Talks 2016
Click on the links below to watch on YouTube or listen to the audio.
December 31 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Do not underestimate the power of choice to determine your reality. You can choose faith or fear, hope or resignation. Choose wisely.
December 24 San Rafael (watch, listen)
The miracle of life is that coherence emerges from chaos. It is impossible to know the how or why of it. Celebrate the dance of impermanence.
December 18 LA (watch, listen)
Don't piss on my bliss. Must one talk about the dangerous, unknowable, unthinkable and unimaginable time we are living in? You decide.
December 11 San Rafael (watch, listen)
In a certain sense the human journey is from "I" to "We," from self-centeredness to love, empathy and compassion for others. Only then can one awaken to I AM.
December 4 San Rafael (watch, listen)
A friend said to me, the earth is like a used car lot for people. We are in many cases, beat up and dysfunctional. The common cry is "Fix me." The truth is, you must fix yourself. Here's how.
November 27 LA (watch, listen)
I threw the I Ching this morning. It said Mountain over Earth. It was about how to live in a time when ignorance prevails. I thought that would be an appropriate topic for today's talk.
November 20 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Yin and Yang, light and dark, good and evil are building blocks of the universe. When darkness prevails—be the light.
November 13 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Reality is what Is. Our minds color, filter and interpret it. When the filters break down, if only for a moment, we get a true glimpse of the world around us. It's worth the view.
November 6 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Only by embracing the changeless nature of reality can one truly trust in the adventure and possibility of endless change.
October 30 LA (watch, listen)
Toxicity is contaminating our environment, our cultural life and our individual minds. Each of us must find the antidote and learn the lessons being taught.
October 23 San Rafael (watch, listen)
There is no truth that can be spoken. The spiritual journey is letting go of everything you believe to be true and then seeing what remains.
October 16 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Bonding in life offers a temporary sense of connectivity and joy. It stimulates endorphins. But the only bond that endures and can never be broken is with your Self.
October 9 New York (afternoon) (watch, listen)
Q & A
October 9 New York (morning) (watch, listen)
Spiritual Intelligence and the path from knowledge to wisdom.
October 8 New York (afternoon) (watch, listen)
Families and the often futile search for meaningful connection.
October 8 New York (morning) (watch, listen)
Although you may have many teachers, when diving deep into a spiritual life you are totally on your own. No one can do it for you. You must learn to rely totally on your Self.
October 2 LA (watch, listen)
Life always seems to be about getting from here to there. The real journey, however, is from there to here.
September 25 San Rafael (watch, listen)
There are three reasons to incarnate, love, sex and ice cream. Ice cream may be the most reliable, sex is a crap shoot, and love, if you find it, reveals all. Have a great incarnation.
September 18 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Life is but a dream, sweet, fevered, nightmarish. Who is the dreamer and what is our role in all of this?
September 11 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Time and space are creations of the mind. Go beyond the mind and they disappear. Only your Self remains.
September 4 LA (watch, listen)
Perspective is everything. Altering and expanding your perspective frees you from the tiny self-absorbed world most people inhabit.
August 21, New York afternoon (watch, listen)
Q and A
August 21 New York morning (watch, listen)
We are hard-wired to be who we are. We cannot easily change our nature, our personalities. By making peace with what cannot be changed we discover the Self we have been all along.
August 20 New York afternoon (watch, listen)
Why are you at a meditation retreat? Why are you listening to this talk now? Only you know the real answer to that question. You need to explore the truth of what is motivating you.
August 20 New York morning (watch, listen)
Being is real. Being spiritual, brilliant, stupid, loving, etc. are just roles that you play. Playing is hard work. Being is effortless.
August 14 San Rafael (watch, listen)
True spiritual mastery is not unlike the mastery of Olympians. It involves intense discipline, years of effort, and then a profound letting go.
August 7 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Enlightenment is not becoming free of the human experience; it is becoming one with it. The ego is not obliterated; it simply joins the cosmic awareness from which it arose.
July 31 LA (watch, listen)
On becoming a spiritual warrior. The way of death and rebirth.
July 24 San Rafael (watch, listen)
This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. As globalization and new technologies change the face of our world, resistance and obstruction present spiritual challenges that engage us all.
July 17 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Shattered lives and how to witness the tragic dimensions of a world that is not separate from us.
July 10 San Rafael (watch, listen)
When darkness descends, become the light. Illuminate your corner of the world.
July 3 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Two words defining our communal consciousness these days are "upheaval" and "ignorance." They are our collective shadow. It is important to witness them from deep stillness.
June 26 LA (watch, listen)
The 2016 NBA Finals, what it means to be "in the zone," and what does this have to do with you?
June 19 San Rafael (watch, listen)
The secret body of human beings. How to find it. How to use it.
June 12 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Your mind and what to do about it. Reflections on what it means to think.
June 5 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Your personal issues are like algorithms. You keep searching for them in your mind and your mind keeps sending you more programs just like them. It's time to stop this cycle.
