Deepak, before I ask my question I wish to thank you for all the teachings and insights you have shared with the world. I always feel transformation when I listen to you speak or read or listen to your books.  My question is how does one find a spiritual teacher or mentor. I am interested in gaining a deeper understanding/practice of Buddhism but I am also interested in gaining some exposure to Vedic texts. There are 2 Buddhist centers in my area on Long Island. Would that be a place I would find a spiritual teacher/mentor. Of course I’d like Robert Thurman but I  think he may be a bit busy 🙂

Why do I feel so alone on my path? I meditate, study, believe, and have experienced first hand remarkable medical and spiritual outcomes (disappearance of an ovarian tumor following meditation and prayer, melted away moles, know when things are going to happen before they do sometimes- i.e.: my child is about to wake in the night/the alarm clock is going to go off). I’ve had moments of profound clarity and connection. Yet, I struggle with being “in this world but not of it”. My life is very full, 4 children, a husband, wonderful family and friends. Sometimes I feel that my pull to God and enlightenment interferes with my living in the now and enjoying every moment. That is so contradictory, I know. It is very confusing to me. I feel like I am caught in the middle, and I have to get off the fence or miss everything. Again, it is a very lonely state. I realize that I am far from enlightenment, and am not striving for it, but every time I turn away, something pulls me back. I don’t want to miss a moment of my children’s’ lives preoccupied, and I spend my days focusing on that and loving them. However, the pull is always there, as is the veil. I love and am loved, but I don’t fit in. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I am being treated for anxiety with meds. I am in the process of stopping those and am enrolled for Perfect Health in Sept and attended A Weekend Within in May. My anxiety manifests in different ways depending on circumstances. My question is can I use my mantra to help me keep the anxiety from rising or will that reduce the effectiveness on my mantra? I usually just need to quiet my mind and hope repetition of my mantra is a good tool.

I have been a stay at home mother for the last 23 years. I love my kids with a passion and want everything for them: health, happiness, love, success. Out of the 3, I have one child who is very rebellious and has acted out in ways the other 2 have not. He is an older teenager- he experiments with drugs, is arrogant , self centered and immature. When he is around us, he causes strife because he breaks rules of the household. My husband is apathetic and is tired of raising a rebellious kid. I feel guilty, but I am very anxious when he is home from college. He tells me I am a mean spirited person who doesn’t take him as he is. I am emotionally and physically exhausted and feel terrible about our relationship. Everyone tells me to “let go” but to me letting go means I don’t care anymore. Please advise.

I am very concerned of how our future will be affected in 2012 and the welfare of the world as a result. I am very aware of laws of Karma and the power of belief, especially collective belief, which leads me to my concerns and my questions. Which I would love your perspective, for I greatly respect your wisdom.

With all the negative collective beliefs for thousands of years on Armageddon /the end of days, the coming of the messiah, and the more recent, negative media focus on the Mayan predictions and changes to our planet’s climate, not to mention the accumulation of negative karmic actions (i.e. war.) Will this cause a catastrophic outcome? And if so, can we circumvent this? If so how? Would pouring out massive amounts of positive collective belief energy help to change the future?
What is your over all opinion of what may happen in 2012?