Ruth Ostrow

I HAVE a spiritual teacher in India. This year, when I was with him at his ashram, I sought a private audience to discuss my concerns. Continue Reading →

As a busy year draws to an end it’s worth considering why so many of us struggle to find time to set aside distractions and “stop and think”. Continue Reading →

THERE is a fear that I’ve just looked up that many of us probably have. Soteriophobia — the fear of becoming dependent on someone else. Continue Reading →

I HAD a very strange experience a few years ago which has made me think about the nature of love. I’d been advertising for a room-mate for my spare room to get me over a financial hump. Continue Reading →

I ONCE got to know someone who was a philanthropist and humanist. He spent a lot of time overseas helping children in war-torn countries. His focus was on landmines and the kids who were being maimed as they played. He didn’t just give money; he gave his time. Continue Reading →

RECENTLY I went to a funky cafe. I was enjoying the food and company when nature called. On the way back from the bathroom, I ran into two friends sitting at a table. I was overjoyed because I don’t see them often. They are loads of fun and we’ve always had a special bond. But they glared at me as if I were from outer space. Continue Reading →

POLITICAL correctness has gone rampant. The UN believes that it should be illegal for parents to smack a child and that children should have the same protection from “assault” as adults. At the same time as horrific details of child sexual abuse are coming to light by way of clergy, and celebrity paedophile rings, loving parents who smack their child for running across a road could be dobbed in by teachers or neighbours and prosecuted as criminals — and then what, guys? Fifty lashes? Continue Reading →

I RECENTLY travelled to Nepal with my spiritual teacher, a man known as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Not the musician – Shankar is a common name in India – rather, a famous teacher or “guru” who was a disciple of the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (guru to The Beatles, and founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement). Continue Reading →

ONE of my favourite stories was written by author and western Buddhist monk Jack Kornfield in his book A Path with Heart. Kornfield, from an American Jewish home, had come to realise there was too much pain in his family. He was Ivy League educated, but ignorant when it came to his emotions. Continue Reading →

I MET a man during my recent spiritual journey through Asia and Nepal, who shared a surprising story. He was married for 25 years. He and his wife loved each other deeply. A few years ago doctors diagnosed him with heart disease and told him he had to dramatically change his lifestyle. Continue Reading →