Zen

There are no winners or losers in life. Some people have things easy while for others those same things are hard. There are people who could use some help and others who can give it. Many people believe that if only they had…they would be happy. Others think if only they were…life would be good.…

Tilopa

Tilopa was at the top of his game. He was in charge of spiritual teaching at court, had piles of money and was loved by everyone. Despite all of this he felt empty and unfulfilled. He knew the scriptures by heart, performed the rituals and practices religiously, and was widely seen as a powerful teacher.…

Miyamoto Musashi

The Lone Samurai, by William Scott Wilson, relates the following story: On the way to a famous match, Miyamoto Musashi was passing a shrine dedicated to the god of war. He stopped a moment, intending to pray to the god for victory, but when walking to the altar he realized something important. Musashi had never…

Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince to a loving family.  The kingdom was prosperous and the boy grew up with every need or want answered without question. As a young man he married a beautiful woman and they soon had a healthy baby.  His life looked like perfection and yet he walked away from it in search of Enlightenment.  This search led Gautama…

Campaka

Campaka was a wealthy Tibetan king consumed with the joys of his beautiful gardens. When a begging Yogin was not impressed, the king became curious about what was beyond the pleasures of his life and gardens. The guru instructed him to meditate upon “the flower of reality” to uncover truth. Campaka did this for many…

Brahmananda

As a boy, Brahmananda preferred meditation and singing devotional songs to doing school work or playing with friends. As he grew so did his focus and he spent more and more time in silence. Trying to interest him in the world his family arranged a marriage, but this only led him to his teacher, Ramakrishna,…