Mira’s Posts

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The Spider & The Blue-Throated God – 2/2 (Feb 28, 2019) - Did I go from being a neurotic worrier to a goddess radiating mega-rays of tranquility in a few short weeks? Sorry, but this ain’t no fairy tale. The sad truth is that I was born with a depressive gene: to … Continue reading →
The Spider & The Blue-Throated God – 1/2 (Feb 22, 2019) - I owe a colossal debt of gratitude to a woman I shall call Grace, whose kindly face, hennaed hair, hooked nose and elfin green eyes still come with great affection to mind. I met her over a decade ago, at … Continue reading →
THOSE BORING OLD CLICHES (Feb 8, 2019) - Clichés become clichés because they are true. For instance, how many times has some elder told you that you will know your true friends only when you are sick and suffering, penniless, shunned by society, etcetera? You might have smiled … Continue reading →
ENTICE THE GENIE BACK INTO THE BOTTLE, AND DON’T LET HIM OUT AGAIN! (Feb 1, 2019) - A wealthy trader decided to travel the world seeking out rare objects he could sell for a small fortune to private clients. One morning his ship landed on a beautiful beach. He saw a skinny wild-haired fellow racing up and … Continue reading →
YOU HAVE NO SHAME… (Jan 31, 2019) - …my mother would say to me sternly whenever I misbehaved, which admittedly was often. I was a curious child and did not believe in the maxim of children should be seen but not heard (a friend turned that around jokingly … Continue reading →
THE OLD MAN & THE MISCHIEVOUS CHILD (Jan 25, 2019) - Although the way up the Mountain of Oneness can involve some pretty rugged terrain, and one stumbles every now and again, and even gets lost in the thickets of strange new concepts and terms, eventually the journey becomes smooth, pleasurable … Continue reading →
A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE (Jan 11, 2019) - Ages ago in America, a friend I was visiting over the long Thanksgiving weekend, told me that she had her ex-husband had never really gotten along. She had married him on the proverbial rebound several years after her fiancé, whom … Continue reading →
THE PARADOX OF ADDICTION (Jan 4, 2019) - Right before the millennium, at a birthday celebration held in a spacious loft in downtown Manhattan, I fell into deep conversation with an eccentric artist who was rapidly rising in a city where the competition is known to be beyond fierce. … Continue reading →
4 AM ON THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE (Dec 28, 2018) - After the initial intense discomfort of leaving a marriage that was throttling me emotionally, and blocking my spiritual and creative progress, I was once again enjoying the richness of life. Soon I began to feel an exhilarating sense of freedom. … Continue reading →
THE OLD MAN AND THE MISCHIEVOUS CHILD (Dec 22, 2018) - Although the way up the Mountain of Oneness can involve some pretty rugged terrain, and one stumbles every now and again, and even gets lost in the thickets of strange new concepts and terms, eventually the journey becomes smooth, pleasurable … Continue reading →
JNANA IS A JEALOUS GOD (Dec 8, 2018) - Every serious seeker enters the inner path in a unique way, which is why we are fortunate if we find friends who resonate with our views and feelings. My own trajectory began when I was a troubled teenager looking for … Continue reading →
BIZARRE & CLUELESS (Dec 1, 2018) - A long while ago, I read a Trump tweet stating that the Pope was a modest man, just like Trump himself. Well, we’ve all heard such unbelievable stuff gushing forth from Trump’s heedless and juvenile mouth, but this particular tweet really … Continue reading →
MELTDOWN BEFORE RAMANA (Nov 9, 2018) - Those who know me well are aware that I have an abysmally low threshold for pain of any kind. I feel terrible, not just when I suffer, but when I see other beings going through hell, whether human, animal, avian … Continue reading →
BLIND TURTLE (Nov 2, 2018) - It took eons for mini-me to put her baggage down On this speeding Moksha Train Bound for Bliss; Impossible to express this tidal wave of gratitude Surging up from my Spiritual Heart now that I AM In your fiery embrace, … Continue reading →
