My favorite book of the moment is Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being. As a legendary music producer, Rubin has produced music from some of the greatest artists in the world, yet he “knows nothing about music” (his words). Rubin describes creativity as an act of receptivity—being open to inspiration rather than trying to force it.

It’s funny how life often works in unexpected ways. My first spiritual awakening, the moment that sparked a deep, lifelong connection with Tibetan culture and ancient Eastern religions, didn’t happen in a temple or a meditation hall. It didn’t come from reading a sacred text or meeting a revered monk. It began with a dog.

Was there a time in your life when everything around you seemed to shift, and suddenly, you felt like you were seeing the world in a new light?
For me, that was the early 1970s—a decade that wasn’t just about bell bottoms and The Beatles. It was an era of awakening when we started to understand that the universe is full of mysteries that the everyday world can’t explain.