Joseph Bernard's Page

Yesterday I was reading a book on my bus ride into town and came upon some thoughts of the Dalai Lama about how to bring peace to the world. I appreciate his perspective because it is filled with wisdom and kindness. He emphasized the importance of developing compassion as a powerful way to resolve global conflicts. Compassion is the ability to feel for others, to care about their suffering and to hope for their happiness. All of us want to be free of suffering and to be happy. Everyone on our… Continue

Have a Billionaire Heart

I read an article in the paper on Sunday that I keep thinking about. The article was about billionaires and how most of them give very little away. I thought what a loss of opportunity for opening the heart. Giving feels good; giving opens the heart. So then I thought - how come? Could it be fear, a sense of lack or scarcity in some way, a disconnection from the heart, an intention to not see the need in the world, or maybe insulation from the harsh realities of many.… Continue

In my dreams last night I had a visit with Deepak Chopra. He has been on my mind lately after reading his book, Power, Grace and Freedom. I talked with him as if we were friends and I was quite impressed by his warmth and the sense that this person understands, as much as anyone ever has, about the highest realms of human expression. In my waking state I feel touched by the depth and compassion that was exchanged in the dream realm. In this moment as I write this, I feel the energy of that drea… Continue

The chilly night air seemed to bring clarity as I walked. I had been exploring some questions about the nature of consciousness. Was consciousness something you could measure or rate? What causes consciousness to expand? I was asking these questions because it seems to me the world is in need of more consciousness if we are going to have peace. I wondered if some people were more conscious then others? Then a light went on and I had a very interesting insight. That insight is even getting cleare… Continue