MY LITTLE TOE! (Oct 26, 2018) - Yesterday morning I was heading for my computer in a rush when I stubbed my right little toe very hard against a wooden door. The pain was excruciating. I staggered to a couch and put my feet up, stunned at … Continue reading →
CELESTIAL SYNONYMS & COMMONALITIES. (For the seeker on the path of Jnana (Eastern wisdom)) (Oct 19, 2018) - I was born a wannabe jnani, incapable of the adoration/worship of gurus, temples and holy objects that many with a religious bent incline towards. Some may consider me supercilious, simply because I am not impressed by celebrities, nor the wealthy … Continue reading →
THE THIEF OF TIME (Oct 12, 2018) - A middle-aged woman, who has been visiting Tiruvannamalai for longer than I have lived here, called to ask if she could visit me. She had some important questions on Advaita she thought I could answer, she said, and I grimaced, … Continue reading →
SPIRITUAL OLYMPICS (Oct 5, 2018) - At the millennium, I flew from Manhattan to live in Dharamsala, home of the exiled Tibetans in the foothills of the Himalayas. Months later, my precious Micron laptop (it was the rare person who owned a laptop in those days) … Continue reading →
TINA & IKE TURNER (Sep 21, 2018) - Anna Mae Bullock was a country girl who escaped her quiet life for the big bad city in her teens and fell headlong in love with Ike Turner, a tall talented black musician with an eye for the girls—as well … Continue reading →
COBRAS WRITHE ABOUT HIS BLUE THROAT (Sep 7, 2018) - Ramana says, echoing the mystics of all time, That the three states of waking, sleeping and dreaming Are unreal, meaning that they are ephemeral, and come and go. Oh, but last night I dreamed I was the Great God … Continue reading →
YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE (Aug 31, 2018) - Consider for a moment the many ways you have tried to escape suffering—both the gigantic miseries of loss, grief and death, as well as the wee pains, frustrations and irritations that are part of the menu of being born as … Continue reading →
ON THE CURVED HORNS OF A DILEMMA (Aug 24, 2018) - A few years ago I met a man who had been born in a Communist regime. He loved to talk and freely shared his story with me: As a boy, he had loved and admired his jovial father who was … Continue reading →
IN SEARCH OF SECRET INDIA (Aug 10, 2018) - Long decades ago, the Englishman Paul Brunton was consumed by a luminous quest: to locate the rishis or holy men that had once made India sparkle with their mystical teachings and pronouncements, and then to relate his discoveries to the … Continue reading →
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD (Aug 3, 2018) - You can’t let the old biddy intimidate you like that, my friend said firmly in his gravelly voice. You have to stand up to her and you’re strong enough to do it. You feel weak after all your recent upheavals, … Continue reading →
YOU HAVE NO SHAME… (Jul 27, 2018) - …my mother would say to me sternly whenever I misbehaved, which admittedly was often. I was a curious child and did not believe in the maxim of children should be seen but not heard (a friend turned that around jokingly … Continue reading →
INTENSIVE CARE (Jul 20, 2018) - Ages ago, lunching with friends in a restaurant with a spectacular view of the Himalayas, a European woman began to boast about how close she was to her guru, and how integral her presence was to his inner circle of … Continue reading →
GO STRAIGHT TO THE BOSS (Jul 12, 2018) - Ramana calls his simple teaching on Moksha The Direct Path, and for good reason. As another powerful guru told me ages ago, There are hundreds of fine roads you could take, sweetling, But tell me, do you really have … Continue reading →
ONE CUP OF TEA AND TWO BISCUITS (Jul 6, 2018) - I read “Freedom at Midnight” right through from cover to cover in a single day when I was a teen and recall loving it. The authors (they work as a team) spoke of an infamous Nizam of Hyderabad who was … Continue reading →
MAHAMUDRA – Samsara’s Seven Flavors (4 of 4) (Jun 29, 2018) - Say you’re a crack software designer with your eye on a dream posting in California’s Bay Area. The job dangles before you like a luscious red apple and then you get a call from a pal in Human Resources—sorry, she … Continue reading →
