Category: Eastern philosophy

Book review by Michael Greenstein Depending on who you talk to, life has never been worse.  Cancer seems to plague almost every family, financial ruin is at our collective doorsteps, divorce rates remain alarming high and the news is rampant with spiritual leaders that have abused our young and led us astray.  Without much difficulty, [...]

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff You may follow one stream. Know that it leads to the Ocean, but do not mistake the stream for the Ocean. – Jan-Fishan Q: To study Sufism, do I need to become a Moslem and convert to Islam, or join a Sufi   Order? A:  No.  This is not necessary. While some [...]

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff Introduction A common misconception for spiritual travelers is that they must always be happy or content; and to display sadness, pain or depression is a sign of being weak- out of balance- and missing the point of spiritual teachings.  All travelers are human and as such have a full range of thoughts, emotions [...]

I picked up Ezra Bayda’s Beyond Happiness (Shambhala Publications, 2010) with a challenge in mind: Would reading this snap me out of a low mood? I was feeling extremely challenged. I had pulled a muscle in my back; there were noisy workmen in the building whose presence had made even going up and down the [...]

By Dzogchen Ponlop, author of Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom Rebel Buddha is an exploration of what it means to be free and how it is that we can become free. Although we may vote for the head of our government, marry for love, and worship the divine or mundane powers of our choice, [...]

by Kevin Boehm, DDS Most dentists would not think that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture meridians and modern dentistry have much in common. Is there truly a link between other areas of the body and teeth?  The answer is surprising. Here are some interesting facts about Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Meridian Tooth Chart and how [...]

by Mike Gillette In the past few months we’ve seen our share of stories about mankind harming Mother Nature. Now comes something refreshingly different: a day for restoring our relationship with the planet. Earth Healing Day is an event for people who “care deeply for the fate of the Earth, and want to be good [...]

By Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche You would certainly recognize your signature on a piece of paper, but do you know your own emotional signature? We all have one. It’s our predictable way of reacting to situations. Your friends probably recognize your emotional signature better than you do. When you get into a fight with your partner, [...]

By Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche There is a story about a farmer who owns a buffalo. Not knowing that the buffalo is in its stable, the farmer goes off to search for it, thinking it has strayed from home. Starting off on his search, he sees many different buffalo footprints outside his yard. The footprints of [...]

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff & David Paquoit Traveler:         When friends ask me what I study, and I try to explain, I find it hard to put into words, what is Sufism? Help me understand so I can give a clearer answer? Master:           One of the great teachers offered, ‘long before there was a name (Sufism) [...]

by Jami Lin For the third time since 1900, Valentine’s Day falls on the same day as the Chinese New Year. This event won’t happen again until after 2030. This year of the tiger is suggested to be filled with passion and capable of great love. Take advantage of both holidays falling on the same [...]

by Jill Lowy Do you see the light?  Enlightenment is one of those terms that mean a lot of different things to many different people. In the Yogic, Buddhist and Mystical traditions, one of the primary goals in meditation is enlightenment. Enlightenment is notably characterized by the story of the Buddha. Before Buddha was the [...]