God In Disguise
The greeting, “Namaste” has been translated as “I bow to the God within you.” When you use this salutation, you…
Author Jeffrey Chappell Interviewed At The Library Of Congress
On July 22, 2014, Jeffrey Chappell was interviewed by Grace Cavalieri at the Library of Congress for her radio program,…
Answers From Silence Becomes An International Bestseller
During the first week of March, 2014, Answers From Silence became a multiple international bestselling book on Amazon.com. Answers From…
“Let Go And Let God”—And Beyond
“I’m trying to remember to trust that things will happen at the right time instead of me having to push…
Spiritual Success
I have ended up on several New Age email lists. They send announcements telling me that there is something that…
The Tyranny Of Thought
If you are seeker on a spiritual path, thoughts might seem to stand in the way of your evolution. Thoughts…
The Obstacles To Enlightenment
“I’m not yet adequately evolved spiritually to become enlightened.” “I don’t want to give up the things that enlightenment requires…
Your Spiritual Path—And Beyond
There are many spiritual paths. A very small list would include: yoga wicca t’ai chi religion kaballah astrology divination meditation…
Meditation Techniques—And Beyond
There are many techniques for meditation. A very small list would include: Making yourself relax. Telling yourself to feel peaceful,…
Misconceptions of Enlightenment
Take an inventory of your concepts about what an enlightened person is like. You may find that you expect that,…
Definitions of Enlightenment
A reader recently asked me some very astute questions about enlightenment. The following is based on our exchange: Daniel Barash:…
How To Be “Never Better”
The other day, someone asked me, “How are you?” As usual, I replied, “Never better.” And she said quite seriously,…
Why I Am “Never Better”
If someone asks, “How are you?”, I reply, “Never better.” And sometimes they ask, “Why?” Meaning, “What wonderful thing happened…
Balancing The Material And The Spiritual
A man participating in a cooking contest was asked, “What did you do to prepare for this?” He answered, “I…
Oneness—And Beyond
Oneness, sometimes expressed as “I am one with everything”, is often spoken of as the state of a person who…
God, Or Whatever You Want To Call It
“God, or whatever you want to call it” is a phrase that is frequently heard in the spiritual community. The…
Having A Higher Purpose—And Beyond
Sometimes people discover a higher purpose to live for. When this realization arrives, it’s a turning point. It provides the…
Answers From Silence: An Interview
Answers From Silence was published in the Czech language by the Eugenika publishing house in the Slovak Republic last week…
Having A Spiritual Experience—And Beyond
If you are someone who is evolving spiritually, you might feel that you are a human being who is having…
Success and Happiness—And Beyond
What is life about? Is it about success? About happiness? About getting what you want? Well, yes, of course, it…
This Will Change Your Life
“This will change your life.” It’s a phrase that you hear in advertising all of the time. The question for…
The Map Of Enlightenment
What good is it for somebody else to be enlightened and to tell you what it’s like? Wouldn’t it just…
Your Peak Experience—And Beyond
There is a phenomenon that is fairly common among people who are on a path of spiritual seeking. What happens…
First-Hand Enlightenment
Consider the following statement: “The world is just maya—it’s all an illusion.” It’s one thing to remind yourself of this…
The Law Of Attraction—And Beyond
The law of attraction is getting a high profile these days. Many books have been written about it and many…
In The Zone Of Enlightenment
“Being in the zone”. People speak of this in relation to such things as playing sports and performing music. It…
Your Life Story—And Beyond
I heard a woman talking about building her whole life as an homage to her deceased husband. She bought a…
Are You Ready For Enlightenment?
If you were getting dressed to go to a party, you might spend a lot of time imagining and predicting…
The Meaning of Being
When a certain celebrity came to my hometown a couple of decades ago, I had an exciting opportunity to be…
Positive Thinking—And Beyond
I was listening to someone talking to a group about how to accomplish a particular project. I was waiting to…
The Enlightened Viewpoint
There is a section of Answers From Silence on the topic of intolerance. It says that all viewpoints are limited…
The Triumph of Enlightenment
A loyal reader sent in this question: “When injustice seems to triumph, how do you handle it as an enlightened…
Enlightened Agreement
“I did read your book. Of course, I didn’t agree with everything in it.” The spirit in which the person…
Enlightened Success
I had a conversation with a friend of mine who has read Answers From Silence. She loves the chapter about…
Tsunamis, Karma, and Divine Retribution
Some people have said that the Japanese tsunami catastrophe was divine retribution. In a search for a meaningful explanation of…
The “Mr. Enlightenment” Interview, Part Three
Dear Readers: This is the final follow-up to the article on this website titled, “The Mr. Enlightenment Interview”, where Rose…
The “Mr. Enlightenment” Interview, Part Two
Dear Readers: This is the first follow-up to the article on this website titled, “The Mr. Enlightenment Interview”, where Rose…
The “Mr. Enlightenment” Interview
On December 12, 2010, Rose Rosetree interviewed me for her blog. Rose is a practitioner of spiritual healing and is…
Being In The Present—And Beyond
There’s a lot of talk in the spiritual community about being in the present. It is regarded as a measure…
Enlightenment: Why Bother?
Enlightenment seems to be the assignment, the goal, and the prize for those who become spiritually aware. But let’s stop…
The Answer Is Being
If you ever studied how to play a musical instrument, perhaps you had the experience of being distracted by having…
You’ve Got Enlightenment All Backwards
In a magazine article, I found a question like this one: “How can we maintain inner stillness while our lives…
The Mayan Calendar And The End Of The World
There’s a big deal being made out of the fact that there exists a Mayan calendar that seems to end…
Ask Your Enlightened Self
I was meditating in my office one day when a knock came at the door, which I did not answer…
Your Mistaken Identity
Yes, I am on Facebook. But I had what you might call a bit of an identity crisis when I…
How To Find A Piece Of Enlightenment
A lot of classic stories have been told that are variations on the same theme: someone searches for something and…
“It’s The Journey That Counts.” Or Is It?
There is a wise, insightful saying in currency these days. You may hear variations of it such as, “It’s the…
Is Jeffrey Chappell Enlightened?
Answers From Silence traces the author’s growth of consciousness, a process that eventually culminates in “crossing over a line…
“Never Better”
It can be hard for me to answer ordinary, everyday questions with the expected responses. For example, when somebody asks,…
The Enlightenment Business
I have been told, now that Answers From Silence has been published and the website has been launched, that I…
What Does Enlightenment Look Like?
My web designer has suggested that I choose some images to illustrate my blog posts on the topic of spiritual…
Crossing the Line to a New Existence
Everyone has an Enlightened Self. It is the part of you that already is enlightened, already knows peace, and already…