I usually recommend that people learn a traditional meditation practice from a qualified instructor. That way, you know exactly what to do at any point in meditation and with any experience that comes along. Often when people try to learn on their own or from a book, they learn incorrectly and soon give up in frustration because they aren’t experiencing the expected benefits. - Deepak Chopra
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When you feel diligent and enthusiastic you meditate, and when you feel lazy you meditate. — Ajahn Chah
(My comment: It doesn't matter how you feel when it comes to meditate; just sit) In the past several years, America has embraced values that cannot create a sustainable society and world. Currently, we organize our activities around beliefs that are inherently life-destroying. We believe that growth can be endless, that competition creates healthy relationships, that consumption need have no limits, that meaning is found in things, that aggression brings peace. Societies that use these values end up, as do all voracious predators in nature, dead.
I know that most Americans would be shocked at this list of national values, but I see them clearly in our behaviors and the choices we make. I also know that this is not who we want to be. So how did we get here? What happened to our ideals of life, liberty, democracy, independence, imagination? - Margaret Wheatley Diseases of the mind require medicines for the mind - meditation, mindfulness, proper breathing. - Victor M. Parachin
No one’s spiritual journey is shaped by a cookie cutter. - Deepak Chopra
What you experience as “reality,” including your physical body and aging, is shaped by your habits of perception. While most people are conditioned to see the body as a static,
biological machine, you can begin to view it as a field of energy, transformation, and intelligence that is constantly renewing itself. Begin to notice both your internal dialogue and how you speak about your body and aging. If you find yourself saying things like, “I’m hitting the age where I’ll need reading glasses,” “I’m too old to try yoga (or some other activity),” “I inherited my dad’s bad back,” or other such statements, make a conscious choice to shift your perspective and change what you tell yourself about your body and age. Keep in mind that your cells are eavesdropping on what you say, so unless you want to have your father’s bad back or anything else that “runs in the family,” don’t nurture that seed of intention in your awareness. - Seven Steps To Radical Wellbeing by Deepak Chopra To perceive the ultimate truth we must silence the mind through meditation. For meditation to be effective we must develop the power of attention. - David Frawley
In the 1940s - just a few years after the founding of AA - Buddhism found its way into AA literature. It came in a pamphlet commissioned by AA founder Dr. Bob and it was titled Spiritual Milestones in Alcoholics Anonymous: “Consider the eight-part program laid down in Buddhism: Right view, right aim, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindedness, and right contemplation. The Buddhist philosophy, as exemplified by these eight points, could be literally adopted by AA as a substitute or an addition to the Twelve Steps. Generosity, universal love, and welfare of other rather than consideration of self are basic to Buddhism.”
Man’s purpose is complete freedom from unhappiness. - Swami Sri Yukteswar
I've been aware of the critique of AA which comes from Westerners who've adopted a Buddhist path. Their criticism is that AA is too "Christian" for non-theistic Buddhists. I tended to agree with that viewpoint until someone close to me entered a twelve step program. To support that person I've attended some of their public AA meetings and was truly impressed by the AA philosophy and the 12 step program. It's definitely not "Christian" and simply references a higher power of one's personal understanding. This can easily be the "higher self" or one's Buddha nature.
Recently I read an excellent article which links AA and Buddhism in a very compelling way. The piece is written by Bill K. He gained sobriety and has remained sober for 32 years because of AA. A decade later he embraced Zen Buddhism (he is especially informed by Zen Koan study) and has found the two traditions to be mutually supportive. Here are some insights from Bill K:
(feel free to re-post and / or link to your social media) |
Victor M. Parachin ... aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Sadly, Victor passed away in August 2025, but his blog continues. Janet Parachin, his partner of 45 years, shares quotes from his books and articles each week. Archives
May 2026
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