Living Grace

Frequently, I hear people say something like, “Where are today’s saints and enlightened gurus?” I like to respond, “Why are you not a saint or an enlightened guru?” My question is not an exercise in sarcasm! The goal of our spiritual practices is not ultimately to get...

Monday: Life’s most powerful and transforming truths are not transmitted primarily through words, but through the medium of inspired image, symbol, and metaphor - in words, the arts, and our own imaginations. These inspired images reach into the deepest...

One of the most paradoxical images in any of the world’s spiritual traditions is that of the crucified Christ. I say this is paradoxical because in the crucifixion we have the marriage of God and chaos, God and suffering, and God and tragedy. The egoic mind wants to...

Our brothers and sisters from Eastern spiritual traditions offer us the image of the yogi sitting in meditation: spine straight and erect, head and neck aligned with the spine, hands resting on the lap, eyes closed and the body so very still. It is a regal, graceful...

Because today’s culture tends to eschew anything authoritative or hierarchical, today's image — that of a king or a queen — might be disconcerting to some, yet it is necessary to a balanced, effective life. From the Hindu tradition, Krishna is a kingly figure. He...

One of the most beautiful images that come to us from the spiritual world is that of the disciple sitting at the feet of the Guru. From the Gospel of Luke, we are told that Mary, Jesus’ disciple, “...sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.” Yogananda...