May 29 LA (watch, listen)
So here's the problem. The ego, which oversees the illusion of our being is also put in charge of destroying that illusion. This conflict of interest is at the core of our spiritual life.
May 22 New York (watch, listen)
What to do when you stain your shirt. The human dimension of enlightenment.
May 21 New York (afternoon) (watch, listen)
What to do with mystical experiences that change everything in a moment and then disappear.
May 21 New York (morning) (watch, listen)
The problem with happiness and why you can't keep it. Secret: nothing in the outer world lasts.
May 15 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Life is chaos in slow motion. It is slowed down just enough so that human beings can get a glimpse of what it is. That glimpse creates a bond, a depth of love and caring, that never ends.
May 8 San Rafael (watch, listen)
How do you deal with your life when things get truly strange? How do you live outside your comfort zone?
May 1 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Spiritual work is effortful and involves a practice. Awakening is effortless Presence. This class is for everyone along that spectrum, lost, found, awake, asleep. That may include you.
April 24 LA (watch, listen)
Learning to say "the" mind instead of "my" mind allows you to react impersonally and objectively to what arises within it. It helps free you from the emotions of a conditioned response.
April 17 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Change in our culture is speeding up and causing huge amounts of fear and stress in society and individuals. If you are suffering there is a path to changeless Being. Take it.
April 10 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Stop. Sit. Stay. How to train the animal mind—yours.
April 3 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Life is a journey into the depths of one's Being. Learning to dive deep requires letting go of the mind, emotions and even the body. It is an act of ongoing surrender.
March 20 LA (watch, listen)
What is it like to live as an awakened being? Probably not what you imagine.
March 13 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Every step we take is a journey into the unknown. Thinking otherwise robs us of the immediacy of this moment and the sheer miracle of being.
March 6 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Our addiction to the familiar is a source of spiritual stagnation. Learning to let go of what is easy and comfortable is at the heart of the spiritual adventure.
February 28 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Asking for help is a crucial part of the spiritual journey. So is learning to receive. You are not in this alone. It may even be that the entire Universe arose just to help you. Seek it now.
February 21 LA (watch, listen)
There is an essential need for fulfillment in our material life and our spiritual life. Finding it in both realms is necessary. It is our life's work.
January 24 San Rafael (watch, listen)
There is an innate goodness in life that arises unbidden. It is at the core of our being. It governs our lives. So what goes wrong?
January 10 San Rafael (watch, listen)
The answer to life's questions and mysteries is you. Suck on that for a while.
January 3 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Being human is an imperfect situation. Embrace it in all of its complexity and find perfection.
December 31 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Do not underestimate the power of choice to determine your reality. You can choose faith or fear, hope or resignation. Choose wisely.
December 24 San Rafael (watch, listen)
The miracle of life is that coherence emerges from chaos. It is impossible to know the how or why of it. Celebrate the dance of impermanence.
December 18 LA (watch, listen)
Don't piss on my bliss. Must one talk about the dangerous, unknowable, unthinkable and unimaginable time we are living in? You decide.
December 11 San Rafael (watch, listen)
In a certain sense the human journey is from "I" to "We," from self-centeredness to love, empathy and compassion for others. Only then can one awaken to I AM.
December 4 San Rafael (watch, listen)
A friend said to me, the earth is like a used car lot for people. We are in many cases, beat up and dysfunctional. The common cry is "Fix me." The truth is, you must fix yourself. Here's how.
November 27 LA (watch, listen)
I threw the I Ching this morning. It said Mountain over Earth. It was about how to live in a time when ignorance prevails. I thought that would be an appropriate topic for today's talk.
November 20 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Yin and Yang, light and dark, good and evil are building blocks of the universe. When darkness prevails—be the light.
November 13 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Reality is what Is. Our minds color, filter and interpret it. When the filters break down, if only for a moment, we get a true glimpse of the world around us. It's worth the view.
November 6 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Only by embracing the changeless nature of reality can one truly trust in the adventure and possibility of endless change.
October 30 LA (watch, listen)
Toxicity is contaminating our environment, our cultural life and our individual minds. Each of us must find the antidote and learn the lessons being taught.
October 23 San Rafael (watch, listen)
There is no truth that can be spoken. The spiritual journey is letting go of everything you believe to be true and then seeing what remains.
October 16 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Bonding in life offers a temporary sense of connectivity and joy. It stimulates endorphins. But the only bond that endures and can never be broken is with your Self.
October 9 New York (afternoon) (watch, listen)
Q & A
October 9 New York (morning) (watch, listen)
Spiritual Intelligence and the path from knowledge to wisdom.
October 8 New York (afternoon) (watch, listen)
Families and the often futile search for meaningful connection.
October 8 New York (morning) (watch, listen)
Although you may have many teachers, when diving deep into a spiritual life you are totally on your own. No one can do it for you. You must learn to rely totally on your Self.
October 2 LA (watch, listen)
Life always seems to be about getting from here to there. The real journey, however, is from there to here.
