Articles written by Sal Barba
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Shipwrecks | Worship
How is it that we get into shipwrecks with ourselves or our significant others? Carl Jung, the world renown depth analyst once said, “What we do not make conscious will find a... — Updated 8/9/2023
Living in the sacred gap of our daily life | Worship
“Since death is certain, but the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?” – Pema Chodron Many years ago, a meditation instructor colleague of mine told m... — Updated 5/24/2023
Ignorance causes us to experience suffering | Worship
According to the Buddha, the primary cause of our suffering is ignorance. What does “ignorance” mean? Ignorance is a fundamental state of mind that reflects misunderstanding.... — Updated 9/28/2022
Our return home | Worship
“Keep your eye on the donut, but don’t just keep your eye on the hole inside the donut, or the donut itself, keep your eye on the whole donut including the space that surrounds... — Updated 6/29/2022
When the cup is empty | Worship
In our ordinary life, we’re like dreamers believing that the dream we’re having is real. We think we’re awake, but we’re not. We think that this busy mind of thoughts and... — Updated 4/27/2022
Compassionate connection | Worship
How do we connect with each other? Some individuals become resolute that they rather live quietly and distant without any interpersonal conflict. Still, others live in bitterness... — Updated 2/16/2022
From the shadows of despair and into our embodied wholeness | Worship
A candlelight is flickering on the mantle of my prayer alter. I am looking at a radiant full moon's light glinting off the water. It is dark outside, and sometimes it is dark on the... — Updated 1/5/2022
Erring and erring, I walk the unerring path | Worship
What in our life have we been controlled or compelled by? We are currently controlled by a pandemic, and we are compelled to respond to the emerging rules of safety and health in a... — Updated 12/16/2020
What is this mind creating? l Worship
I was standing in the parking lot two weeks ago when I saw this SUV zipping through the driveway and nabbed a parking slot. I debated whether to challenge what she had executed in that zippy little maneuver. You see, she was in a... — Updated 8/8/2018 Full story
Are you present? l Worship
Most of us do not question our basic state of consciousness that we live with in our daily lives. This is a fundamental problem that most of us do not realize. Our lack of presence in our daily life is our principal problem. It is... — Updated 2/7/2018 Full story
From the inside out: reflections on the mind l Worship
“When man’s consciousness is restricted only to the immediate vicinity of his human self, the deeper roots of his nature do not find their permanent soil, his spirit is ever on... — Updated 12/20/2017
Be friendly with the many parts of your mind | Worship
“When we show up, and are present to the here and now, we receive the blessings of the day!” It is a blessing to have the potential to understand what our mind is, and how it... — Updated 8/2/2017
Study the 5 skandhas to discover your self | Worship
“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices,” American philosopher William James said. “Human beings can alter their lives... — Updated 4/5/2017
Realizing our hopelessness makes us real | Worship
Contemplative Buddhist teachings inform us that we are always at a crossroads, moment by moment. We have the choice to open the wound further or to heal the wound. What we choose... — Updated 2/1/2017 Full story
Find yourself within a breath of silence | Worship
It is a beautiful morning. I am listening to the most heaven on Earth violin piece performed in the album “Secret Garden.” The clouds are thick and the wind gentle upon my... — Updated 7/27/2016
Let the wisdom of listening unfold | Worship
Do you listen to yourself? Do you listen to others: your co-worker, your beloved, your child, your pet? How do you listen? Are you often irritable? Do you want to make change happen with unrealistic expectations? To listen to that... — Updated 4/6/2016
Let the truth transform you into a butterfly | Worship
Once upon a time, not too long ago, there was a young man who underwent a turbulent transformation because of the tragic ending of a relationship. A week of no appetite, a loss of 2... — Updated 1/27/2016
The tenderness of the heart | Worship
“A blessing evokes a privileged intimacy. It touches that tender membrane where the human heart cries out to its divine ground. In the ecstasy and loneliness of one’s life,... — Updated 11/25/2015
The wisdom to know how to really listen | Worship
Some of you may have heard a dear one, or just two passing strangers say, “If he, she, or they would have just listened then ” Yet, so many of us scratch the surface on this on... — Updated 7/29/2015
The Buddhist path of virtue | Worship
“Morality is the vehicle for happiness, Morality is wealth and treasure. Morality is the vehicle for dispassion; thus may morality be purified.” Ajahn Chah Recently, I came upon a rather beautiful section on virtue in Jack... — Updated 1/27/2015
Navigating the mind state matrix of restraint | Worship
Understanding our lives is essential to understanding the nature of our mind. We contemplate our mind in feeling, thought, sensation and action internal, external and both. When we speak of internal in most Buddhist disciplines, we... — Updated 11/19/2014
Our society reflects a lack of self-reliance (Part 2) | Worship
This is Part 2 of a discussion on the importance of self-reliance. If you missed Part 1, you can read it online at www.mukilteobeacon.com. I am reminded of one of many stories about unlikely circumstances where a person became... — Updated 9/3/2014
Our society reflects a lack of self-reliance (Part 1) | Worship
“Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the libert... — Updated 6/18/2014 Full story
‘Subconscious gossip’ of our awakened minds | Worship
We are not driven by distraction. We are driven by grasping, rejecting and denial. Distractions are considered our “subconscious gossip,” a phrase given by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Although there is no higher happiness than... — Updated 4/2/2014 Full story
Remembering to touch the ground with our feet | Weekly Worship
When mindfulness is stationed as a sentinel, A guard upon the threshold of the mind, Mental scrutiny is likewise present, Returning when forgotten or disperse.” -Shantideva Many of us seem to forget to attend to our feet as they... — Updated 1/15/2014 Full story
