Is Pure Consciousness aware of change, suffering, etc., and if so, how is it that It does not change, and/or suffer?Phenomenal question. If a camera is shaking, stillness cannot be perceived. If a camera is still, both stillness and change can be perceived. So our consciousness must be changeless because we are able to perceive stillness. Consciousness is the witness of suffering, not the suffering. It is the witness of…
How to Get Rid of Bad Habits When There is Unprocessed TraumaAll addiction stems from unprocessed trauma. We feel some kind of pain, lack, discomfort or discontent in our body, and we seek out pleasures to provide relief. When we rely on that relief as a crutch to end those negative thoughts, it becomes an addiction.Every time we repeat a bad habit we strengthen those neural pathways in our brain,…
As you undoubtedly know, our society has become much more fragmented in recent years. All of America used to be able to connect at the office water cooler by joking about the most-watched show on TV the previous night. Today, people work remotely, live TV isn’t really a thing, and everyone is following the fake lives of strangers instead of their own friends and family. But! This fragmentation provides great…
Not every relationship will last forever. Not every person is meant to be in our life. But whether someone is in our life for a brief moment or for the rest of our life, every relationship has something to teach us. How we relate to ourselves, others, and the world around us is what determines the quality of our life. When we live in harmony, we feel peaceful. When our…
True enlightenment can never be lost. Many people, throughout many stages of their spiritual journey, may experience what feels like enlightenment. They have a moment of being, pure bliss, and free from thoughts, only to immediately have their clinging and grasping mind try to analyze and hold onto it, which of course instantly ruins the moment. This happens because they don’t fully understand their experience. With total enlightenment, we become…
How Can Beginners Start a Daily Meditation Practice Congratulations on taking the decision not to settle with having a stressful mind. Learning to meditate is about more than just learning to sit still with your eyes closed. It’s about learning to be present and to see things as they really are. Our constant thoughts, judgments, and opinions are like a fog that obscures our view of reality. The more we…
To be alive is to be on a lifelong mission of learning. That means that we will have regrets, mistakes, failures, setbacks and difficult challenges in our lives. While we think our past determines our present, it's actually how we relate to our past that matters. In this podcast, I talk about how we can change our relationship with a difficult past. I share ways we can reframe our pain,…
There are many more questions that envelope the idea behind meditation and spirituality. But one of the major questions that everyone asks is can meditation help fight depression? Depression is one of the most common yet most debilitating forms of mental illnesses a majority of us are suffering from today.The idea is that with meditation, you can begin your journey towards healing from this demon of depression. But what is…
This is the story of how I cured my ADHD with meditation. When I was 13 years old, being a bit impulsive and a bit of a dreamer, neither of which was too pleasing to my school teachers, my parents took me to a place with many doctors and experts in lab coats who specialized in diagnosing children with various behavioral disorders. I didn’t really understand what was going on…
Why did you choose New Zealand?During a meeting with the high Buddhist lama, Karmapa, he asked me which forest I was going to meditate in for 50 days and if there were any bears or tigers there, as he was living in India which has both. I told him I was thinking about New Zealand and that they did not. “Very good,” he said. That really sealed the deal for…
If something here helped you feel less alone, would you help me keep it alive?
Even the smallest support matters.
Weekly Writings from the Desk of Todd Perelmuter