September 25 San Rafael (watch, listen)
There are three reasons to incarnate, love, sex and ice cream. Ice cream may be the most reliable, sex is a crap shoot, and love, if you find it, reveals all. Have a great incarnation.
September 18 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Life is but a dream, sweet, fevered, nightmarish. Who is the dreamer and what is our role in all of this?
September 11 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Time and space are creations of the mind. Go beyond the mind and they disappear. Only your Self remains.
September 4 LA (watch, listen)
Perspective is everything. Altering and expanding your perspective frees you from the tiny self-absorbed world most people inhabit.
August 21, New York afternoon (watch, listen)
Q and A
August 21 New York morning (watch, listen)
We are hard-wired to be who we are. We cannot easily change our nature, our personalities. By making peace with what cannot be changed we discover the Self we have been all along.
August 20 New York afternoon (watch, listen)
Why are you at a meditation retreat? Why are you listening to this talk now? Only you know the real answer to that question. You need to explore the truth of what is motivating you.
August 20 New York morning (watch, listen)
Being is real. Being spiritual, brilliant, stupid, loving, etc. are just roles that you play. Playing is hard work. Being is effortless.
August 14 San Rafael (watch, listen)
True spiritual mastery is not unlike the mastery of Olympians. It involves intense discipline, years of effort, and then a profound letting go.
August 7 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Enlightenment is not becoming free of the human experience; it is becoming one with it. The ego is not obliterated; it simply joins the cosmic awareness from which it arose.
July 31 LA (watch, listen)
On becoming a spiritual warrior. The way of death and rebirth.
July 24 San Rafael (watch, listen)
This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. As globalization and new technologies change the face of our world, resistance and obstruction present spiritual challenges that engage us all.
July 17 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Shattered lives and how to witness the tragic dimensions of a world that is not separate from us.
July 10 San Rafael (watch, listen)
When darkness descends, become the light. Illuminate your corner of the world.
July 3 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Two words defining our communal consciousness these days are "upheaval" and "ignorance." They are our collective shadow. It is important to witness them from deep stillness.
June 26 LA (watch, listen)
The 2016 NBA Finals, what it means to be "in the zone," and what does this have to do with you?
June 19 San Rafael (watch, listen)
The secret body of human beings. How to find it. How to use it.
June 12 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Your mind and what to do about it. Reflections on what it means to think.
June 5 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Your personal issues are like algorithms. You keep searching for them in your mind and your mind keeps sending you more programs just like them. It's time to stop this cycle.
May 29 LA (watch, listen)
So here's the problem. The ego, which oversees the illusion of our being is also put in charge of destroying that illusion. This conflict of interest is at the core of our spiritual life.
May 22 New York (watch, listen)
What to do when you stain your shirt. The human dimension of enlightenment.
May 21 New York (afternoon) (watch, listen)
What to do with mystical experiences that change everything in a moment and then disappear.
May 21 New York (morning) (watch, listen)
The problem with happiness and why you can't keep it. Secret: nothing in the outer world lasts.
May 15 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Life is chaos in slow motion. It is slowed down just enough so that human beings can get a glimpse of what it is. That glimpse creates a bond, a depth of love and caring, that never ends.
May 8 San Rafael (watch, listen)
How do you deal with your life when things get truly strange? How do you live outside your comfort zone?
May 1 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Spiritual work is effortful and involves a practice. Awakening is effortless Presence. This class is for everyone along that spectrum, lost, found, awake, asleep. That may include you.
April 24 LA (watch, listen)
Learning to say "the" mind instead of "my" mind allows you to react impersonally and objectively to what arises within it. It helps free you from the emotions of a conditioned response.
April 17 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Change in our culture is speeding up and causing huge amounts of fear and stress in society and individuals. If you are suffering there is a path to changeless Being. Take it.
April 10 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Stop. Sit. Stay. How to train the animal mind—yours.
April 3 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Life is a journey into the depths of one's Being. Learning to dive deep requires letting go of the mind, emotions and even the body. It is an act of ongoing surrender.
March 20 LA (watch, listen)
What is it like to live as an awakened being? Probably not what you imagine.
March 13 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Every step we take is a journey into the unknown. Thinking otherwise robs us of the immediacy of this moment and the sheer miracle of being.
March 6 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Our addiction to the familiar is a source of spiritual stagnation. Learning to let go of what is easy and comfortable is at the heart of the spiritual adventure.
February 28 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Asking for help is a crucial part of the spiritual journey. So is learning to receive. You are not in this alone. It may even be that the entire Universe arose just to help you. Seek it now.
February 21 LA (watch, listen)
There is an essential need for fulfillment in our material life and our spiritual life. Finding it in both realms is necessary. It is our life's work.
January 24 San Rafael (watch, listen)
There is an innate goodness in life that arises unbidden. It is at the core of our being. It governs our lives. So what goes wrong?
January 10 San Rafael (watch, listen)
The answer to life's questions and mysteries is you. Suck on that for a while.
January 3 San Rafael (watch, listen)
Being human is an imperfect situation. Embrace it in all of its complexity and find perfection.