During cross-country skiing, when attention is completely absorbed in the glide, there is no sense of “I am skiing.” The thinking self, the body being controlled— both disappear somewhere, and there is only the skiing itself. The feel of wind brushing the cheeks, the breath, the rhythm, the stillness. There is no “I’m doing well,” no “a tired body.” There is only what is happening— just that. Body and mind fall away, with no separation from what is encountered. That is droppi

The anxiety and fear that come with change are not obstacles to be overcome. They are essential elements at the very core of the human experience. What becomes clear through sonomama practice is this: the very effort to eliminate anxiety and fear is what traps us in tension and resistance. That is why this practice ultimately leads to “this was enough,” “everything is already here”— an absolute sense of okay-ness. Because all there is is the way things are right now. More pre

The vague hope of “someday I will be happy” is often nothing more than a promise made to an imaginary future—a way of postponing what truly matters. The deepest reason people remain unhappy is that they keep looking toward a “someday” that never comes and forget the real work: being with their own heart, right now. Many people have grown accustomed to unhappiness as if it were their natural state. Yet returning from a state where unhappiness feels normal to one where good for

January 2026. Another war has begun. News reports that the United States has carried out a military intervention in Venezuela. When I was a child, I believed—somewhat optimistically—that “by the 21st century, war would no longer exist.”I carried a vague sense that if human consciousness evolved, war would eventually come to an end. But it seems the world did not move in that direction. —Even that expectation was corrected long ago. To the premise that war will not disappear.

Human suffering arises when, although only this moment is here, we feel as if something else should be. We look back on the past, and we imagine the future. In the movement of these thoughts, we drift away from now . Yet thoughts themselves arise naturally. They appear, and they disappear— and still, there is not even a trace of appearing or disappearing. When we understand their nature, there is no need to stop them. We can simply let them be. “Here and now” is not the “no

—Personal Healing and Social Healing Healing is not only for the individual. It is also necessary for society. As we heal, distorted ways of seeing begin to soften, and our capacity to see facts as they are gradually returns. And when we are healing, we become less likely—often without realizing it— to pass our pain onto others. In organizations and communities, even a few people who have not yet had the support or capacity to tend to their own healing can unintentionally cre

Seeing things exactly as they are is not easy. Most of the time, we don’t realize that we are seeing the world through what is inside us. This is often the root of our confusion and suffering. In psychology, this is called projection . Projection happens when we unknowingly place our own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs onto other people or situations. For example, imagine there is a belief deep inside you that says, “I have no value.” Even if you are not aware of it, that bel

Krishnamurti, a spiritual teacher from India, taught that much of what we perceive, think, and feel arises from conditioning—social, cultural, and psychological. Freedom begins the moment we become aware of these patterns. Krishnamurti wrote, “The world is an extension of you, a mirrored and amplified expression of who you are.” At first glance, this may sound philosophical or abstract, but it points to something deeply practical: the world you experience is shaped by percept

Hello everyone, recently I received a thoughtful response from someone who read my blog post on mindfulness and compassion . He shared honestly about a time when compassion felt impossible for him—when a homeless encampment near his home led to fear, crime, disruption, and a deep sense of unsafety. He asked: “Are there times when compassion is not called for?” This is a question many people struggle with. It reveals a common misunderstanding: compassion is often confused with

Sometimes mindfulness is discussed separately from compassion, as if they were two distinct practices. Yet to truly cultivate compassion, mindfulness is essential. Mindfulness is the capacity to pause and be with our thoughts, sensations, emotions, and the world around us without immediately reacting. It creates inner space. When we are mindful, we see more clearly what is happening within ourselves and in others. In that clarity, we recognize suffering—not as something to fi