Kiran Joshi

When I look back at my unkindness towards others, I justify it by putting it into a context such as, “I was young and foolish. I have grown.” When someone has hurt us years ago, we begrudge them forever by freezing them in that moment for ever by denying them the very evolution that we claim for ourselves. This is the ego’s survival mechanism. It seeks to keep "I, Me, and Mine" on a pedestal by pushing away others. Sometimes, we hold onto old grudges because these give us a

The Nature of Consciousness While in Kathmandu, I witnessed a sight of human bodies being cremated on open funeral pyres. As the flames rose, I could not help but think that just moments ago, these bodies could feel the heat and now they are on fire. What changed? We may never fully unlock the mysteries of birth and death, but this experience drew me toward exploring the nature of consciousness, that process of "knowing" or awareness. The Luminous Process As a seeker, I s

This body, my temple, a temporary shelter for a grain worth of universal soul. Built on shifting ground, it cracks, it fails, yet with it I have tasted wonder and learned to wake up. I sweep it with mindfulness, tend it with compassion, to make it useful for the path. Some days, it feels like a prison, aching, failing regardless of care. Some days, when this grain of soul rests in itself, the prison bars disappear, and I fly. This falling temple will one day return to

There was a time—not too long ago—when I would sit in quiet moments, eyes closed, repeating silently to myself: “I am a peaceful soul. I...