Since I have begun to learn to stay quiet and observe thoughts and see them for what they truly are, I have been set free from several vices I had previously "thought" I would die with. This happened quite effortlessly, and I know in my heart that I have found Truth. When I attempted to tell a Christian friend of mine of the freedom that I have experienced as a result of "letting go," he becam...

When I was 17, I did something very wrong and still feel shame, guilt, and remorse. Even though I am 60 now, I still regret what I did in the past and occasionally get depressed about it. I know it is not helpful to hang on to this, but it haunts me. I feel like what I did was evil. I let go of the behavior, but still live in fear of imaginary repercussions in some time to come. I try being p...

My husband drinks too much. The problem I have with that (aside from it being deadly to his health) is his mean-spirited attitude toward me after he drinks. He says negative things about me that he would not normally say while sober. The crazy thing about it is, the next day he is repentant, telling me how much he loves me and how he would be nothing without me. How do I elevate myself above c...

I spend my days fulfilling my responsibilities -- to family, job, etc. I know I should find time to slow down, to meditate, but this stressed life seems to be what I was brought up to live! I'm trying to be a good person, but these responsibilities are weighing me down. How do we release ourselves from the idea that we own these energy-draining responsibilities in the first place? And then how...

How does one stay awake, so to speak, in the dream world of sleep? A major part of our life is spent sleeping in bed. Does our spiritual work continue while we are sleeping? Would you consider dreams part of the false nature, and if so, are they just to be observed rather than be used -- as commonly referred to -- as subconscious insights? Every night I have a recurring dream about two people...

One of our neighbors has done something to their property that is proving to be an immense problem for us and seems very unfair. I want to let go of the circumstance, and yet I feel as though I mustn't just allow this individual to dominate the atmosphere of the very place I call home. I don't really want to fight with his person, but don't know what else to do. How do I let go of my disappoin...

I've noticed that the more I hear people complain about their unwanted circumstances in life, the less likely they are to do anything to change them. It makes me wonder if I'm just as ungrateful and unwilling! Many religious and spiritual teachers talk about "tithing" or giving away 10% of your income. Is this something we should all do? What is the reason for doing it? I feel grateful for the...

I have recently been confronted with a truth that I have been trying to deny for some time about the religious leaders that I have long trusted. They do not bring life, but rather they mislead and rob us of our intended life by diluting the truth and spin doctoring their power. Do I leave the church? Do I confront what is wrong? Or do I just remain silent? When going to church I have seen all...

Topics explored in this dialogue: Negative states give the false illusion of freedom; True change must occur in who we are and how we see life, not in what we have and what we think needs to be done; Unwanted events reveal the truth about ourselves, and our job is to see that truth unflinchingly; Resistance is a possibility killer.

Interview with DeDe Murcer Moffett of Snap Out of It on 10/25/11. Topics covered: We've forgotten who we are; We have a 'hole in our soul' that is meant to educate us to who we are; Our individual story unfolds within a bigger story; Life is not a race to win but a school of higher education; Understanding is the beginning of the end of fear; The importance of prayer; Exercise: Stop, Drop, and...

To grow into a new and higher order of peace we must remember at the first sign of resisting some unwanted moment that we must work to detect and dismiss any tendency we have to identify with that negative reaction...

Special talk given at the Santa Monica Public Library in Santa Monica, CA on Saturday 4/27/13.