I just uploaded a new video to Youtube of a satsang talk about the true cause of suffering: Several more articles exploring the truth about suffering. More nondual satsang videos with Nirmala. ...
... in love with my life here is turning into suffering from waiting for the next shoe to drop. It has to do with the emphasis that some teachings place on suffering as our motivator and guide towards awakening. ...
... I am so sorry to hear about your health problems. They can be one of the most challenging experiences that we as humans face. I will suggest that the real cause of all of our suffering is simply the ...
... suffering you are going through and I hope and pray you find relief soon. I can share the perspective that you are eternal, and this pain and suffering is not eternal. So what you truly are will ultimately ...
... Is it possible that while all of the hurt, pain, and suffering in this world are real, there is still a bigger truth to this existence? This doesn’t mean denying or ignoring suffering or not acting in ...
Q: I understand suffering from the perspective of the soul, as suffering often brings needed change and growth. But I’m confused when suffering doesn’t appear to have a purpose, for example, when a good ...
... not poisonous. That knowledge is the cure! And so all of this inner suffering is only a problem when we think it is a problem. Once we no longer see suffering as problem, then it is no longer suffering. ...
A friend just emailed and reported that even in the midst of a profound opening to the experience of oneness with everything, she is still saddened by the suffering in the world, and she wonders why consciousness ...
... literally against something that is present, or internally against a subtle experience. And it is this internal efforting that is the true source of all of our pain and suffering. This is good news as ...
The Buddha spoke about desire. He said that desire is the cause of all suffering—the root of all suffering. Desire is a very juicy word. It’s got to be if it’s going to have that much power that it can ...
Q: I have some very strong desires that won't leave me alone. On one hand I really really want them, and on the other hand I don't. They seem so important to me that I feel like I will never feel fulfilled ...
Q: Is a thought that causes suffering definitely always a lie? It seems too good to be true sometimes. A: I speak about truth and lies a little uniquely: All there is, is truth. So there is nothing else, ...
... response of our body to certain thoughts, but it is ultimately not very important or meaningful. You can let your body have that experience and even explore it, enjoy it and eventually be free of any suffering ...
... suffering if you think it should be different. Desires are like a compass that points in all directions. That is just their nature. But, you might as well ignore a compass like that! The sense of inner ...
... only is a place of suffering if you think it should be different. Desires are like a compass that points in all directions. That is just their nature. But, you might as well ignore a compass like that! ...
... that our efforts to end our suffering often create some of the most intense suffering we can experience in life. So along with our seeking and pursuit of spiritual attainment, it is important to develop ...
I received an email with a question that comes up in some form over and over again. Here is what someone wrote to me in response to a recent newsletter that asked for support for our transmissions, teachings ...
... karma to the deeds (and intentions) of the individual. Good deeds will result in good times and bad deeds in suffering. Some even go to the extent of stating that everything a person experiences in this ...
... there is no suffering....even in the experience of resistance, fear, doubt or worry. Your job is simple: just be aware of what you are already aware of. It is the nature of awareness itself that heals ...
Q: I just read your article titled "Motivation After Spiritual Awakening". I am suffering from the exact same situation. After 35 years of meditation, I seem to have entered a space of deep contentment ...
Q: I'm getting such a heavy dose of the Law of Attraction from a friend. It's really wild stuff, and he is so evangelical. I want to be open to anything that might help me, but I had no idea this guy was ...
... and actually rich? Could it be that true surrender is an inner attitude towards whatever is happening? What if you can be fully surrendered and also take appropriate action when needed to relieve suffering? ...
... aspect is compassion. Compassion is a deep tenderness and space that can hold even extreme pain and suffering. Now there is some joy in compassion and some compassion in a more direct experience of joy. ...
(Note: I am reposting some blog posts that are included in my newest book, Everything Is Included. Q: How can I detach from the love I feel for this person who has no interest in my loving him or in ...
... to know directly how true something is for you How to give love even when you don't like someone Tips for the practice of Self-Inquiry The simple truth about suffering and how to heal it How to move ...
... it is in the conscious recognition of this deeply unconditional love that is always here that the dilemma of our desires and suffering is finally resolved. If in a moment you truly sense the depth and ...
... our lessons with such painful slowness, taking on an ego again which can only be seen through by means of suffering; and on a mundane level having to learn to wear diapers, walk, and go through adolescence ...
... somehow self-benefiting. I am just now coming into this new awareness and have not, as yet determined how to also, deliver relief for something that causes pain and suffering, while at the same time giving ...
(Note: I occasionally repost an older blog post on here to introduce it to new readers.) We spend much of our life in pursuit of knowledge. It seems you can never know too much and our families and culture ...
... mysteries and then, in the very next breath, uncover an intensely contracted piece of our conditioning, and we will have instantly re-identified with our ego and all of its suffering. What an opportunity ...
... into an experience of suffering. When we are trying hard to hold onto or get rid of any experience, this is at odds with our experience. And so the extra effort is unnecessary and also feels tight and ...
... minds and bodies. Because the human body/mind is so good at paying attention and can even pay attention to itself, the possibility exists both for suffering and for awakening. The suffering is simply ...
... here that the dilemma of our desires and suffering is finally resolved. If in a moment you truly sense the depth and completeness of this loving awareness of Being, then suddenly there is room here for ...
An online friend is suffering through one of the most long drawn out and agonizing health challenges I have ever heard tell of. She sent some questions in an email: Q: Uh-oh, didn't anticipate that I ...
... perspective, even if we have had tastes of Presence, it is not much use if we are suffering deeply and are caught badly in the snare of mind - where we are barely functional and there is no sign of any ...
... then suffering would simply continue in another body despite the 'enlightenment' since there's no separate individual self to become liberated from suffering. It seems that suffering would also be eternal ...
... will involve suffering and hardship necessary for soul experience and development. It appears to me that there exists a conflict between soul level and mind level. Is there a missing element to the ...
... that living in a sense of separation results in discordant energy patterns which cause disease, pain and suffering, and a general sense of being vulnerable to circumstance. I do indeed experiece duality ...
... patients and their owners. When a beloved pet is at the end of their life, and any further medical treatment would just prolong suffering, then it can best serve your patients to just be present in a place ...
... will, we develop our intellect, skills, discrimination, strength and power. As our discrimination increases, we start to notice how acting out of self-interest is actually a place of suffering, and so ...
We are taught at a very young age that emptiness is filled from outside. Our hunger and thirst are provided for by others. Our discomforts are relieved by mom and dad or whoever is raising us. Even before ...
... extreme this interaction between the mind and reality creates our suffering, but it also is the source of a new kind of creativity. Playing with mental energies is like playing with fire; it can be beautiful, ...
... only reason to understand this is so you can hold both perspectives lightly. If you try to make one true and the other false, that is usually a prescription for confusion and suffering. It is pretty obvious ...
... they support my clinical observations, too. There is still one big question that troubles me: As I see it, one cannot change or choose anything in his/her life. To become free from all suffering, one has ...
... ego and resting in awareness. This is pretty much what most nondual approaches suggest. But this is the wall I've come up against: the reason for doing so is to escape or transcend suffering. In other ...
... lead to suffering, although this seems like it would be a gargantuan task. Was the fact that these feelings were in other non-sexual parts of my body an indication of some type of harnessing of sexual ...
... nature of desire, and how do our desires relate to suffering? How do we know what is true? What is the nature of belief, and how do our beliefs affect our ability to experience the deeper reality that ...
... suffering you are going through and I hope and pray you find relief soon. I can share the perspective that you are eternal, and this pain and suffering is not eternal. So what you truly are will ultimately ...
An online friend is suffering through one of the most long drawn out and agonizing health challenges I have ever heard tell of. She sent some questions in an email: Q: Uh-oh, didn't anticipate that I ...
... our lessons with such painful slowness, taking on an ego again which can only be seen through by means of suffering; and on a mundane level having to learn to wear diapers, walk, and go through adolescence ...
Q: Can you tell me how can I finish my journey in life without my most favourite person? What should be my destiny now? A: The most important thing when you have lost someone or something that you love ...
... they support my clinical observations, too. There is still one big question that troubles me: As I see it, one cannot change or choose anything in his/her life. To become free from all suffering, one has ...
... somehow self-benefiting. I am just now coming into this new awareness and have not, as yet determined how to also, deliver relief for something that causes pain and suffering, while at the same time giving ...