MAHAMUDRA – Samsara’s Seven Flavors (3 of 4) (Jun 22, 2018) - Flavor #1: All Things are Impermanent. All things inevitably vanish, like dewdrops evaporating in the morning sun; however, while intellectually we may accept this, in our daily lives we ignore the stark fact that not just our relationships and possessions, but also … Continue reading →
MAHAMUDRA – Samsara’s Seven Flavors (2 of 4) (Jun 15, 2018) - THE GREAT SEAL Etymologically, Mahamudra is a combination of two Sanskrit words: maha, or great, and mudra, translated in this context as seal. In ancient times, seals were the only way to confirm the authenticity of, say, a royal command. If a monarch sent … Continue reading →
MAHAMUDRA – Samsara’s Seven Flavors (1 of 4) (Jun 8, 2018) - Peak of summer, Manhattan 1995….life is on the upswing: an admin gig at a top law firm, my own apartment in picturesque Brooklyn Heights with a scintillating nocturnal view of New York’s other three boroughs (Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island), … Continue reading →
A THIRD EYE VIEW OF THE GREEN MONSTER (May 31, 2018) - Intense emotions such as low-self-esteem can lead to suicide. This is a fact. Which is why, being a deeply emotional person myself, I loved this model of the human psyche: first Spirit, then Intellect, then the Rational Mind, and finally … Continue reading →
INFATUATION ADDICT (May 18, 2018) - Some time ago, a friend called to inform me that a guy we both knew had died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage in the middle of a conversation in a Delhi 5-star restaurant. I had met this fellow during a … Continue reading →
ADVAITA IS NOT TWO (May 11, 2018) - As a little girl, I discovered an interesting trait about myself—that, when I hurt others, as I often did, (almost always inadvertently, but sometimes intentionally—when I wanted to force them to look at their behavior through my eyes, see that … Continue reading →
FIRST FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE…. (May 4, 2018) - I confess that I am (or used to be) an impatient and demanding creature. The only problem with instant gratification in your case, as a friend laughingly told me a long time ago, was that it took too long! Anyway, … Continue reading →
MYSTICAL FRUIT (Apr 27, 2018) - At dawn, I sink again into the sweet waters of the Absolute, Sat-chit-ananda, sages call it, pure existence-consciousness and bliss, And emerge with yet another pearl of great price in my hungry maw— That the I AM’s function is to … Continue reading →
A DEMON CALLED HOPE (Apr 20, 2018) - A long time ago in Manhattan, a wise friend caught my attention with this sad story—he claimed that hope too can be a demon, when used by the ego as a tool to keep us locked into demeaning situations. As … Continue reading →
DYING MAN ON A MISSION (Apr 13, 2018) - A friend asked me to drive with her to the palatial home of a very old and sick man who lived alone in a prosperous north Indian town. She was an enthusiastic social worker who took care of orphaned children … Continue reading →
ANXIETY, BITCH GODDESS (Apr 6, 2018) - I think that you might agree with me that it is rare to find a truly “good” human—a person you know instinctively is kind, compassionate, honest, transparent and loving—and not just to those who serve his or her interests, but … Continue reading →
Genesis: Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India: 4/4 (Mar 30, 2018) - As a child in south India, I saw a man douse himself with kerosene, set himself on fire and walk past the gate of our home. I still don’t know why he did what he did; servants were buzzing about … Continue reading →
Genesis: Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India: 3/4 (Mar 23, 2018) - Sometime in the mid 90s, I put together a collection of short stories. The protagonist of each tale is an Indian woman who faces a terrible dilemma and solves it with amazing panache. I titled the collection: Sacrifice to the … Continue reading →
