Stones In the Stream

Ibn al-‘Arabi tells a story of a man from Yemen named Khalid bin Sinan who once received a vision from God. The Lord said to Khalid, “I will show you the truth of your dreams and where they come from. But first, you must pass through death. Tell your children that in two weeks time […]

The Magpie Art

If you want to live a happier, more creative life, be like the magpie bird, who makes her nest out of the shiny objects she collects. The magpie does not ask whether these things “belong” to her, or whether she truly deserves them. The magpie cannot even tell the difference between ordinary glass and diamonds. […]

The Uses of Sorrow

A man said to Nisargadatta Maharaj, “Sir, when I hear you speak about a state of total freedom from pain, my heart understands what you are saying to be true. And yet, if I am honest, I have to admit that most of the time, I experience nothing but the deepest suffering.” Nisargadatta Maharaj said […]

At Play In the Fields of the Lord

One of the greatest spiritual temptations is to confuse unconsciousness with higher consciousness. We all do this at times. We pray or dance or meditate, thinking we’ve attained some heightened state of awareness, when in reality we have only regressed into our our habitual trances and dreams. And still, there is part of the mind […]