Author Archives: admin

The Purpose of the Havan

In the Vedic period, the havan (also called the homa, the yajna, and the agnihotra) was the practice by which people re-established their alignment with the natural order of the whole universe. In this practice, they aligned themselves internally. They … Continue reading

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I Bow to My Teachers…and I Also Bow to My Students

I want to talk today about something very simple: the practice of bowing. Whenever I come to meditate or to teach, I always bow. I bow to my lineage gurus, and I bow to all teachers who have made themselves … Continue reading

Posted in Devotion, Meditation, Sadhana, The Teacher | 3 Comments

The Tradition of Initiation

In the Vedas, a person who performs Vedic ritual sacrifice was called a Brahmin. Brahmin means “twice born.” The Brahmin is twice born because he receives an initiation that qualifies him to perform the sacrifice. It’s the beginning of his … Continue reading

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Winter 2011 – Spring 2012 Lecture Series

I’ll be giving a series of Saturday morning talks at The Movement Center, in Portland, Oregon. The first is on Saturday, December 10, from 9:30 am to noon, and the topic is “The Energetic Mechanism, Yoga and Well-Being.” I will … Continue reading

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Why Do We Meditate?

I have thought a lot lately about the object of meditation and why we are meditating, or what we would be meditating on if we were actually meditating like we think we ought to. Typically, I would say that the … Continue reading

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The Inheritance of Karma

Each of us comes into the world as a manifestation of the life of our mother and father. All mothers, whether they know it or not, are reaching into themselves when they have a child and pulling out a chunk … Continue reading

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Kundalini, the Breath of Life

Classically, in the scriptures of the Vedas, of Kashmir Shaivism, and of Vajrayana Buddhism, the fundamental issue that each of us faces is to confront our own desires and in that confrontation, to understand the nature of our mind. We … Continue reading

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Upcoming Talks

If you live on the West Coast and are interested in hearing more on some of the topics covered in this blog, you might want to attend one of the talks I’ll be giving over the next few weeks: The … Continue reading

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The Power of Gratitude

All rituals and all mantras are a technology for connecting to the subtle elements of our existence and expressing gratitude from our life to life itself. Every day we have to find a way to muster our resources to the … Continue reading

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The Essence of All Spirituality

After reading the Vedas again, I’ve come to the conclusion that their essence is also the essence of all spirituality. What it’s really all about is gratitude. Spiritual practice is about coming to a place where you make contact with … Continue reading

Posted in Meditation, Sadhana | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments