Thomas Paul Emerson

01/21/2023

Q. What is the difference between someone who is spiritual and someone who is religious? Robert, San Diego, CA

A: A religious person believes that there is someone who knows the true nature of the spiritual world, and can explain its laws and principals. I will often ask someone two questions; first, if they believe that there is another world or dimension besides this physical one? If the answer is "No," then I consider that person a "materialist," or an "atheist." If they say "Yes," then I consider them a "spiritualist." The second question is; if they believe that there is someone who actually knows the true nature of this spiritual world, either living or dead? If they say "yes," then I consider that person "religious." If they say "No," then I consider them "agnostic." To me a person doesn't have to go to church to be religious, just that they believe that there is someone who can provide us with an accurate knowledge of the true nature of the spiritual world, such as a Jesus or Buddha

01/12/2023

Question: "I am full of desires and fears. Does it mean that I am not eligible for truth?"

Nisargadatta: "Truth is not a reward for good behavior, nor a prize for passing some test. It cannot be brought about. It is the primary, the unborn, the ancient source of all that is. You are eligible because you ARE. You need not merit truth. It is your own. Just stop running away by running after it."

01/12/2023

Q. What is the difference between someone who is spiritual and someone who is religious?

A: A religious person believes that there is someone who knows the true nature of the spiritual world, and can explain its laws and principals. I will often ask someone two questions; first, if they believe that there is another world or dimension besides this physical one? If the answer is "No," then I consider that person a "materialist," or an "atheist." If they say "Yes," then I consider them a "spiritualist." The second question is; if they believe that there is someone who actually knows the true nature of this spiritual world, either living or dead? If they say "yes," then I consider that person "religious." If they say "No," then I consider them "agnostic." To me a person doesn't have to go to church to be religious, just that they believe that there is someone who can provide us with an accurate knowledge of the true nature of the spiritual world, such as a Jesus or Buddha

01/11/2023

WHAT IS RENUNCIATION?

"Renunciation is not giving up the things of this world, but accepting that they go away."

~Shunryu Suzuki

01/10/2023

A classic photo of Ram Dass and Neem Karoli Baba

01/08/2023

Q: What do you see as the problem with politics in America? Gill, Shreveport, LA

A. I love our political system, but we're still struggling to achieve real equality. The words of our forefathers are so beautiful, but when they said, "All men are created equal," they meant all white Christian men. The colonists that wrote those inspiring words were slave owners, so they weren't including black men or women, because women couldn't even vote or own property in those days. Over the years we've been trying to expand equality to include everyone, and this has of course, encountered considerable resistance. We've come a long way, but there is still much more to be done. Greed has also continued to corrupt our democracy, when the wealthiest among us can buy a politician's loyalty by funding their campaign. These career politicians vote for laws and legislation that favor their wealthiest contributors. In this way, big business is able to gain enormous influence and wealth, at the expense of the average hardworking tax payer. The wealthiest pay little or no taxes, and this has also led to massive wealth inequality. And after an election, rather than everybody working together on behalf of the American people, the losing side will soon begin plotting against the winning party, trying to ensure that they will fail, even denying the results of an election just so they can get back into the White House. And shouldn't an election be decided by the number of actual votes, rather than by Gerrymandering and the Electoral College?

01/08/2023

01/08/2023

Zen Mountain Center

I attended a program at the Yokoji Zen Center in California in December, and I really enjoyed the serenity and peace of this beautiful place in the San Jacinto mountains. I was impressed how Zen is practiced here in a very traditional and authentic way, among very sincere and dedicated practioners.

01/05/2023

"Quantum" refers to the nature of our smallest elements, such as subatomic particles like electrons, leptons, and quarks. Quantum healing suggests that these particles are created out of consciousness, and that consciousness is actually the foundation of everything that exists in our world. This is the opposite of western thought, which believes that the brain comes first, and then consciousness is produced by the brain. The idea in quantum healing is that by changing our consciousness it can actually change the molecular structure of our body. It suggests that if consciousness has originally created every cell in the body, including a tumor, then through our consciousness we can also deconstruct the tumor. Here's an example of how this works; as a hypnotherapist in the 90's, I met an Oncologist named Dr. Carl Simonton, and he was using visualization with his patients to actually reduce the size of their tumors. He would have them visualize their tumor shrinking, and then he would verify the positive results of this technique with before and after x-rays. Many in the western scientific community have of course been very skeptical of this theory, and maintain that this idea is complete nonsense. So, if you believe that you can use the power of your mind to heal yourself, then for you there may be something to this idea. If you don't think this is possible, then you too may consider this pseudoscience.

01/04/2023

Zen recognizes that we are completely conditioned right from the start. We're taught what we should believe, how to think, feel, and behave. We are taught to be a particular person, and we develop a personality and an identity based on our conditioning. Zen emphasis that we must transcend our current way of thinking and "empty" our minds in order to realize who we really are--which is ultimately pure consciousness. Meditation is a way in Zen to quiet and still our minds, and eventually we transcend our conditioning and our ego by simply witnessing ourselves and our internal dialog. In time, we see beyond our somebody-ness, and we see that everything is impermanent and we are ultimately free (free of ourselves). In time a true Zen Master eventually sees that everything IS God and God is everywhere (Omnipresent). He sees that if God is everything, then God can't actually be defined or described. It's beyond our understanding, and can't be explained or defined. This is why Zen is considered atheistic (has no God), because it won't define God, or consider God as separate from ourselves or anything else.