How many of you know that, on any given day, you will be standing before a wall? Every single day, to one degree or another, a person runs into something like this: "God, I don't want that," "I wish I wasn't feeling this way," "Why are they doing those things they're doing?" "Oh my God, I've put on 5 pounds," "Oh no, look at the economy"... any one of a thousand different ways in which...

Our resolve to live a real life, an awakened life, is strengthened when our self-study reveals that at any moment we're not consciously in command of ourselves, a mechanical nature is in charge of us, directing us to look for someone, something to blame for our pain.

A man is walking through his office when his boss walks by and gives him a blank look. The thought pops into the man's mind that his boss is criticizing him or doesn't like him. Now, as he starts to fear this idea -- a negative picture produced by his imagination -- his mind focuses its attention on this disturbing image. And the more he attends to this dark dream, the further into its labyrin...

Learn to detect negative feelings that imply there's nothing that can be done about the way you feel at the moment.

Before we release ourselves into the hands of any automatically appearing rescuing agent, we must first take it into the light in order to see who sent it.

Barring those moments when we find ourselves in real physical danger, conditions, of themselves, have absolutely no authority over us. It's true. No event or circumstance has any power to make us feel one way or another. The only command any condition may have over us is that which we unconsciously surrender to it. And what we've given away, we can take back. Insight coupled with action is a...