In Buddhist texts, the terms “awakening” and “enlightenment” mean the same thing. In other words, to say that the Buddha was awakened means the same as saying he was enlightened. They are both referring to the same concept. Some people prefer the term awakened over enlightened because they feel that …
Divine Will: Finding Fulfillment and Meaning in Life
In today’s society, we look up to people with money. We call them “successful”. And we do this with the full knowledge that money cannot buy happiness. We know that the wealthy are no happier than anyone else. Yet we still maintain the belief that people with money have somehow …
There Is No Such Thing as a Sin
Although religious beliefs across the world can vary to a very great degree, the one thing that they all have in common is the concept of a God (or gods). I.e., religious agree that there is a power in the universe that is greater than that of humans and the …
The Manifestation Trap: Seeking the Kingdom of Man
One of the current “hot topics” that is getting a lot of attention these days, including among those on the spiritual path, it the subject of manifestation. Generally speaking, manifestation is a technique for attracting into your life the things that you really want. This could be anything from making …
Obstacle to Spiritual Growth: Attachment to Truth
One of the concepts that some people have a hard time grasping is the idea of “oneness”. I.e., the idea that in reality we are all really one person or entity. Ironically, people who are strongly identified with their egos seem to be more inclined to remind others that we …