“Behind the multiplicity of forms there is a single reality.”
– Aldous Huxley –
“Behind the multiplicity of forms there is a single reality.”
– Aldous Huxley –
Why Beware of the Doug?
For years I ran a blog on ending suffering. Now I’m running a blog on discovering the truth about the one who appeared to be doing all that suffering. It’s pretty clear that guy is the problem – well, the belief in him being separate and alone. Ergo the whole ‘beware of the doug’ thing.’ In other words, the only way this works out is if / when Doug gets dumped for good.
Why Beware of the Doug?
For years I ran a blog on ending suffering. Now I’m running a blog on discovering the truth about the one who appeared to be doing all that suffering. It’s pretty clear that guy is the problem – well, the belief in him being separate and alone. Ergo the whole ‘beware of the doug’ thing.’ In other words, the only way this works out is if / when Doug gets dumped for good.
LATEST POSTS
Because we spend our lives driven by thought, it can be terribly difficult for even the tiniest snippet of Truth to edge its way into our consciousness. Without such Truths, the inner journey lacks legs. I've always suspected this is in part what Thoreau meant by 'the mass of men leading lives of quiet desperation.' We are drowning in thought, yet thirsting for Truth. I call them Truths with a capital 'T' because they transcend self and time. By contrast,[...]
A meta-analysis of studies on psilocybin show that high doses of the substance can alleviate symptoms of depression in people at levels comparable to the SSRI drug escitalopram, which is used to treat major depressive episodes. Researchers found that patients fared better with psilocybin - the active ingredient in 'magic mushrooms' - than with placebos. Bet they also cautioned that flaws in the study designs "may have overestimated the effectiveness of psychedelics." Nevertheless, this latest research offers up still more[...]
Cleaning out my home office, I stumbled across the journal of my ex-wife, who died several years ago due to the ravages of alcoholism. I spent a few minutes scanning the handful of pages she'd written out, hoping I'd at last uncover some clues into the mysterious suffering that had for so long plagued her. During our turbulent marriage, the sources of my own misery and shitty behavior were many and obvious. Seven failed marriages between my parents, cases of[...]
During my teens I'd stumbled across, and become fascinated with, the idea of a Native American-inspired vision quest. Coming from a controlling and demeaning childhood, the idea of venturing into the wilds in search of a guiding vision sounded exhilarating. Suddenly unencumbered of a job and relationships and buoyed by the idea that the something was listening and cheering me on, I scraped together another courage to move foward with the idea. Or at the very least, run it by[...]
Because we spend our lives driven by thought, it can be terribly difficult for even the tiniest snippet of Truth to edge its way into our consciousness. Without such Truths, the inner journey lacks legs.[...]
A meta-analysis of studies on psilocybin show that high doses of the substance can alleviate symptoms of depression in people at levels comparable to the SSRI drug escitalopram, which is used to treat major depressive[...]
Cleaning out my home office, I stumbled across the journal of my ex-wife, who died several years ago due to the ravages of alcoholism. I spent a few minutes scanning the handful of pages she'd[...]
During my teens I'd stumbled across, and become fascinated with, the idea of a Native American-inspired vision quest. Coming from a controlling and demeaning childhood, the idea of venturing into the wilds in search of[...]
“Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is everywhere.”
– Black Elk –
“Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is everywhere.”
– Black Elk –
It's one of the world's oldest pieces of advice, if you can call it that: know thyself. Yet despite its longevity and embrace by virtually every philosophical and spiritual heavyweight of the past 2,500 years,[...]
Self-inquiry is a mainstay of many Eastern philosophical and spiritual traditions that places an emphasis on the student's persistent investigation into who, exactly, he or she is. In a sense, it is the ultimate self-inventory.[...]
Over the course of a given day, you likely will experience tens of thousands of thoughts. It should go without saying that it is these thoughts that make up your sense of reality and your[...]
Ask the typical individual to describe meditation and they may picture Lululemon-clad influencers gazing off into the distance seated next to their infinity pool. Or perhaps robed monks seated lotus-style bathed in incense smoke. If[...]
Recent Posts
In the campy 1980 comedy, Caddyshack, disheveled groundskeeper Carl Spackler (played by a brilliant Bill Murray) relates a story about caddying for the Dalai Lama. As Spackler tells it, the game ends and no traditional[...]
A great deal of my early life was characterized by the kinds of suffering to which only a powerless child can be condemned. The details of that suffering are irrelevant for three reasons: There are[...]
It's not often that a scientist becomes a subject for his own research; even less common when said scientist describes his brain as 'breaking' during the experiment. But that's precisely how Dr. Nico Dosenbach, an[...]
Sensory deprivation via natural or manmade caves has now become, if not routine, certainly more commonplace. In recent months Outside and National Geographic have run stories on the practice, which usually involves a stay lasting[...]