Genesis: Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India – 2/4 (Mar 9, 2018) - Solace came in the form of hatha yoga, meditation and studying Eastern philosophy. Someone gave me Robert Svoboda’s Aghora—crude, intense, rich. His chapter on karma made one thing crystal clear—that none of us are victims in the big picture. Our experiences are only the … Continue reading →
Genesis: Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India: 1/4 (Mar 3, 2018) - Neither of us being in the mood for the frenetic end-of-year partying for which Manhattan is famed, a friend and I decided to spend the end of 1993 at Ananda Ashram in upstate New York. It was stunningly beautiful in … Continue reading →
AMAZING GRACE (Feb 28, 2018) - One weekday night in Manhattan, after a grueling stint at a busy law firm, I came home and decided to relax with my gorgeous new Yamaha guitar. This was in the post-divorce days, when I was determined to enjoy the … Continue reading →
FOX & DEMONS (Feb 16, 2018) - In my teens, someone gave me a black hardcover book with many of its pages loose, as I recall, and I found that I simply could not put it down. The author was Emmet Fox, a New Thought spiritual leader … Continue reading →
PLAYING DEAD (Feb 9, 2018) - Venkatraman was born into a middle-class south Indian family. One day, while still in school, he was consumed by a terrible fear of death. Instead of running to the frig for an ice-cream or a snack, or turning on some … Continue reading →
TWO GREAT WINGS OF WISDOM & COMPASSION (Feb 2, 2018) - A friend told me yesterday that he’d watched a graphic video set in some Muslim country, sorry, I don’t recall which one. Apparently a woman burned a Koran and was caught in the act by a bunch of raging fundamentalists. … Continue reading →
Shiva’s Spectacular Gender Divide: 4/4 (Jan 31, 2018) - My intense emotional reactions to suffering often paralyzed me into depression. By the time I was in my teens, I already knew that in order to survive, I would have to make peace with the patriarchy. The concept of brawn … Continue reading →
Shiva’s Spectacular Gender Divide: 3/4 (Jan 19, 2018) - Another little tale: Noor, a slender Muslim girl with a sexy overbite, joined my school as a senior. Rumor had it that she’d been expelled from her old school for hanging out with boys. Pretty Noor was clearly lacking in … Continue reading →
Shiva’s Spectacular Gender Divide: 2/4 (Jan 12, 2018) - As I moved into my teen years, I sought out friends who equally dreaded being thrust into the marriage market—to be assessed in terms of dowry, fair complexions, domestic skills, and the ability to please husband and in-laws. (While the … Continue reading →
Shiva’s Spectacular Gender Divide: 1/4 (Jan 5, 2018) - In the Manhattan winter of 1992, I dreamed about writing an epic set in a mythical civilization ruled by Rudra-Siva, the great god of paradox, and infused with the beauty of Tantra. Somehow, I intuited that the Wild God himself … Continue reading →
A LEGEND IN HER OWN MIND (Dec 29, 2017) - Last night I had one of my long dreams—often they are complete stories and quite fascinating in their twists and turns. The star of this one was a woman I know who, by dint of hard work and her husband’s … Continue reading →
A RADICAL POINT OF VIEW (Dec 22, 2017) - There’s a middle-aged sadhu here in Tiruvannamalai whom I often give a ride to on my way to and from the Ashram. He’s skinny, bespectacled and a speed walker; he foots it everywhere, from morning to night, getting his free … Continue reading →
A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO A TEMPORARY PROBLEM (Dec 8, 2017) - A friend who once worked as a psychiatrist in a posh town in California once said to me that he saw the act of suicide as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Ironically, his own crazily hedonistic lifestyle militated … Continue reading →
Be Calm & Follow Your Bliss (Dec 1, 2017) - The world into which I was thrust made absolutely no sense to me. I was solemnly informed that there was a God who had created the world, but, even as a child, I considered this arrant nonsense. God, I was … Continue reading →
THE DASHING FENCER (Nov 30, 2017) - At a certain phase of my life, when I was desperately planning my escape from a city many would give their eye teeth (whatever that means!) to enjoy (Manhattan), I worked for a posh law firm and took every opportunity … Continue reading →
