An overview of some of the philosophies that underpin various spiritual approaches.

This show aired May 25, 2021.

What we think of as our own body is life being supported by other life, rather than something we "own". It's hard to separate our body out from all the other life supporting it. The concept of a separate "I" based on a separate body is false.

Adding to the May 4, 2021 show. This show aired May 11, 2021.

This is a radical concept that can be hard to hear. It can also be very effective in helping to let go of the ego. What if it were true - that life is living us - meaning there isn't an ego, and there can't even be an individual I?

This show aired May 4, 2021.

It's a difficult thing to do! Changing how we look at just one principle - that the physical world is strong than we are and controls us - makes a huge difference.

Looking again at the experiences we have and how they are more created by the mind than the body's senses - our mind tricks us into thinking our senses have told us about the world.

A continuing of a hopefully simple explanation of non duality (not-two). A key part of our seeing the world as duality (many things) lies in the use of the body as our boundary between ourselves (me) and the rest of the world (not me.) But is this a valid way to decide that there is a me, separate from all else?

Asked by a listener to provide an every day, "layman's" guide to understanding non-duality - a challenge! This is part 1, and it focuses almost entirely on understanding the role of awareness. Part 2 (planned for next week) will talk about the more abstract facets of non-duality, all of which come from the recognition of awareness. This is a non-scholarly attempt to explain non-duality from the inside out.

Even though the words, "Direct Path" imply there is ONE direct path to enlightenment, in reality there are many paths considered "Direct Path" with differing orders of magnitude of difficulty.

Defining a Direct Path is not necessarily exact. There are many definitions. A Direct path usually has no Holy Text (but there are exceptions to that) and no church, ashram or sangha to attend (again, with exceptions.)

A Direct Path is supposed to lead you directly to enlightenment - a quick pathway, but perhaps a hard path to follow. Without the support of a church or community, the seeker is left to seek on his or her own.

Of the variations of Direct Paths, some are considered to be progressive or intermediate. A progressive path works to improve the human psychological condition at the same time as working towards the realization of enlightenment. An intermediate path is one which has set out steps, or levels of achievement or knowledge.

Another variable is the lack of definition of enlightenment or awakening. Without a clear end goal, choosing a path can be difficult. Different teachers offer different approaches, and in the end, no one path is better or worse than another.