A guided tour of the ancient family temple at Keramas Sacred River Village includes a description of numerous statues in three courtyards. Built in the 7th century, the temple is the spiritual epicenter of the property, and has been in the family for many generations. A royal Balinese temple is laid out according to ancient spiritual design. There are three gates and three sets of guardians, leading into three courtyards. The first courtyard is about nature and our relationship the the environment. The second courtyard is about humanity and our actions in on our life earth. The third courtyard…

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Can you join us for lunch today? In our local Balinese cooking class, we gathered wild foods and prepared them for lunch. I made a video of the adventure! Here at Keramas Sacred River Village Lama D and I are immersed in nature. Every tree, flower, plant, and animal has its special place in the balance. The frangipani flower blesses, many roots offer pungent spices, the leaves and fruits are waiting to be enjoyed, the tall coconut trees provide everything. The knowledgable staff here offers a cooking class for visitors in local Balinese foods. Secretly wanting to taste authentic foods,…

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How can we begin our day with harmony in the world? Balinese tradition of daily offerings is a simple and deep way to create positive blessings with Nature, to invoke the forces in the seen and unseen world. A profound deeper meaning infuses Bali’s traditional offering. Called Canang Sari, daily offerings of flowers and leaves are prepared according to ancient rules, to maintain the delicate balance between all the elements of the earth. Keramas Sacred River Village in Bali offers visitors a glimpse into the spiritual gifts of Bali. When our lives are in harmony with the elements of nature,…

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Every place I look here in Bali I see a new thread to explore, a window into another time. This three-headed statue is the Hindu trinity or Trimurti. Each face represents an aspect of God in different forms: creation, protection, and destruction. The Trimurti was described in the Puranas, sacred memorized Sanskrit verses possibly 9,000 years old. Stones endure, and sometimes we can read the language of art even better than words or concepts. Our origins are old and sacred. Just wondering, how were people’s thoughts different in past centuries? Giant three-headed Shiva statues of Elefanta Caves near Mumbai are said to…

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Pinch me! I can hardly contain my joy. For four months Lama D and I have been asking and praying for for a place to live and hold our retreats in Bali. Well, we finally found it and we moved in yesterday. From left to right is the team of heroes: Ketut is the owner and soul of Keramas Sacred River Village, me Sri Jana, the friend who introduced us is Yoga Wastra, and Lama D on the right. Keramas Sacred River Village is on the Southeast coast of Bali, near the ocean, an hour from the airport in Denpasar.…

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Can we feel intense joy at the same time as we experience total uncertainty? This is my question for you today. In my daily thoughts, I’m working to embrace uncertainty and joy simultaneously. It’s my new practice, and very much fun. I just try to increase the joy more and more, while embracing total uncertainty. Turn up the joy, and keep the uncertainty at a high level. How much joy can you tolerate? So far, it’s a fun game. When I observe my thoughts, I see through my superficial reactions. This practice requires courage. Yes, I believe that COURAGE is…

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When I discovered the amazing story of Bali culture, I made a video about it. Bali is the remains of the ancient Majpahit Empire. Based in Java, this Hindu – Buddhist civilization ruled the Malay peninsula for centuries. When a Javanese king converted to Islam and required that all his people do the same, many Hindu upper class left Java for Bali, in order to maintain their old sacred ways of living. A major exodus of princes, priests, and royalty around 1527 CE established Bali as a safe haven for ancient Hinduism, and their traditions continue to this day. Who was Gajah Mada? Javanese…

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Looking at the big picture, I see that the future of the world is utterly unclear. Our civilization and our shared reality hang by a thin thread. Yet at the same time, I also see that humanity is completely safe and protected. There is no cause for any alarm. But how can both these realities be true? Some nights I don’t sleep, wondering about this. However in the morning when the sun comes up, everything is fine. After my meditation, that is. Some say we are being manipulated in order to divide and separate us. Others say there’s a plan…

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These are beautiful warm days in Bali, Indonesia, where we are safe and enjoying life under lockdown. Bali has been quite free of coronavirus difficulty, thankfully. Here I’m sharing a few moments of our life. We hope to return to Bhutan when their quarantine requirements are relaxed a bit to allow easier re-entry. At the moment we would be forced to stay for 21 days in a hotel chosen by lottery, and not be able to leave the room, with 3-meals delivered and an in-room doctor visit daily, all provided gratis by the King of Bhutan. I guess we’ll wait…

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Greetings friend. I hope you’re taking excellent care of yourself. I send you blessings for resilience and wisdom in these important times. When things began to get “interesting” at first I was distracted. Then I was afraid. Then I started angrily researching the selfish perpetrators of evil and death. That turned into shock and depression. Then my mind arrived to acceptance and forgiveness. I began to bless all those who have been terribly misled and misused for centuries. We are each on a path of processing many emotions and experiences. It’s a daily journey. Then last Monday I had a…

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