YOUNG SOUL, OLD SOUL (Nov 17, 2017) - The New Age (which I happen to mostly detest and keep my distance for, for really it is all recycled material that they use often to great detriment of depth and richness) has popularized many buzzwords and one is that … Continue reading →
EVERYONE HAS A HIGHER POWER (Nov 10, 2017) - Manhattan broke down my identity; in south India I was more or less confident that I could accomplish anything I set my mind on. I was popular, well-known in certain circles, and could have launched myself into a lucrative creative … Continue reading →
CHEAP THRILLS (Nov 3, 2017) - Growing up in south India at a time when the West was not as accessible as it is to Indians today, my first glimmerings of the wild life I (delusionally) believed all Americans and Europeans led was via the thrillers … Continue reading →
MOUNTAIN GODDESS (Oct 27, 2017) - When I first landed in Dharamsala in the foothills of the Himalayas, straight from the frenetic city of Manhattan, I was lost and bewildered by a strange new world. Soon I found my way to the Tibetan Library, where every … Continue reading →
I REJECT YOUR GIFT (Oct 20, 2017) - I write my morning posts off the top of my head, meaning I don’t generally research the topic, so you must forgive me if I use ancient stories merely as devices to get a message across, and don’t bother unduly … Continue reading →
EMPTY WORDS (Oct 14, 2017) - Before I moved into my own home here in Tiru, I had four landlords over a space of three years, each of whom was nightmarish in their own unique way. One was so slippery that he would assure me he … Continue reading →
LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF SAMSARA (Oct 6, 2017) - I’d been out of sorts for the past couple of days, and so I went to bed early, allowing my guest, exhausted as she was from long travel, to dive under the covers too. The dream came on quickly, swallowing … Continue reading →
MONOGAMY: BLESSING OR CURSE? (Sep 29, 2017) - The other day I read a statement by a “guru” (who claims to have thousands of devotees) that all men are polygamous by nature. Ah, I thought, brilliant excuse! Let’s blame Nature for all the dishonesty and delusion we see … Continue reading →
MESMERIZING LILA (Sep 15, 2017) - I am beginning to understand Lila, the Cosmic Enchantress, In a new way. I now see her as the I AM, the base of the egoic edifice, So brilliant, conniving, creative and spellbinding That I have fallen for her tricks, … Continue reading →
SEX, DEATH AND SIGMUND FREUD (Sep 8, 2017) - Freud opened the minds of millions of Westerners to the hidden codes that determine our behavior. I read his work from time to time as a young woman, and one particular novel I plunged into as a teenager particularly fascinated … Continue reading →
A SOUPED-UP FERRARI WITH THE BRAKES ON!!! (Sep 1, 2017) - “You know what?” he said as he studied my astrological chart. “You’re like a souped-up Ferrari with the brakes on.” He laughed at my puzzled expression. “Well, I say that because you’ve got some great planets on your side, but … Continue reading →
KILL YOUR DARLINGS (Aug 26, 2017) - This is serious advice for serious writers—to kill our darlings. Sounds brutal, no? Well, actually, what it means is that sometimes we come up with great material, but, in the context of the whole piece of work, say a short … Continue reading →
DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? (Aug 19, 2017) - My father taught me a powerful lesson growing up; I watched many a time as he out-intimidated the legion of official and governmental bullies that routinely harass all Indians and make millions of lives miserable. “Do you know who I … Continue reading →
BLISS JUNKIE (Aug 12, 2017) - One result of discovering the amazing teachings of Eastern philosophy was that I began to closely study my own relative nature. Over time I came to the conclusion that it was composed of two almost equal but opposing sides: yes, … Continue reading →
DENIAL IS NOT A RIVER IN EGYPT. (Aug 5, 2017) - A woman introduced to me by a friend visited me the other day. We had a nice chat and I offered her something to eat. She came into the kitchen as I got her meal ready and hovered over me, eyes … Continue reading →
