Jihi no Kokoro: The Benevolent Heart

September 12, 2022 By Jake Davila

The false dichotomy of knowledge vs. emotion or inner experience is one that has done much damage to fledgling seekers of spiritual wisdom. Disconnecting themselves from the study of sacred literature or from the comprehension of the knowledge from which spiritual practice flows, they remain subject to the unsteady and untrustworthy ebb and flow of emotional sentiments. The other extreme is also an error; that of distrusting all inner experience and focusing solely on studies of sacred literature. In Japanese,... Read more

Queen Elizabeth II: A Life of Sincerity

September 8, 2022 By Jake Davila

Today the world heard the tragic news that the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II, passed away. Throughout the U.K. her subjects are in mourning for the loss of their beloved Queen. I wanted to share a quote from Her Majesty and connect it to spiritual life. She once said: “I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I... Read more

Action Meditation One

August 30, 2022 By Jake Davila

I receive a lot of questions on meditation. How do I meditate? Do I just sit in silence? Should I chant? Should I pray? Light incense? Empty my mind? The first step toward meditation practice can certainly be a difficult one without the proper guidance. We can fall prey to many pitfalls if we’re not guided properly. While you can learn some simply things from a book, the proper formation of your meditation practice and receiving feedback from a teacher... Read more

A True Story of a Mystical Vision?

August 28, 2022 By Jake Davila

I had been studying the spiritual teachings of my teacher diligently for several months. I’d also been practicing the methods of meditation and expanded consciousness I’d learned from him. Yet I was still frustrated. I didn’t feel like I’d made much progress. When I compared myself to the great sages of the past, the men and women who had encounters with Bodhisattvas and Kami, I felt like I was missing out on something that should be present if I was... Read more

The Sanmitsu: Three Secrets of Enlightenment

July 22, 2022 By Jake Davila

There are Three Secrets to the attainment of enlightenment. Once understood, to think that these three are really secret at all seems absurd, yet most don’t recognize or understand them. When it comes to spirituality and Mind Science, we seem to want to make things more difficult than they need be. That isn’t to say that spiritual life is easy. It often isn’t. However, it also isn’t as hard as our misguided notions of what should be make it. We... Read more

Is Faith Rational?

July 19, 2022 By Jake Davila

Rationalism holds that any sort of spiritual intuitiveness or revealed knowledge, or faith in a divine authority annihilates reason and renders it absolutely useless. I want to explore a bit about why I believe this to be a false assertion. There exist two orders of knowledge, distinct in their principle and in their object. In their principle, because in one we know by natural reason, and in the other by faith. In their object, because outside of things that natural... Read more

The Divine Feminine

July 10, 2022 By Jake Davila

“The contemplation of God in women is the most intense and perfect.”-Ibn Arabi, Fusus Al-Hikam Western culture, influenced significantly by the Christian tradition, has a firmly masculine conception of the Divine. The Divine Being is revealed as a Heavenly Father, a God of Armies and a King. All masculine designations. This reflects only the exoteric aspect of religion. And as a result, many men have used this concept throughout history to justify the subjugation and limitation of women. This wasn’t... Read more

The Godai: Character Flaws

June 26, 2022 By Jake Davila

My previous article on the Godai introduced my readers to some very basic principles. In this article I want to discuss how the Godai reveal the Five Character Flaws we all face. That is, envy, neediness, ignorance, anger and egotism. With proper spiritual training these can be overcome, and, in the process, you can develop the Five Wisdom Principles. As stated, the Godai can assist us in this process. Water-In the water mindset, when you feel hatred rising within you,... Read more

Daikomyo: Great Light

June 26, 2022 By Jake Davila

There is an important spiritual phrase in Japanese tradition: “Shiken haramitsu daikomyo”. 四拳波羅蜜大光明. I want to take the opportunity to explain what this means at some depth, since it is obviously not readily known. The word “shiken” implies four things. (shi=4, ken=heart/fist) In this sense it is the four hearts. It implies a merciful heart. That is, a heart that expresses love for everyone and everything. Love is properly defined as seeking the highest good. It implies a... Read more

Cultivating the Eye of the Heart

June 21, 2022 By Jake Davila

Humanity, if we are to flourish as we should and can, meeting our fullest potential, is in need of two essential things. First, we need to be rescued from our illusions, which brings us out of loneliness. This is only possible when we establish the vertical relationship the Divine Being. Secondly, we need to serve others, relieving burdens and comforting those in distress. This is the horizontal relationship that flows naturally out of the vertical. A true spiritual path should,... Read more