Author Archives: tony

The Buddha Said, “I See You Mara” The problem with all institutions is an exaggeration of form over essence. Humans are clever creatures who turn essential nature into a form which becomes more important than the essence – with the … Continue reading →

Testing Mara and Guru Both use the same teachings. If we’re guided by Mara, we feel superior, depend on a name, lack empathy, and have an inflated ego. If we’re guided by a Guru, ego diminishes and empathy increases; we’re … Continue reading →

The Buddha, Jesus, Socrates And Others Were Rebels These beings completely upended the religious, social and political orthodoxies of their eras. Rather than leading armed political revolutions, these figures rebelled by rejecting rigid dogmas, dismantling strict social hierarchies and advocating … Continue reading →

Finding What We’re Looking For It’s always been there. It’s not polished or well-to-do. It’s not proper, not the acceptable face of social conformity as there is nothing to conform to, and no one to impress. It recognises the foolishness … Continue reading →

We All Live In Different Echo Chambers Echo chambers are an inevitable part of how society is structured. Humans seek comfort by gravitating towards groups that confirm what they already believe. Because everyone’s digital feed is entirely unique, two people … Continue reading →

A Hard Lesson To Learn People believe in words, rather than experiencing their meaning. Even if they’re good words, we argue about their interpretation. Words are not reality. There are lots of words, but only one constant truth, which is … Continue reading →

Buddhist Forums Create Conflict Buddhist online forums frequently experience intense conflict because of human ego and external attachments; sectarian differences don’t disappear just because someone joins a spiritual community. Far from it – forums are cesspits of emotions, despite their … Continue reading →

Reality Is Beyond Words Reality is beyond words. Thank goodness. 🙂 Our reality beyond words is pure, unmediated experience. The moment we name something, we replace the infinite experience of what is with a rigid human label. Language is a … Continue reading →

Humanity: Seeking Validation Of A Self Our greatest problem is that we crave recognition. People shun or distance themselves from anyone who doesn’t validate their views. We attach our self-esteem directly to our belief systems, and when someone doesn’t endorse … Continue reading →

We Are All Hypocrites The word ‘hypocrite’ originates from the Greek hypokrisis which means acting a part or playing a role. Hypocrisy is pretending to hold beliefs, virtues and moral standards that our own actions completely contradict. In simple terms, … Continue reading →

Becoming A Totally Different Person Through the realisation of our true nature of uncontaminated consciousness, we are now a different person to the one we were. There will still be a residue of awkwardness around people, due to our old … Continue reading →

There Are No More Words To Learn There are no more words to learn. We merely have to experience them, and refine that experience through sustaining the continuity of silent cognisance beyond words. That tells us everything about the world … Continue reading →

Empathy Is The Power Of The Survivor Empathy is the power of the survivor. We aren’t guessing how people feel; we recognise a mind-scape we’ve already walked. Even in ‘spiritual’ group, we know how it is to sit in a … Continue reading →

The Tender Trap The most effective element of a trap is its transparency; it doesn’t look like a cage, so we think that’s the way things are supposed to be. When we look at both religious and secular systems, the … Continue reading →