The Spirit of Zen
An autumn eve She comes and asks Shall I light the lamp? (Etsujin) The verse is full of deep spiritual meaning. The poet sits looking out at the fast-dying day, the last of all days, that so quickly, yet so slowly is passing. The autumn evening darkens and the poet’s wife comes to ask him…
Read MoreAids to the Inner Enquiry
The inner enquiry begins when we start to ask fundamental questions about the meaning and purpose of life, and, in particular, of one’s own life. There is a poem by Guru Nanak, and in every verse come the words: ‘Pause and consider’. First, pause: that is, consciously stand back from our activities, and then consider…
Read MoreDreams and Facts
While we dream, we take the dream as fact. We do not doubt that we are in a real situation, moving our real body among real objects and people. We live as if the dream were the only reality. Sometimes when we awaken, the dream continues to haunt our mind. More commonly, the dream world…
Read MoreA Message from the Warden
Midwinter, 2020-1 We are going through times of intense uncertainty and sudden changes. And many of us are being denied the comfort and happiness of joining our families and friends. I do miss being close to them in person. At this moment let us remind ourselves together that the heart of the non-dual wisdom is…
Read MoreThe Good Life
According to the practical philosophy of the Yoga of Self-knowledge, life has a definite goal. It is to awaken to our identity with that enlightened state of consciousness in which there is ultimate fulfilment of all the longings of our being. What are these longings? For knowledge, for achievement, for love, for happiness, for security.…
Read MoreThe Joy of Self-Knowledge
When Socrates, condemned by the Athenian authorities, was about to drink the poison, his disciples asked him what kind of funeral he would like. His reply was: ‘Whatever you wish—if you can catch me and I do not get away from you.’ The sage was identified with the spirit, which is our true Self. This…
Read MoreComing Close – Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita
Chapter ten of the Bhagavad Gita is about how we may approach that which is beyond the range of thought (the absolute, God, Brahman, whatever we choose to call this), and about how the way we relate to that affects our progress on the path of inner discovery. Thinking of the absolute in tangible forms…
Read MoreSelf-Forgetfulness and Creativity
Glimpses of Wisdom in the Writings of John Keats Many of the ideas of the poet, John Keats, are similar to the teachings of Adhyatma Yoga and those found in the Bhagavad Gita. He thought of the world as a school into which intelligences are born and have to develop into fully fledged souls. In…
Read MoreLetting Go Lightly
Reflections on the meaning of detachment on the path to inner freedom The ultimate principle of perfection is present in all of us, concealed in the mind’s innermost recesses. Our thoughts and emotions form a sort of screen that holds our attention and binds us, through desire, to the world of appearances. The perfection of…
Read MoreThe Non-Dual View of Devotion
Bhakti, the practice of devotion, is at the core of the inner path that leads from the limitations of individuality to the realisation of the freedom and universality of our true Self. It is a theme that is covered in depth in the Bhagavad Gita and also in the Narada Bhakti Sutras, a short text…
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