I am beginning to be suspicious of a certain type of vitality-stealing thought... I find myself feeling discontent about my life when I compare myself to others, or even to some younger version of myself! Why are we always measuring ourselves against others? How does this painful way of thinking get established in us? Comparing myself to who I think I should be, I often come up short... but is...

In this podcast, Guy Finley talks about the difference between merely thinking about spiritual ideas and the actual awareness of the truth of ourselves in the present moment.

How do you give constructive criticism to others without hurting them or having them take it personally, negatively? My intention is to think of criticism as helpful, leading to development if it is given in a respectful way. What are your thoughts on this delicate area?...

Topics covered:  The mind creates enemies through resistance to its own memories; You are not going to think yourself out of the experience of yourself. The thinking nature IS the experience that it wants to escape from; Most of us live within a repeating psychological pattern that includes the plans to escape from it. Eventually the human being becomes the pattern.

Topics covered: Discussion about the lunch exercise; If you fear anything about yourself you will never be free; Reliance vs. defiance; You must stand up inwardly and say, I'm not putting on this yoke today; The extent to which you know the pain of others around you is the extent to which you are liberated from your own pain; Everybody manifests a rainbow, a set of colors; An individual can kn...

What is True is quiet; it is at peace with itself, whatever it silently reveals. What is untrue has no such peace; it is unable to be silent. What is True has no need to think about, let alone talk to itself about any lie it may see. What is untrue can't stop talking to itself in order to cover up what it doesn't want to see, ceaselessly telling itself that it sees truly.

Thinking, or hoping, that any destination we have in mind is going to be superior to where we're presently standing, is exactly why we're still standing in that same place where we have to hope that some tomorrow will be better. Before we can change our destination and arrive in that higher world we want, before we can ever start out in that new direction that leads to liberation, we must wak...

Part 1 Spiritually striving to be "no one" is a trick of the mind as it seeks shelter from its own self-inflicted suffering. Seen properly, the "choice" is either to be someone defined and confined by the limitation of thought, or to be One: seeing and realizing -- without having to think about it -- that one's True Self is indefinable. Part 2 I am in you, you are in me: There's o...

If most of our life and reality is based upon our thoughts and beliefs, how do you explain then the so-called "third world poorness?" Do a billion people just think wrong and live for that in poorness and with the wildest sicknesses? I have difficulties with that way of thinking. And also it makes the victims more guilty! As if they just had the wrong thoughts.... Thanks for answering and tak...

Part 1: Any concern over what others may think of you is a secret form of captivity, an unseen prison cell created by the false and painful belief that you are real -- and your life worthwhile -- only if others say it's so! Part 2: The true individual is one who doesn't need the approval of others in order to know the peace of mind he finds in being just himself.

To flatten your fears once and for all, you must forget about the idea of domination and start thinking about self-illumination -- the miracle that happens within us whenever we dare place the wish to understand what is frightening us before our certainty that there is no other choice but to feel afraid.

There are two paths through life thought to lead one to a happy Wholeness. The first path is littered with all manner of glittering things that one thinks are needful to complete oneself, while the second path is the way of discovering what one can live without. The former path is always cluttered, and leads only to increased conflict and self-compromise, while the latter path is as simple as...