Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. -- The Buddha

Many years ago, we were teaching a meditation weekend in Plymouth, England. On the Saturday after the program was over for the day, Carole, one of the attendees, told us she had just been with Deepak Chopra, that...

Anger can be an effective expression of passion for justice and fairness, for basic rightness, for what is appropriate and humane. But anger can also be like a single match that can burn down an entire forest, causing tremendous damage and hurt. It causes wars, leads to greed and self-deception....

We just heard two inspiring, heart-wrenching, gut-churning, funny, amazing life stories from two Ugandan women, Joan and Teddy, who lifted themselves out of dire poverty and suffering by making and selling paper beads.

The poverty is huge. For example, Millie lives on $1 a day earned from crushing rocks in...

No matter how hard we want to, there's one thing we can never do, and that's change the past. We can weep, beat our fists against the wall, eat bags of cookies to assuage our guilt, but it won't make the slightest bit of difference and won't make us feel...

We spend our whole lives living with ourselves. It is the longest and most intimate of all relationships we will ever have, and the one we take most for granted. Yet it's extraordinary how often we feel as if we're living inside a stranger, such as when we get ill...

We were teaching a workshop in southwest England when Ed asked the group: "If you like to suffer, then raise your hand." No one raised a hand. So why do we create suffering for both ourselves and others?

Seems like we love to suffer, as all the ways out of...

The purpose of most spiritual teachings is to reach enlightenment, a state of pure awareness and inner joy. This may appear unattainable when compared to the likes of the Buddha, the Dalai Lama, or the wise yogis, but those of us on the spiritual journey diligently meditate and follow well-trodden...

As the great Zen teacher Alan Watts said: "We all need to go out of our minds at least once a day. When we go out of our minds we quickly come to our senses."

Have you ever wondered how extraordinary the mind is? How it can reach from the...

What is your greatest fear? Ed's mother died when he was only five days old. How does a child grow up without the fear of losing loved ones? Deb had an abusive father. How does she trust men to not be abusive?

It's not unusual to live with a deep...

What is a guru? We hear the word used to describe anyone who is the best in their field, whatever that may be, such as business, the media or the Internet, but in the Eastern tradition a guru is a spiritual guide or teacher who helps us remove darkness and...

Yogis do it, Christians do it, Buddhists do it, Jews do it, Hindus do it, Muslims do it, and atheists do it. Kids, the elderly, CEOs, celebrities, housewives and politicians all do it. It can be done in schools, hospitals, boardrooms, town halls, or your own living room. Meditation is...

The Dalai Lama says kindness is his religion. Wikipedia says that a random act of kindness is: "... a selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual ... There will generally be no reason other than to make people...

Why do people mistreat each other? After the shooting at Sandy Hook, the response of the NRA was that every schoolteacher should be armed. But isn't this trying to solve the problem from the outside, rather than from the inside? As the new Miss America, Mallory Hagen, said...

Saints get headaches. The Buddha had an upset stomach. Oprah has bad hair days. Each one of us, whether a spiritual teacher, film star or homemaker, is simply a human being. As the Dalai Lama said as he stopped us from bowing when we greeted him: "We are all equal...

Karma yoga is perfection in action where our activity is of benefit to others, such as doing good, giving without wanting anything in return, and benevolent service. So who could be a better karma yogi than Santa Claus? Although his appearance may fool you, mainly because he has a habit...

We are a country divided, as the past election showed us, driven by conflicting viewpoints and approaches to problems. Essentials of life, such as finances and health care, have very different meanings to different people. And with a split government, such differences tend to end in gridlock. All of which...

This is the time of year when gratitude touches all our lives, when we give thanks for whatever we have and we joyfully help others. One Thanksgiving Day we volunteered at a local church to help feed the homeless. It was and still is one of the most heartwarming things...

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. -- Buddha

Yes, he did it! Despite oceans of money and hours upon hours of backbiting, slander, and lying, the power of the people won out. Now President Obama has the time and support to make good...

Ed was born in the U.S., Deb across the pond in England. We spent years living there, as we had our own TV series in London and taught workshops throughout Europe. But, little by little, the constant grey and rainy weather was bringing us down. We both were getting very...

We've all had times when we say yes to someone but really want to say no. It's often difficult to say no because of the desire to be loved: We want to be helpful, we want to show we care, but we may have little to give and are tired,...