When you attend spiritual camps, retreats, or programs for a few days or weeks, you come back with a feeling of being on cloud 9. You do not want the program to end. While you are at the program, you stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders and so you feel as…
When someone has your passwords and is no longer involved in your life, you have to change all your passwords and update the information. If our personal information is compromised, we, too, have to change our passwords. We have many passwords, and so we need a place to store that information. We create a new…
My spiritual Master always had a smile on His face. I would wonder what made Him smile. He saw God in everyone. He probably also smiled at my stupidity. Seeing Him smile brought a smile to my face. Now, I smile at all the memories of my Masters. I smile at people who are consumed…
People sometimes ask me which spiritual Masters have attained more in their lives. Anyone who knows how to swim in this world will not drown. This world cannot sink them. Then that person can choose to swim across the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, a swimming pool, or just enjoy floating on…
When I was with my spiritual Master in a temple in Shanghai, He was gazing at the statue of the sleeping Buddha, waiting patiently. I asked him what He was waiting for. He answered, “I am waiting for the Buddha to get up.” Sleeping Buddha is an irony. The one who has truly awakened is…
Writing about cooking may be the greatest joke of my life. This is a person who can barely toast a slice of bread. Yet it is an important subject, as I love good food. This talent of cooking is one of the greatest gifts from God. Some fortunate souls just have a knack for cooking.…
If you choose to lose weight and get in shape, you pay the price by giving up desserts and fried foods. I chose to be a vegetarian out of the compassion in my heart. I paid the price by giving up my favorite dish, my dear friend Lobster Thermidor. If you choose to have income…
We all are crazy for things. I am crazy about desserts, movies, travel, business, and, above all, being with spiritual Masters. When I was younger and had a healthier body, I wanted to become the best basketball player. Later, I felt the craze to lose myself completely at the feet of the Lord—that craze where…
Some spiritual Masters are strict. Even some school teachers are very strict. Some nations are stricter than others. I always find myself disobeying strictness. Instead, if it is explained to me nicely and if it makes sense, I will obey. Certain religions are stricter than others. They all feel that, by being strict, one will…
Sometimes we feel we get brainwashed by someone who has a strong personality. People also get brainwashed by watching the same advertisement over and over again. The military uses a similar method in the training of soldiers. In spirituality, too, we need to get brainwashed. If the correct teacher brainwashes us, then we can benefit,…
In the movie, “Black Water,” a lawyer spends 8 years of his life going after the DuPont company. He left his easy, successful life to pursue his beliefs. When you do this, you are tested and may, like many, feel like giving up. The resolve to always speak the truth is not easy. Your belief…
A. Our normal thoughts are of family, desires, money, career, politics, weather, sports, lust, name, fame, and other people. Saints think of service, stories from scriptures and their meanings, the value of thoughts, and how this world is an illusion. They value each day and know that words spoken play an important part in our…