DID I TELL YOU NOT TO HISS? (Jul 28, 2017) - The great sage Ramakrishna told this old tale to his disciples: an angry snake terrified the village boys so greatly that they dared not venture near his territory. One day a yogi was walking through the village when a boy … Continue reading →
ADVAITA IS NOT TWO (Jul 21, 2017) - I am no scholar and tend to reduce the most sophisticated philosophy into easily digestible truths I can use in my daily life. Complication and complexity only keep me from going deep, I have discovered, and when ideas become simple, … Continue reading →
A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW (Jul 14, 2017) - I just finished reading a beautifully crafted novel set in Greece where one of the protagonists is a billionaire who adores his only son. And so does his gorgeous mistress. It’s a bizarre situation, because the man’s wife knows he … Continue reading →
EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL (Jul 7, 2017) - All through the night it had snowed heavily; when I awoke, in a beautiful Ashram in America with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I looked out to see my world blanketed in pure white. Usually I love the … Continue reading →
BE MINE FOREVER….OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE AGONIES OF THE DAMNED. (Jun 17, 2017) - When a sage is born, shining like a star in a noon sky, some are fortunate enough to encounter him or her personally and to directly absorb his teachings. But after he passes away, other elements take over, and these … Continue reading →
ONE MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE… (Jun 10, 2017) - …is all it takes to blast open the mind and to prove to us, from the inside where it counts, that what we take for reality, as revealed to us via the five senses and our limited finite mind, is … Continue reading →
ONLY AS SICK AS WE ARE SECRET (Jun 3, 2017) - Anyone who has grown up in a traditional community knows that one is strongly urged to never speak about the skeletons rattling around in both individual and community closets. As for me, I was so open with strangers right from … Continue reading →
NAGARJUNA’S KILLER TIME GAP (May 5, 2017) - I am no scholar and frankly admit that my long years of immersion in Eastern Philosophy were driven solely by an obsession to destroy my own darkness. In my teens, I dived into esoteric teachings in an attempt to understand my … Continue reading →
STEALING GEMS FROM A CORPSE (Apr 7, 2017) - During my years in Manhattan, I flew to Florida to spend a long weekend with a close friend. At the time I was agonizing over whether to cut loose from a relationship that had been wonderful at the start but … Continue reading →
PLATINUM INSURANCE (Mar 3, 2017) - How are you? I asked a friend in Manhattan. Oh, I’m just FINE, he said with a laugh—then proceeded to inform me that FINE was an anagram for Fuddled, Insecure, Neurotic and Egocentric. (Actually he used two hyphenated words for … Continue reading →
HAITIAN HEALER DESTROYS MY STORY (Feb 3, 2017) - I love stepping into a new year for one major reason—a fresh chunk of time yawns before me, encouraging me to drop destructive behaviors and to cultivate new habits that better serve my highest goals. I decided to make this … Continue reading →
The Destructive Dance of Monkey Mind (Jan 6, 2017) - Last night something happened that disturbed my mind. Unable to sleep, I stayed awake until the wee hours, reading an illuminating book a friend had given me containing the reminiscences of those fortunate enough to have had personal contact with Bhagavan … Continue reading →
Do Not Be Serious About Anything! (Dec 2, 2016) - During my stay at a beautiful Ashram in America long years ago, I was consumed with worry about my future. You see, I had jumped out of the mainstream by quitting a great job in Manhattan, sold my lovely apartment, … Continue reading →
Samsara is a Fickle Beast! (Nov 4, 2016) - ‘Samsara’ is a Sanskrit word that approximates to ‘relative reality.’ When Buddha gave us his first noble truth: life is suffering, it was this level of reality he was referring to, simply, the ups and downs of a life lived … Continue reading →
