How to Be One With the Universe: Seeing Beyond the Individual Self When we say that humans are social creatures, it doesn’t just mean that we like to gather and communicate. It means that through the many selves, a society emerges. Without society, we would have no language, and thus no thoughts. So while there is a great deal we can learn about ourselves when we close our eyes and…
Early in my time in India, one of the first gurus I met asked me why I wanted to become enlightened. I said, “Because it’s probably like being on an acid trip all the time.” He laughed and said, “Then you won’t become enlightened.” What I realized later was that he was pointing out the selfishness of that motivation. Enlightenment cannot be pursued for personal pleasure. That moment shifted my…
Reader Question "Dear Todd, if we have family, friends, and relationships can we also reach Enlightenment/Self-Realization? Can we have both?" There is no doubt that it is easier to meditate all day when we live in a monastery. But, while meditation is essential for understanding the mind and the nature of consciousness, that’s not all there is to reaching our ultimate potential.We humans forget that we are spiritual beings, but…
The Core Questions of Existence: Suffering, Oneness, and the Illusion of Separateness Why does a flower blossom? Why does a tree grow? Why are we here? Does life want to live? Does life want to just reproduce and survive? And if so, why? For what benefit? Or is it all just random chaos? God created the universe because it was bored. Because it could. Because it wanted life to enjoy…
Everyone Is Your Guru Over the last 10 years, I’ve had hundreds of gurus and mentors, shamans, tribal chiefs, who have imparted so much of their wisdom to me. Many monks and nuns in Buddhism and other religions have shared their knowledge with me. And the truth is, every single person I meet, every plant I see, every butterfly and ant, every rock, chair, table—everything—is my guru, my mentor, my…
In quantum mechanics, which is the study of the quantum realm, or subatomic particles, where our current laws of physics don't apply, gravity doesn't affect these tiny particles. And they seem to operate by a different set of laws. And this set of laws, which govern the particles that make up all of the matter in the universe, are showing us that life is crazier than anyone ever imagined. One…
It is true that we all have Buddha and Hitler potential within us. We all have these capacities for becoming good, awakened, peaceful, loving people. And we also have tyranny, hatred, cruelty, and violence within us. But here is the good news: it took a very specific set of circumstances to create Hitler. It took very specific causes and conditions that led to his life and the consequences and outcomes…
“Know thyself” is one of those ancient spiritual bits of wisdom that most of us have heard. And no one else can give you the answer to that question of who are you. That is something each of us has to do for ourselves — to close our eyes, turn inward, and spend a significant amount of time understanding who we are, ever-changing in this ever-changing moment. What is the…
It’s important to understand that we are all people, and there is no “them versus me.” Bad people think they’re good people, and good people can think they’re bad people. It depends on what day you see someone. People are both. We’re human beings, and there is no me versus them. That separation is part of the creation of conflict, an illusion of duality that makes us feel superior and…
There was a famous lama I once spoke with in a Buddhist monastery in northern India. He was one of those lamas with the last name “Rinpoche.” I’ll butcher the first name, so I’ll just call him Mr. Rinpoche.He said:A bird needs two wings to fly, and humans need two wings to fly. One is wisdom, and one is experience.Wisdom is the intellectual understanding we develop about ourselves and spirituality…
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