Todd Perelmuter's Blog, page 15

How Do You Maintain Relationships With Narcissists

Q: Dear Todd, when someone is abusive or narcissistic, how do you encorporate them into your life?

TODD ANSWERS: You only have to do what your heart guides you to do. That may mean once a year for the holidays, or more often if they show remorse and growth.

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN

The post How Do You Maintain Relationships With Narcissists appeared first on EastWesticism.

Path to Peace How to Not Let Pleasure Turn into Addiction

All addictions rob us of the chance to be at deep peace and rest. They take over our mind, and chasing the high becomes our full-time job with overtime. Only when we don’t know the deep peace within do we search for it in vain outside of ourselves.

Enjoying our favorite activities without attachment and craving is the key to freedom. It is when we become attached that we sacrifice our future well being for short term relief and escape.

In this podcast, I share how to get in touch with your inner peace and bliss, rise above addiction, and become free from the impulses and whims of the ego.

*****
If you ever feel like my words brought a change in your life, and want to show your SUPPORT for what I am doing, click here.

Find all of my BOOKS for wherever you are on your spiritual journey: https://www.eastwesticism.org/spiritual-meditation-books/

Want to gift a book to a prisoner? Go here.

The post Path to Peace How to Not Let Pleasure Turn into Addiction appeared first on EastWesticism.

I Am Close to My Breaking Point

Q: Dear Todd, I lost my dad a year and a half ago and since then, I have been isolated and have been utterly abandoned by relatives and so-called friends. I really and truly don’t think I deserve this, but at age 65 it seems as though the entire world wants me gone. I am close to the breaking point and am praying for help.

TODD ANSWERS: The constant struggle of life is to constantly accept what is happening and make peace with it. There is infinite beauty in this finite world. We have to look closely and sometimes we have to make it. I love you and the world needs you.

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN

The post I Am Close to My Breaking Point appeared first on EastWesticism.

Why Do We Attract Bad People in Our Life?

Q: Dear Todd, as a kid or a teen, we don’t have these “toxic” thoughts and ideas, then how are we projecting these kinds of people in our life – bad people, liars, jealous people? Is it karma then? How come teachings say to live in the present moment, but still, we have to deal with karma and ancestors’ karma.

TODD ANSWERS: That’s a great question. It is truly senseless whenever there is cruelty against children. But while it is senseless, it is not causeless. Unfortunately, we live in a world where cruelty is tolerated because we (and our ancestors) didn’t collectively do everything we could to nourish kindness and compassion in our fellow humans

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN

The post Why Do We Attract Bad People in Our Life? appeared first on EastWesticism.

My Life in a Buddhist Monastery in Thailand

I stayed for some time in a Buddhist monastery in a jungle in southern Thailand. At first, it was my torment. There were no screens in the windows to keep the bugs away and this was my first experience sleeping with a wooden pillow. But as the days, weeks, and months went on, the lack of comforts became my salvation.

This monastery became one of the greatest spiritual experiences in my life. It showed me the deep peace and bliss that lies within all of us and which no external pleasure or comfort can compare. I’ll never forget this beautiful place or the beautiful people I met there.

We see the trend of minimalism all around us. Be it business or life as a whole, minimalism has been gaining long overdue significance everywhere.

Long back, we all were content with the little joys of life. However, over the course of time, we started to get distracted by the temporary shine of material aspects.

Even I chased a lot of things all at once at some point in my life. Then came the turning point, I went to one of the retreats in India and I realized, I was happier, calmer, and content in this minimalist lifestyle than I had ever been in the longest time.

Fast forward to now, I adopt minimalism in everything. Little joys in life matter the most to me. I don’t want a lavish lifestyle. I am a preacher and seeker of peace and happiness. And I have found it within me, through meditation, spirituality, and of course, adapting to a minimalist lifestyle.

A minimalist life helps us evolve in all aspects of our lives. It helps us understand what awareness is. It further

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN The Art of Gratitude | Short Film

Gratitude is the most important human emotion because it alone determines the quality of our life. This film is a roadmap back to our grateful hearts.

The post My Life in a Buddhist Monastery in Thailand appeared first on EastWesticism.

Path to Peace The Whole Universe Conspired for You to Be Here

Without every single part of bicycle, a bike would cease to be a bike. Like each link in a bike chain, every part is integral to the form and function of the bicycle. So too, every single one of us is an expression of the universe in this moment, inseparable and indistinguishable.

When we realize we are the oneness of the universe, we stop falling for the illusion of separateness and isolation. All the self-pressure, self-consciousness and self-doubt fades away as we realize there is no self. In today's podcast, see beyond the veil of duality, discover your true nature, and feel the universe within.

Please enjoy other episodes where I share meditation techniques, tips and spiritual lessons from around the world for peaceful and stress-free living. Remember to subscribe to stay up-to-date.

*****
If you ever feel like my words brought a change in your life, and want to show your SUPPORT for what I am doing, click here.

Find all of my BOOKS for wherever you are on your spiritual journey: https://www.eastwesticism.org/spiritual-meditation-books/

Want to gift a book to a prisoner? Go here.

The post Path to Peace The Whole Universe Conspired for You to Be Here appeared first on EastWesticism.

