Everything we believe about ourselves and others is an idea, an image constructed in our heads. And these mental constructs can be some of our biggest obstacles and struggles. Letting go of our mental constructs—our ideas about ourselves and others—can be most liberating. I’m not saying it’s wrong to have mental constructs. We can’t help…

One of the biggest sources of difficulties for every single human being is the desire for people to be a certain way. We can’t seem to help it: we want the world to be the way we want it. Unfortunately, reality always has different plans, and people behave in less-than-ideal ways. The problem isn’t other…

These past two weeks have been hectic and exhausting for me. My wife’s father passed away, and I’ve been in non-stop planning, coordinating, cooking, cleaning, driving around mode. Yesterday was the funeral, and it was a long, tiring and busy day. Incredibly sad, but busy. In the midst of this busyness, I’ve been trying to remember…

I’ve been on countless spiritual retreats in my life: days, weekends, weeks, and ten-day stretches during which I sat in meditation listened to spiritual teachings and took long walks without distraction (other than my mind). I almost always come home from a retreat with a sense of peace, deep well-being, overall calmness, and even joy. Post-retreat, when I return…

A surprising number of our daily struggles stem from our attachments. Let me list a few: Overeating: There’s nothing wrong with eating, but when we eat out of the habit of comforting ourselves or not knowing when to stop, it can lead to feeling bad or having worse health over time. The attachment here might…

Commentary One of the cards that came this Christmas was different from any I had had in the past. It featured a painting, made by the sender, my sister, of a tree bent over in the wind with some leaves flying off and some still attached to the tree. It was titled, “Just let go.”…

When we start to let go of the past, we have emptied our cups and allowed them to be filled up with the present.

Each one of us bears scars from our past. There isn’t a person alive who hasn’t felt the sting of heartache, grief, and suffering. Each difficulty we go through leaves its mark, and the deeper the hurt, the longer it takes to heal. But, just as the ownership of too many physical possessions creates chaotic…

We want the world to be the way we want it. Unfortunately, reality always has different plans, and people behave in less than ideal ways.