You’ve heard the saying that goes…we can’t choose our family, but we can choose our friends? Well, when it comes to people who accompany us on this life journey, the people who appear in the story of our lives…they are all with us for a reason, whether we choose them or not.

Enemies, friends, business colleagues, competition, fans, critics, family…everyone who appears on the silver screen of our life story is there to help make the story work. Some are pleasant protagonists and others are irritating antagonists, but they all help to build the character development, the plot, and the meaning of the script.
(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
You’ve heard of the monkey mind? That’s the name that many Buddhists and spiritual practitioners give the reactionary thoughts and patterns and the background chatter that goes on in our minds. But what about the monk mind…ever heard of that? That’s the mind that behaves like the monk: calm, thoughtful, introspective, and humble. It’s what’s left when we silence the monkey mind. How do we silence the monkey? There’s one “key” involved…the monk-key! The monk key is all about bringing the monk mind to the forefront and the monkey mind to the back. It’s the key to mental balance and it opens the door called silence, stillness, and emptiness.
(more…)

Today marks the opening of a new temple in India, dedicated to the non-denominational practice of oneness and union. It is a place where people from all over the world and from all beliefs can come together, learn, and practice oneness with the devine. Nearly 700,000 people attended the opening ceremony in Southern India. The Oneness organization, known also as the Oneness Movement (OM) , and the Oneness University, is dedicated to bringing all religions together to experience the devine. As it’s co-founder, Amma Bhagavan says…
(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
Sometimes it’s good to pause and take a look at how far you’ve come. Life is a long and often arduous journey and we often get so caught up in it that we forget that we’re making progress. On a personal level, it can be quite revealing to stop and remember where you’ve been. Who were you a year ago…three years ago…ten years ago? Who are you becoming? How did you respond to your environment then? What were your dreams and how have they changed? Most important, how have you evolved since then? As a culture or even as human beings, we can do the same thing.
(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
Life is usually bigger than we think it is and it can usually be better than we think too. Trouble is, we have the power to make it very small by making our experiences and perceptions small. In other words, life is only as big as we allow it to be for us. What do I mean by that? Well, one common way we shrink life is by limiting ourselves to the choices we can imagine. We keep our choices and our experiences limited by only allowing for what we think is possible. I’m not talking about brainstorming about new possibilities…I’m talking about trusting that life is trying to present you with something more than what you have in mind. When we allow for the “unknown” or the “mystery” to be a part of our lives, then we suddenly make life a lot bigger.

(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
One thing that’s comforted me in times of trauma, defeat, remorse and regret…is the knowledge that my soul is traveling through a much larger storyline than the day-to-day happenings of this life. In fact, it is this over-arching journey that my soul is taking that may hold the answers to why I’m here and what I’m doing. Occasionally, I’ve been able to step out of my present situation and look from a “bird’s eye view” at my entire soul’s journey up to and beyond the current moment of my life. The vantage point is spectacular and the sense of detached awareness is soothing to the soul.

(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
What we surround ourselves with and fill our minds with shapes our outlook, influences our point of view and even changes our mood. Often, you can affect what’s going on on the inside by changing what’s on the outside. A good friend of mine who had been working in a stressful job in a major metropolitan area of California, decided to trade it all in for a residency at a Northern California hot springs and spiritual center. I met her after she had made this transition. She told me that her goal was to find an inner peace and tranquility that eluded her in the city. That surprised me…because I saw her as a person with a calm and still center. There, in the midst of the hot springs, massage sessions and vegetarian meals, she seemed in perfect harmony with her surroundings. She, on the other hand, still held onto her previous self perspective. She was shocked when I told her she struck me as a person with a great inner stillness.

(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
Thinking about your new year’s resolutions? Maybe you’re fed up with resolutions or reluctant to even make one for fear of how long you might be inclined to keep it. What often makes resolutions so hard to follow is that we strive for too radical a change, when what’s needed is something more subtle and gentle…a simple return to your center to ponder your next move.

Returning to the center is a way of restoring balance for a time. It may be for only a moment, when you meditate or practice yoga. You may be able to return to center by taking a long hike in the mountains or a long jog along the beach. For some, just walking the dog can take them a few steps closer to center. For those of us focused on the day-to-day necessities of work, family, errands…finding the center is often an exercise in paying attention to the areas that are out of balance: self, silence, nature, sleep, play.

(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
Both science and spirituality have made grave mistakes throughout history. But today, there is a new science taking place that is beginning bridge the gap between these two former opponents. The new science seeks to explain the natural laws behind phenomena that have always been in the spiritual camp. It appears that some scientists are accepting the fact that just because it can’t be explained does not mean it does not exist. If you’ve ever walked on hot coals in your bare feet, you know what I’m talking about. I know there is some scientific measurement that could explain what happened to my body when I stepped out onto the hot embers. I don’t pretend that I had some kind of spiritual experience or miraculous transformation. It’s probably quite explainable. But for the moment, it has not been explained scientifically. There are many such spectacular natural events…what people often call super-natural events.

(more…)

by Christopher Van Buren
The holidays are a great time to practice being on center. There’s nothing like a few stressed out people on the highway or in line at the store to take you completely out of your inner zen. There’s always too much to get done and not enough time (and barely enough money) to do them. Ahh, what better place to test your spiritual practice? Anyone can have inner calm and stillness when things are humming along peacefully, but it’s a rare master who can hold his or her center during the holidays.

Most likely, you have your favorite practices for calming and centering in the midst of frantic energy. But here are a couple of insight to consider adding to your arsenal:

(more…)