Numinous Nonsense

A Methodology for Being

In a recent episode on the Precision Change podcast David Allen, the “productivity guru” as he is called, offers some great high-level reflections on the importance of his GTD system. Using the dichotomy of being and doing David says that [I’m paraphrasing] if you want to “just be” see how long you can be [...]

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Hitting the Nail on the Head

Though I read this interview (and blogged about it) nearly 4 years ago, I was struck by it again while re-reading this question and answer with spiritual teacher Adyashanti. Question: People can be pretty skeptical nowadays about people who claim to be awake, and it may appear to many that you’re setting yourself up for an [...]

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Father Thomas Keating on Oneness & Change

There’s no way to grasp what is always happening, because as soon as you do you’re unable to open your hand fast enough to receive the next gift of god. So, how to grasp something with your hands always open, this is the paradox of prayer. - Father Thomas Keating An amazing video where Father [...]

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Two Takes on Enlightenment

[I've been having a fun back-and-forth with a dharma friend on what seem to be two different takes on enlightenment. One is the more traditional Theravada model where the defilements (kilesas) are destroyed upon full enlightenment, which is call arhantship in that tradition. The other model is that the sense of a separate [...]

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The Power of Real Sangha

While I was on retreat recently, one of the teachers reflected back to me how important the three Buddhist refuges are: refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. She mentioned that the sangha wasn’t just everyone that I practiced with, but was really those people who knew something about the path or who [...]

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Rationalizing Awakening Away

A phenomenal quote from Jack Engler’s article, Practicing for Awakening: Instead of practicing for awakening as a real possibility, we hold enlightenment up as a remarkable and rare attainment, the highest ideal of the spiritual life. But enlightenment doesn’t work as an ideal. As an ideal for a few, it distances us and discourages [...]

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