Serpent Ring And The Magic of Acceptance (Oct 8, 2016) - I met a wild looking sadhu on the way up to Skand Ashram many moons ago, and noticed that he wore incredible jewelry, all in the shape of serpents, and fashioned of copper and gold. He told me a jeweler … Continue reading →
DHARAMKOT (Oct 3, 2016) - I dashed off this short poem 16 years ago, right after trudging up the mountain, even as snow flakes drifted down to earth. We were heading home, I and the three beautiful American friends with whom I shared a big … Continue reading →
Everything Happens For The Best (Sep 2, 2016) - As a wild teenager intent on finding a way out of angst, I read a reassuring eastern tale of wisdom…here’s my impromptu version of it: A great King had a favorite Minister upon whose sage advice he strongly relied. One day while … Continue reading →
THAT INFURIATING PATTERN FROM HELL!!! (Aug 14, 2016) - NOTE: The Kindle Scout campaign for Krishna’s Counsel is over. No further nominations shall be accepted. A Big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who nominated. Well, so this is the last day you can NOMINATE my mystical novel Krishna’s Counsel for inclusion on … Continue reading →
THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET (Aug 12, 2016) - ‘The Secret’—a ‘spiritual’ self-help documentary launched in Australia in 2006—hit the Western world with incredible impact, generating millions for its producers. I wrote the following article a year or so later but never published it. Today, although a thousand other … Continue reading →
BRAHMA’S DREAM & KRISHNA’S COUNSEL (Aug 9, 2016) - NOTE: The Kindle Scout campaign for Krishna’s Counsel is over. No further nominations shall be accepted. A Big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who nominated. I grew up in a traditional south Indian world whose cruel inequities I struggled to make … Continue reading →
TRUE CONFESSION & KRISHNA’S COUNSEL (Jul 28, 2016) - NOTE: The Kindle Scout campaign for Krishna’s Counsel is over. No further nominations shall be accepted. A Big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who nominated. True confession—I LOATHE self-promo with a passion! I don’t enjoy nagging and equally shy away from … Continue reading →
ARUNACHALA, NOT ABRACADABRA (Jul 8, 2016) - “Why don’t you teach an analytical meditation at my learning center?” a woman asked me. It was a bright morning in Rishikesh, and while I loved my new apartment with its spectacular view of the Himalayas, my heart was heavy … Continue reading →
ANGEL IN MANHATTAN (May 6, 2016) - It was a gorgeous fall morning and I woke up deliriously happy in my new apartment. The past couple of months had been crazy with all sorts of pressures, but finally the move from Carroll Gardens to Brooklyn Heights came; since … Continue reading →
DRUGS, GUNS & SATSANGH (Apr 1, 2016) - In the course of a fiery discussion on how so-called gurus milk unwary disciples of their money as well as precious intangibles, a friend mentioned that Papaji (a devotee of Ramana Maharshi who later became a guru in his own … Continue reading →
SERYNA, Japanese Restaurant (Mar 11, 2016) - Someone close to me has been suffering greatly; one morning, post-meditation, I thought of her again, and memories of a distant time when I too had been just as sad came back to me in a rush. At the time, … Continue reading →
BE TRUE UNTO YOURSELF… (Feb 5, 2016) - …and it shall follow as the day the night…thou can’t then be false to any other man (or woman or child or animal, for that matter)….thus spake Hamlet and he spoke true. When I first came to Tiruvannamalai almost seven … Continue reading →
Wall Street Addict in Harlem (Jan 8, 2016) - Note: All the facts regarding this man’s story have been altered to protect his identity. The Twelve Step Program insists on anonymity, and for good reason; however, I personally feel that the stories of many inspire others to begin their own … Continue reading →
The Magic of Being Alone (Dec 4, 2015) - 1992 for me was a time of great personal darkness—sparkly on the outside, rotten on the inside. Stuck in a difficult marriage, I asked a friend at work if I could unload my troubles on her. Karen was an opera … Continue reading →