The two most common methods for directly recognizing our true nature are the looking method and the resting method. The Christian mystical tradition calls these two approaches Via Positiva (the looking method) and Via Negativa (the resting method). Via Positiva suggests: “Seek and you will find.” Via Negativa suggests: “Give up seeking, and you will find.” Most meditation paths include aspects of both these styles. In addition, both Via Positiva and Via Negativa agree that ego-identification is the obstacle to... Read more

My book, Shift Into Freedom, is a user’s manual for your awakening that can be adapted to yourindividual learning style. I give you the map, show you the direction to travel, and offer descriptions of the territory you may find. The pointers are to help you find your own inner GPS so you can navigate your own way. But you won’t know what it’s really like until you’ve been there yourself. Don’t take my words, pointers, or impressionistic map too literally.... Read more

On a crisp autumn day in New York City, I headed downtown for a meeting. Arriving at the entrance of my neighborhood subway station on 116th Street and Broadway, I heard the train pull in below. I reached for my MetroCard, passed through the turnstile, and hurried downstairs, reaching the platform just in time to see the subway doors slide shut and the train pull away. I stood there, looking at my watch, feeling frustrated because I’d probably be late... Read more

You may have done a meditation where you think positive thoughts or focus on your breath or a word to calm your mind. In this short animated meditation you will be invited to go to the next level, effortless mindfulness, to find peace in the space between the thoughts in your mind. This can lead you to discover your awareness-based mind that is already awake, creative, compassionate and in a joyful flow. While doing this practice, you may have noticed that... Read more

“Location, location, location” is a phrase used by real-estate agents to emphasize that identical homes have different values based on where they’re located. If a building has two apartments—one with windows looking out at brick walls and the other, three floors higher, with panoramic views—the upstairs apartment is much more valuable. The open-hearted awareness approach helps you shift into your best location with a spacious view from which you can realize how valuable you already are. The small sense of... Read more

Contrary to popular belief, you can’t be in the present moment. However, you are always here now. It is only a matter of whether you know it or not. The Now is often confused with our understanding of “the present time” or “the present moment.” In Tibetan Buddhism, the Now is considered the “timeless time” that includes the three relative times of past, present, and future. We know not to get caught in the past or the future, but in... Read more

Religious differences have fueled much conflict and war over the centuries, no doubt. But rather than abandon all religion and spirituality, could we instead discover a deeper and more common mystical spiritual experience within the world’s religions in order to find peace and harmony? If we are to survive and thrive in the twenty-first century, the task for humans is to find the deep unity within diversity. It seems that a global shift in spiritual consciousness has already begun. Many... Read more