... extreme views. Even though seeking and looking outside yourself may be limiting and is often a place of suffering, holding some idea that there’s nothing you can find outside yourself could be just as ...
... aspect is compassion. Compassion is a deep tenderness and space that can hold even extreme pain and suffering. Now there is some joy in compassion and some compassion in a more direct experience of joy. ...
Someone wrote me: I think that control is bad and that wanting to control everything in one's life is bad. Wanting to make things happen a certain way is cause for suffering and is an attachment. I got ...
... then suffering would simply continue in another body despite the 'enlightenment' since there's no separate individual self to become liberated from suffering. It seems that suffering would also be eternal ...
A friend emailed me to report that after years of spiritual and psychological work that he still often becomes overwhelmed by depression and discouragement. He does have moments where it all falls away ...
Someone shared this story with me on Facebook yesterday, and I wanted to pass it along: An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, he sent him for some salt. ...
... not poisonous. That knowledge is the cure! And so all of this inner suffering is only a problem when we think it is a problem. Once we no longer see suffering as problem, then it is no longer suffering. ...
Q: I understand suffering from the perspective of the soul, as suffering often brings needed change and growth. But I’m confused when suffering doesn’t appear to have a purpose, for example, when a good ...
... and actually rich? Could it be that true surrender is an inner attitude towards whatever is happening? What if you can be fully surrendered and also take appropriate action when needed to relieve suffering? ...
... in love with my life here is turning into suffering from waiting for the next shoe to drop. It has to do with the emphasis that some teachings place on suffering as our motivator and guide towards awakening. ...
(Here is an excerpt from my book, That Is That .) We usually think that suffering is caused by bad experiences, but it's actually caused by our attention flowing towards something that's not really there-towards ...
... Our suffering always comes from our movement away from our sensations, not from the sensations themselves, even the most intense and enormous feelings. It can help to allow the pain to be bigger than ...
An excerpt from the nondual book, Nothing Personal, Seeing Beyond the Illusion of a Separate Self by Nirmala. Our suffering doesn’t come from any experience but from our resistance to the experience. ...
Q: I have experienced a long lasting struggle to come to terms with my suffering. I want to let go, but how? A: Suffering is simply the effort to change, fix, or keep our experience. When we are suffering, ...
... perspective, even if we have had tastes of Presence, it is not much use if we are suffering deeply and are caught badly in the snare of mind - where we are barely functional and there is no sign of any ...
... I am so sorry to hear about your health problems. They can be one of the most challenging experiences that we as humans face. I will suggest that the real cause of all of our suffering is simply the ...
... instead. When it comes to the hurt and violence in this world, the bigger truth is that consciousness is not harmed by the pain and suffering. Yet while this is true, the pain is still real, and it still ...
... literally against something that is present, or internally against a subtle experience. And it is this internal efforting that is the true source of all of our pain and suffering. This is good news as ...
... ego and resting in awareness. This is pretty much what most nondual approaches suggest. But this is the wall I've come up against: the reason for doing so is to escape or transcend suffering. In other ...
Q: I’m dealing with a severe illness. I inquired and found that I have little or no will to live, that I fear God is punishing me with this illness, and that I also feel I don’t deserve to be healed or ...
Someone emailed me asking about self blame and requesting any suggestions I might have for how to address it. Here is my response: Self blame is an interesting dynamic. It is mostly perpetuated by what ...
... what is not (the past, the future, or any thought about what is), our experience of the moment contracts and becomes narrower and full of suffering and struggle, because inherent in a focus on what is ...
... it is in the conscious recognition of this deeply unconditional love that is always here that the dilemma of our desires and suffering is finally resolved. If in a moment you truly sense the depth and ...
... Is it possible that while all of the hurt, pain, and suffering in this world are real, there is still a bigger truth to this existence? This doesn’t mean denying or ignoring suffering or not acting in ...
Q: Does the ego have the power to create what it wants to be, have, and do? Does the ego have the power to block the natural flow of life through me? Or can the ego only create psychological suffering ...
A friend just emailed and reported that even in the midst of a profound opening to the experience of oneness with everything, she is still saddened by the suffering in the world, and she wonders why consciousness ...