I wanted to jump in and participate in the ongoing discussion of sleep, but what I came up with, after contemplating the whole topic for some time, was to look further into what it means to actually be awake.

To quote a cliche, life is precious, even with all the difficulties and the unavoidable pain that we all have to go through, but if we slow down for the small gifts we are given on a daily basis life can be also beautiful.

We may have been told to 'follow the golden rule' as children (to do unto others as you would have others do unto you) but now science is illustrating the powerful role doing just that can have on humanity.

It is as "I am" that we have the best chance of experiencing the realization of our self as eternal bliss. Here we are at the doorway of knowing ourself to be pure awareness in a universe of infinite compassion.

Can we create the conditions in which we lead grace-full lives? Is it even possible to expect to live gracefully, with the world in so much chaos? My view is that there has never been a better time.

As I've learned and you've probably noticed as well, it's not only impossible to be right all the time, it's exhausting, stressful, and no fun (for us or others).

The benefit to meditation is that we become more synchronized in body and mind and begin to relate to our world in a less distracted and more wakeful way.

If I showed you a technique that elevates your mood, energizes you and makes you more charismatic on top of it all, would you be willing to spend 2 minutes testing it out for yourself?

A true Yogi is someone who embodies love, generosity and great wisdom, and Santa is a remarkable example of such qualities, which we may all want to emulate.

We are ready to believe and follow, giving up freedom for power, justice for security, love for righteousness, allowing culture to become cult.

Self-awareness is a very mysterious phenomenon. How is it that matter can be self-aware? Is matter somehow creating you and me?

One minute a person is part of our lives and then in the next they are gone -- leaving a huge hole in our lives. How to make sense of it?

It occurred to me that many folks here in the West may not really know much about the Buddhist tradition and what it has to say about redemption, salvation, or anything else for that matter.

I draw a big line between little lies and big ones. Serious lies -- the big time betrayals of trust -- are probably never good for relationships of any kind. Little lies are often a different matter entirely.

I think it's fair to ask ourselves early on, why are we afraid of just sitting still? Why are we terrified of that?Actually it's for you to find out. But I would like to suggest the possibility that we are afraid of ourselves.

As I've grown older, I see more clearly how difficult the holiday season can be for many people. I am trying to pay attention to these folks this year.

Devotion might look like what a student has with a teacher or an aspirant has with a guru. The teacher must be high minded and the guru must be the best kind with the highest goals of the student in mind.

I think that this holiday, rather than dwell on the question of what I am grateful for in my life I will instead consider questions like "am I truly giving?"

I want to create a new organization to stamp out stupidity and indifference and restore common decency and goodwill into society. I think I'll call it the National Organization of Pissed-Off Elders (N.O.P.E.).

I have now been a widow for fourteen months My loss is huge. My husband was fun, funny, intelligent, and he wished for my happiness.