Tom's Blog

If you’re frustrated because you haven’t found the right pathway for your life, be patient. You can look at others and see what they’re doing, but in the final analysis, you must establish your own path. Before setting out, you must be aware that the thing you call your body is not the real you. In fact, it’s only a very small part of who you really are. The real you is a spirit that lives inside your body in the same way a snail lives inside a shell. Your body may be weak, sick, or injured, and will eventually die. But your spirit will never die. It will live forever as one with the Creator. The kingdom of heaven is within. You need to go inside yourself and call upon the Spirit. Once you’ve made the connection, you’ll always have a companion to accompany you on your journey through life, one who’ll help you find your way.
TD

Life is a very special gift that should never be taken for granted. As often as possible you should give thanks to the Creator. In a spare moment during your day, just say, “Thank you, God, for giving me a life, and help me to live it to the fullest according to Your will.” By doing this, it will make you more appreciative of all the good things you have in your life. Try your best to be thankful even when the day is not going so well. The problems of life are necessary ingredients to make you strong. So be thankful that you are being strengthened when times are hard. Living a life of thankfulness will grow to become a habit. It will not only improve your attitude and disposition, but it will make you have a much happier life.
TD

The true destiny in life is for all people on the planet to become awakened to their spiritual purpose. This sounds like an impossible pipe dream, but it’s achievable if everyone would focus their lives in that direction. You may say that something like that could never happen, yet anything is possible through the grace of God. You can achieve certain things in life through struggle, determination, and sheer hard work. But there is little joy in that, for ultimately it all ends in some form of suffering. If you want to truly live and start the awakening process in your life, first get rid of your ego. It’s the stumbling block in your life that is standing in the way. Next, you must surrender completely to the Higher Power. By doing these things, your life and you will begin to fulfill your true destiny.
Eckhart Tolle

Our most intimate relationships can bring us more joy and more suffering than anything else. A relationship is like a mirror. We can better see ourselves and discover who we really are. When we are alone we can enjoy our fantasies, ego trips, and mental games without a problem. But when we try those same things with our partner, the mirror will reflect and will sometime show us our ugly ego trips. A mirror is neutral. It just reflects. It doesn’t take sides. In this mirror we can see our tendencies, our weaknesses, and our strengths. The mirror of relationships becomes a good teacher for us to discover who we really are and where we are on our spiritual path.
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpochesd

Take a piece of paper and at the top write, “I love myself, therefore …” Finish this sentence in as many ways as you can. Read it over daily, and add to it as you think of new things. The biggest benefit of doing this exercise is that you learn it is almost impossible to belittle yourself when you say you love yourself. Visualize or imagine yourself having or doing or being what you are working toward. The more you learn and understand yourself, the better you will feel. You are different from everyone else, yet you are a child of God and therefore worthy to be loved.
Louise L. Hay

Some people spend entirely too much time looking at the actions of others. They compare themselves with other people to judge how they may be doing themselves. Always remember that first and foremost, your actions and words should please the Creator. Secondly, they should please you. If you can satisfy the Creator and yourself, then you don’t have to worry so much about what other people think or do. Don’t waste your time trying to conform to society and its social dictates. What great person in history do you know who conformed to what society expected? The people who’ve made a significant contribution to the world walk to the beat of their own drum. Those who strive too much to conform are generally insecure and weak. You should learn who you are. Then be proud of yourself and go about your life striving to be the person that the Creator has made.

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to respect and protect others and never condone the act of killing another person.
Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, I vow to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those in need.
Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment.
Aware of the suffering caused by what I say and my failure to listen, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others.
Aware of the suffering caused by uncontrolled consumption, I vow to cultivate good health by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and proper exercise. I vow to eat only things that bring about peace, well-being, and joy in my body.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Spirituality means the ability to find peace and happiness in an imperfect world. It means to feel that one’s own personality is imperfect but acceptable. From this peaceful state of mind come both creativity and the ability to love unselfishly, which go hand in hand. Acceptance, faith, forgiveness, peace, and love are the traits that define spirituality. These characteristics always appear in those who achieve unexpected healing of a serious illness. A person who believes in a benevolent higher power has a potent reason for hope, and hope is the key ingredient in healing.
Bernie S. Siegel, M.D.

People seem to be dependent on what happens in their life for their happiness. Unhappiness is a disease on our planet. And it’s not just in places where people don’t have enough. It’s even more so where people have more than they need. The affluent world is sometimes lost in content and trapped in ego. People look at the present as being scarred by something terrible that has happened that shouldn’t have happened or by something that should’ve happened that didn’t. But what you must realize is that there is perfection that is always here that lies beneath all that is happening in the outside world. You should accept the present moment and find that perfection that is deeper than anything else and untouched by time. The joy of being comes from within you, your spirit, and the Creator that knows that all things that happen are for the ultimate good of mankind.
Eckhart Tolle

When you lose someone really close to you, the sting helps to put your existence on this plane in a better perspective. You begin to look at your life and death more realistically. Worldly problems and nuisances seem infinitesimally small. How unnecessary it is to be bothered with earthly things that are so trivial! In the long run, what does it really matter? To accept death as your friend instead of your enemy requires faith and trust in an afterlife much more beautiful than this mortal world. You must believe with all your heart that you are not your body with its physical aches and diseases. Know that a thriving spirit exists within that will live forever after the body has withered away. Don’t weep for the loss of the body but rejoice that it has served its purpose, and know that the time has presented itself for the spirit to soar upward into the heavens where there is no pain and sorrow, no weeping or fretting about material things, but free at last to fly like the birds filled with carefree exhilaration. The loss of your loved one’s presence is but a selfish desire. You should feel happy, for they now know the unknown. Their ignorance of life after death has been turned into knowledge. And be comforted that their spirit will continue to be with you until you join them on that glorious day when you proceed, as they have done, into the world that knows only happiness and bliss.