Posts Tagged ‘saint’

16
May
2016

SIX Words to Change the World

categories: Authentic Living, People, Social Transformation, Spirituality & Religion

I have been fortunate to meet several people who taught me about wisdom and in whose presence I traveled deeper and farther into the world of wonderment, beauty, grace and silence.

Huston Smith, Ph.D., is one such person and is, in my mind, a living saint, a man of prodigious knowledge and wisdom.

Huston Smith

Huston Smith

During his distinguished career as an author and professor of philosophy and religion, Dr. Smith managed to not only study, but practice Vedanta, Hinduism, Zen Buddhism and Sufism for over 10 years each. In 1996, Bill Moyers devoted a five-part PBS special to Smith’s life and work, The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith. (more…)

05
Jul
2014

Darshan with Bhagawan Nityananda

categories: Authentic Living, Spirituality & Religion

In 2003, I was walking along Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco. I was trying to figure out how to raise money for a project I wanted to launch. Suddenly, right there in broad daylight and on the sandy crescent of Stinson Beach, a tall nearly-naked Indian man appeared. I recognized him from pictures. He was called

Nityananda

Nityananda

Bhagawan Nityananda, and lived here on Earth up until 1961. He was a great and eccentric sage, the guru of my teacher. He stood in front of me and said, “You have reached a place in your sadhana (spiritual practice) where you no longer have to reach to get. You only have to open to receive.” Whoosh. Then he was gone.

Of course, the thoughtstream of my mind wanted to know: Receive what? How? From where? When? What about will, and intention, and effort? What about planning and strategies? Who’s sending the stuff I’m supposed to open to receive? What if it doesn’t come? What if it’s not what I want?

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