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Peace is the Real You!
Peace and joy are more or less different aspects of the same thing. If you are peaceful, you are joyful. Peace doesn’t depend on anything, but is totally independent, and it is always there. When you feel that peace, you feel a supreme happiness that also does not...
Ayurveda and Yoga Recovery Tools
Durga Leela is the founder of Yoga of Recovery, a comprehensive program that integrates Ayurveda and Yoga with recovery tools for a holistic mind, body, and spirit. In this podcast, Avi Gordon (director of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association) talks with her about...
Buddhism on Worrying—& How to Eradicate It.
My 10-day “Introduction to Buddhism” course was held in the main Gompa of Tushita Meditation Center. One of the texts that was written on the walls inside read the following: “If it can be remedied, why be upset about it? If it cannot be remedied, what is the use of...
Anger as a Tool for Change
If you need to correct somebody’s behavior, to get them to stop some negative action, you may have to use anger. By doing that, you are “punishing” their mistakes, but you are not punishing the person. You are not hating them. It’s like the child in a classroom, who...
Pandemic Panic: The Science of our Fear Response
I've found myself feeling weird amid the COVID-19 crisis. I use this vague and understated label “weird” because I’ve yet to find a more specific adjective to properly encompass what’s happening internally. As a yogi, I’m supposed to be all zen during a crisis, right?...
How to Analyze Your Anger
When anger arises, the mind becomes deluded. The Bhagavad Gita has two beautiful slokas about this: From brooding on sense objects, attachment to them arises. Out of that attachment, personal desire is born. And from desire, anger appears. Anger confuses the thinking...
In the World, but Not of the World
You can be in the world but do not be of the world. Then, you are free. The mind has to be in the world and that is why we try to have a detached outlook. Of course, this is very difficult to achieve. And, many people misunderstand the idea of detachment. They might...
What Happened When a Buddhist Monk Asked Me to Imagine My Own Death
Yesterday I finished “Dracula,” a limited series by Netflix. I was amazed by the unanticipated plot twists, the ingenious script, and, above all, the ending. Throughout the three episodes, we see that Count Dracula fears the cross, direct sunlight, and can’t step into...
All Knowledge and Wisdom is Available to You
All the knowledge and wisdom is available to us in this world. The world is a university without walls. If you become a good student, any time you feel a need to know something, the answer will appear. In the early days when I would give talks, I used to wonder, Where...
Self-nurturing or Renunciation?
Question: Because I had a difficult childhood, my therapist tells me I have to nurture myself to become whole and balanced. You teach that renunciation is the key to peace. Is there a conflict between self-nurturing and renunciation? Is there a way to reconcile these...