An imaginary round table discussion with Anthony Robbins and Gautama the Buddha on being the best we can be. I was musing upon an interesting idea: What would it be like if the historical master of enlightenment, Gautama the Buddha and the legendary personal development coach Tony Robbins had a conversation about higher human development? What might their differing answers be to the following questions: how can we be the best we can be, how can we cultivate pure motivation,... Read more
After I finished giving a lecture at the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, an American rabbi approached me. “I’ve been following your work for some years now,” he said, “and you’re doing something very important. You are defining a new position for spiritual aspirants, uniquely suited for the time we are living in. You’re calling all of us to assume a position of ‘radical indeterminacy’ as the very goal of our spiritual practice.” “Radical indeterminacy” perfectly captures... Read more
I just got back from leading a 9-day meditation retreat in the wild and cactus-filled desert of Arizona. And I feel exuberant, inspired, and powerfully awake to the presence of immanent and seemingly infinite potential–simply because I took a sustained break from our modern world and its unspoken cultural agreements and assumptions about what’s real and important. “How many of us think it’s important to regularly create the space in our lives to temporarily let go of everything we are... Read more
In recent years, the term “emergence” has become popular among scientists to describe the seemingly inexplicable leaps that occur in the evolutionary process when greater complexity bursts forth from lesser complexity. For example, the material universe miraculously burst forth from primordial emptiness. Something came from nothing. That’s emergence. Approximately 3.8 billion years ago, biological life emerged from apparently dead matter. How did that momentous leap occur? That’s emergence. And somewhere between 50,000 and 200,000 years ago, mind emerged, revealed by... Read more
The first day of the new year always represents the potential for profound renewal—a new cycle in relationship to the passing of time, a precious moment in which many of us feel we are getting a chance to start over. And for most of us, that chance is usually connected to our highest aspirations, to important projects we had wanted to accomplish, and to the many ways we intend to improve ourselves. The new year represents that moment when we... Read more
I recently read an excerpt from the controversial number one bestseller Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey Into the Afterlife by Dr. Eben Alexander in Newsweek magazine. In it he describes, with a powerful self-confidence, a dramatic near-death experience that occurred after suffering from an extreme form of meningitis. Apparently, within hours of coming down with the infection, he fell into a coma and was hospitalized. After seven full days, just as he was about to be pronounced dead by... Read more
I recently published a post titled, “The World is Getting Worse (And Other Lies)” in which I shared some inspiring data and anecdotes that have helped me to embrace what I consider to be “The Good News of Progress.” What does that mean? In short, the world is getting better—not worse, as many often suggest these days. . . especially as we’ve neared the dreaded apocalypse date of December 21st, 2012. In response to the post, I received a wide... Read more
I’ve been thinking quite a lot lately about what spiritual development and spiritual attainment actually mean these days. What is the purpose of being on a spiritual path for the most progressive people on the planet today—those of us who have grown up in an environment of unprecedented wealth, education, and personal freedom? As a spiritual teacher, I travel every year across the United States and Europe, giving talks and leading retreats. It continually amazes me that the majority of... Read more
Like millions of other Americans over Thanksgiving weekend, I went to see Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, Lincoln. I was mesmerized by Daniel Day-Lewis’s portrayal of the great statesman. I was also deeply moved by the thrilling depiction of the moral awakening at the film’s climax, in which the 13th Amendment for the abolition of slavery was passed by the House of Representatives. But there was something else about the film that struck me even more. And that was a powerful recognition... Read more
Evolutionary Enlightenment
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Zen and the Art of Conviction
There’s always something electric in the atmosphere when someone dares to assert spiritual convictions in a decidedly secular context. It’s almost like, “I can’t believe s/he had the courage to say that!” That’s why I was so interested when I heard that Jeff Bridges, aka “The Dude,” was going to be on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week speaking about his new book, The Dude and the Zen Master, which features a series of conversations between Bridges and... Read more