Letting Go of Desire of Material Things vs WEF Concept

Q: Dear Todd, there needs to be a hard line distinction between “You will own nothing and be happy.” which is the WEF version of freedom, and the Hindu/Buddhist version of letting go of the external desire for material things as a source of happiness, and freedom. How would a person best separate the two in words? Serious question. I need help to be able to explain this to the blind so they are not fooled by the WEF concept.

TODD ANSWERS: ​​This is a great question. Something I thought about. For me, it’s not about having stuff versus not having stuff. It’s about the dissatisfaction that comes from wanting stuff, fear of losing stuff, and the suffering from not possessing what you want to possess

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN

The post Letting Go of Desire of Material Things vs WEF Concept appeared first on EastWesticism.

Making Impulsive Decisions That You Regret Later

Q: I was the happiest and kindest person ever. But one day, influenced by my friend, I made the huge mistake of getting a color tattoo on my whole forearm. I regret it now and I am overwhelmed by hating myself. Any thoughts?

Todd Answers: You are not suffering because of the tattoo. You are suffering because of your attachment to a conceived idea of how your body should be. Some people have no legs, some people have scars all over, and many people can barely get around. You are very blessed. This little tattoo that reminds you of one bad moment can be your spiritual teacher, giving you the opportunity to discover peace, even when it’s difficult. Many people with much greater disfigurments have found a way to make peace and I am confident you can too.

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN

The post Making Impulsive Decisions That You Regret Later appeared first on EastWesticism.

How to Cope With Someone Ghosting You (Only Way That Works)

Dealing With Being Ghosted

We’ve all been there. Someone texts you, you text back, and then, silence. Sometimes it takes a few hours, sometimes days, and sometimes never.

Or, when dating, you might really like someone and you think, “This can really go somewhere,” but then they disappear. Sometimes you just keep waiting for that text which never arrives. You may cycle through every emotion: anger, confusion, sadness… You keep analyzing what you did wrong and what you could have done to avoid it. Your ego gets hurt and your self-esteem plummets. You start to question yourself, “Was I funny enough? Was I pretty enough?” So, what’s a better way to cope with the infamous ghoster?

The answer to that question is to not change how we cope, but rather to change how we go about our social lives in the first place. If we approach our social lives in the right way, there would be no need for coping at all. If we seek out companionship thinking it will make us happy, we are making our happiness dependent on temporary circumstances that are bound to change. If we tap into our inner peace, love and joy, the whole world and all of its pleasures simply become the icing on the cake — you can take it or leave it.

The sage knows that some people will ghost, others will flake, and others will lash out and reenact old trauma. This is the way of the world — everyone is going through their own journey. The most we can do is discover ourselves, then we can share our joys and sorrows with other folks who are in a similar place on their own journey. We can welcome all newcomers, say goodbye peacefully to those whose paths diverge, and we can embrace and appreciate every step of the way.

 

Break That Cycle of Overthinking Before It Creates Any Suffering

Our minds are thinking machines, constantly jumping from thought to thought, constantly looking for something to overthink and obsess about. That’s what they do, it’s their job. A hand will do hand stuff and the mind will do thinking stuff.

But what happens when our minds get out of control? What happens when they no longer think the positive thoughts we wish they would? What happens when they only dwell on negative things, like what could go wrong in the future and what has gone wrong in the past?

When that happens, these are the 4 things you can do:

Start by practicing mindfulness in every activity you doBecome conscious and aware of your thoughts (More on this in my podcast where I talk about what it means to observe our thoughts.)Learn to focus your mind on what you want to focus onChange unconscious negative thoughts into intentional positive thoughts.

Here’s a meditation that I use to stop my mind from fixating on negative things.

May you recognize your wholeness and perfection. May you honor this moment by being here fully for it. May you commit to this one eternal and infinite moment. May you allow yourself to lay your baggage down from yesterday and not to pick up tomorrow’s until tomorrow.

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN

The post How to Cope With Someone Ghosting You (Only Way That Works) appeared first on EastWesticism.

Beyond the Brain: Understanding the Boundaries of Consciousness

Q: Dear Todd, space-time does change (Einstein’s relativity) and consciousness depends entirely on the function of the physical brain. Bonk someone on the head and they lose consciousness. Give them a general anesthetic and they lose consciousness. States of dreamless sleep lack consciousness. When the brain dies and its function ceases, the consciousness of that being is permanently extinguished. Any thoughts?

TODD ANSWERS: Yes indeed, space-time bends and warms all the time. The only permanence is impermanence in this physical universe.

However, it is not determined where consciousness lies. It is a total mystery. We do not know if our brain gives rise to consciousness or if our brains limit our consciousness to merely what our five senses can perceive. Perhaps dreamless sleep is actually the state of being conscious of absolutely nothing – no space and no time.

Consciousness truly is a complete mystery. People can be missing any number of the various parts of the brain, yet they can still be conscious. How it arises we do not know. But all that really matters is, when we turn our gaze back on itself we tap into our true nature, inner peace and joy.

Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter Newsletter Email JOIN

The post Beyond the Brain: Understanding the Boundaries of Consciousness appeared first on EastWesticism.