, money, and power. These teachers have all wielded tremendous influence in spirituality in the West. Through their transgressions they have left many of their [...]
Archive for the ‘Personal Growth’ Category
When our teachers fall
Posted in Personal Growth, Spirituality, tagged awareness, Buddhism, Genpo Roshi, life energy, money, spiritual masters, spirituality, subtle body, yoga on March 28, 2012 | 3 Comments »
The absurdity of hope; or December 23 at Barnes & Noble.
Posted in Personal Growth, Spirituality, tagged awareness, books, homesteading, hope, Jesus, Lady Gaga, literature, spirituality, Vanity Fair on December 24, 2011 | 6 Comments »
One Christmas I got a DVD of topo maps for all of Southern Arizona from my wife. Oh, the excitement, the places I’d go! I’d walk the whole area, explore hidden nooks off the trail, plan bike- and horse-packing trips to know the whole region, make it mine, all mine! It’s like that feeling of [...]
You, practicing not checking your smartphone.
Posted in Culture, Personal Growth, Spirituality, tagged awareness, Buddhism, practice, smartphone, spirituality, technology, yoga on October 17, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Most people don’t even notice it. There is the familiar buzz in the pocket, or the soft, quirky tone that emanates from an indeterminate space in the room. Before their conscious mind recognizes what it is, the amygdala responds, igniting whatever emotions it is they associate with incoming data: anxiety, hope, fatigue. Unconsciously, the Pavlovian [...]
Advice for myself, 10 years ago
Posted in Personal Growth, Spirituality, tagged citizenship, personal growth, psychology, spirituality on September 6, 2011 | 3 Comments »
At the ripe old age of 35, I have noticed that my life is much better now than it was ten years ago. Things still get chaotic, but it’s nice to have a steady job, a wife, and emotions that aren’t threatening to tear apart the very fibers of my being. I like to think [...]
Why you want Eminem’s (subtle) body
Posted in Culture, Personal Growth, Spirituality, tagged 3-body practice, Dr. Dre, eminem, practice, spirituality, subtle body on March 29, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Want to teach a great class, give an affecting presentation, make transcendent art, or just show up more fully in your life? Listen to Eminem’s song “I Need a Doctor.” The song is technically Dr. Dre’s (Eminem raps the first two verses and Dre the final one), but that’s just the point: Eminem owns this [...]
On Practicing Intensity
Posted in Personal Growth, Spirituality on March 13, 2011 | 4 Comments »
I had an intense week–after my last post had languished on the internet for a week with a couple hundred readers, all of a sudden several thousand showed up. While most people would see this as a good thing, my mind used it as fuel for anxiety (what would I write next? What are all [...]
