Each of us is a being of temporal and spiritual components. That is, we exist as both a body and a soul. In this brief teaching I want to focus on the body and the elements of which it is comprised. Why? Because these elements connect us to the universe and each other, and each of them holds important spiritual lessons for us. In the spiritual traditions of Japan there exists an important concept known as the Godai, a Japanese... Read more
Most in the West think of spiritual teachers as the all-inclusive types who never defend objective truths they hold, never call anything else error or a lie, but simply smile and praise us when we spew silly ideas that make no sense, remaining entirely agreeable all the time. Perhaps that’s because Westerners tend to be lazy. Now, I know that is probably going to offend someone, and that’s okay. If it offends you, then perhaps you need this article more... Read more
The Japanese word “soku” means to cling to, to adhere to, to become one with something else. Sokushin Jobutsu means that one becomes an Enlightened being in this life by properly identifying our nature and recognizing our inherent unity with all of the enlightened beings of history. It means you’re able to attain perfection of all of the qualities of a Buddha while you’re yet living in the present physical body. All of us are comprised of six things: Earth... Read more
I was upset and worried. Things weren’t going the way I wanted them to. A change had come along that broke my heart. At one point I sat in my small Japanese flat, feeling every bit of the misery and loss, and just cried like a child. If the tears had washed away the pain, maybe that would have been the end of it. But that wasn’t the case. My sorrow was having an impact on my martial arts training.... Read more
Human history, for all of our modern record keeping and scholarship, holds a multitude of mysteries. Beyond a certain point in our shared ancient past, we know little to nothing. We dig at ancient sites, pulling bones and pieces of our past out of the earth, and sometimes discover large settlements. Examining these fragments of human history, we attempt to form a picture of the past. One of the things that appears to emerge from everything we can discover is... Read more
The image to the left is a depiction of the Six Desire Realms. Some might be misled into thinking that these realms are spiritual ‘places’, for lack of a better term. That idea is, however, wrong. When we speak of these realms what we truly mean is psychological states. These are six ways people think and live. Let’s take a look at each level with an eye toward discovering which realm or realms our psychology tends to occupy. The Realm... Read more
Most are somewhat familiar with the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha, but few really grasp their meaning. What follows is a very brief discussion of each with the goal of providing my readers with clear definitions that allow for the application of each principle in your life. Four Noble Truths Ku-Tai-We often see this expressed as the truth that life is suffering. A better understanding is that life, for the unenlightened soul, is substantially marked by anxiety, discontent and... Read more
“It was the recommendation of John of the Cross (in a manner similar to that of Gamaliel) that one should not pay particular attention to any phenomena or experiences. If an experience were truly and directly of God, he felt, its truth would become evident naturally in one’s life. If it were of something “else,” it would certainly not be worthy of attention. Therefore, no special attention was necessary.”-Gerald G. May, Care of Mind/Care of Spirit The world’s spiritual traditions... Read more
“Although Kami cannot be seen, you are constantly walking within and through the midst of Kami.” -III Konko Kyoso Gorikai 6 Quantum Field Theory, due to recent breakthroughs in quantum mechanics, has become a widely discussed topic in both science and philosophy. When all the data is compiled, the metaphysical implications are astounding, undermining the Materialist conception of the cosmos. Are we connected to our planet? To the universe? To each other? Before we get into the specifics, we need to... Read more
If you could be eternally happy, healthy, and at peace, would you desire to do so? Ninety-nine percent of the time people will reflect and answer with a yes. It is indeed a natural universal desire for everlasting peace and happiness, both on an individual level and the level of human society. This is a good desire. However, we often take good desires, couple them with bad thinking and bad actions, and find ourselves growing more distant from spiritual life... Read more
The Perennialist Perspective
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