AMODA'S BLOG

THE OPENNESS THAT HOLDS IT ALL

The innocent longing to come home – what we call the spiritual search – is so often hijacked by an unconscious psychological agenda for comfort and perfection. Along with the desire to end the suffering created by ego’s tenacious story-telling comes a hope that this ending means we no longer have to feel what we…

THE PATH OF LOVE

You want freedom. From your self. That pesky self that berates you when you get it wrong. Nags you for not being perfect enough. Condemns you for not living up to expectations. Yours or others. That annoying self that coils into a tight ball of defense when it feels rejected. Lashes out like a scorpion’s…

THE YOU THAT REMAINS AFTER AWAKENING

There’s a question that is often bothersome on the seeker’s path … Does awakening erase the personality? Do all personal traits, tendencies, and idiosyncrasies get wiped away in one fell swoop? Does our astrological imprint become obsolete? Do we transcend our conditioning completely? Do we return to some kind of innocent tabula rasa? It boggles…

The Gift of Giving

An invitation by Kavi. I would like to invite you to participate in an adventure. It is simple but potentially powerful. It is based in the ‘pass it on,’ theory of doing good. If you have read this book by Amoda, ‘Embodied Enlightenment,’ and you have been touched by it in some way, I want…

LIVING AS THE OPEN HAND

The metaphor of the open hand is very resonant. It speaks to the innermost in each of us. But I am often asked … how do we live as the open hand? Well, it has nothing to do with how awake or enlightened you are. It has nothing to do with how spiritual you are….

THE ARTIST’S OFFERING

I’m not interested in upholding lofty spiritual ideas, or regurgitating spiritual truths, or following spiritual traditions. I’m interested in the bare bones of direct experience. I’m not interested in doing spiritual things, or looking like a spiritual person, or pretending to be higher or better than those who are not being spiritual. I’m interested in…

PRESENCE

You cannot be more present. You cannot practice presence, or try being more present, or learn how to be present. You cannot lose presence, move away from it, find it, or move towards it. Presence is not a thing, or a commodity you can possess, or a state of mind. It can, however, dawn on…

IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF IT

Awakening, the holy grail. Awakening, the icing on the cake. Awakening, the carrot at the end of the stick. Awakening, the magic bullet. Awakening, you want it. You seek it. You chase it. You give up caring about anything else in order to get it. Awakening, you hope it takes away your pain. You expect…

DON’T WAIT FOR THE PERFECT MOMENT

Friend, do not wait for the perfect moment. The perfect moment is a figment of the imagination, a fantasy designed to delay the discovery of peace. The perfect moment cannot exist, because reality cannot be divided into separate moments. There is only the forever-unfolding now. And this now offers you the most precious opportunity to…

TO MEDITATE .. OR NOT TO MEDITATE?

To meditate .. or not to meditate? Is a dedicated meditation practice the only road to enlightenment .. or is the direct route of recognizing “what is already free” a better way? Should all effort be put into achieving a higher state of consciousness .. or is it best to simply let go of any…

Your Brokenness is Holy

Friend, do you run away from your pain, your shame, your secret rage and private grief? Do you stuff those unwanted feelings into the dark recesses of your belly, cover them over with things to do, things to get, things to eat? Do you turn away from disappointment, rejection, failure and regret, pretending they do…

WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH PAST PAIN .. DO WE NEED TO HEAL IT?

I am often asked … Is somatic work useful in the process of awakening? Do we need to dissolve contractive patterns in the body-mind before we can be free? Should we attempt to let go of suppressed emotions .. or should we just practice “being still and present”? Does focussing on past wounding perpetuate it…