Certainty in an Uncertain World
Been feeling busy? Perhaps out-of-balance? Even when we’ve been practicing for years it can be tempting to look for well-being elsewhere. We imagine a light at the end of the tunnel. That things will...
Compassion and Equanimity – Facing Challenges in Difficult Times
In times of uncertainty and change, we can draw on Buddhist teachings to help us move beyond constricting habitual patterns such as fear, denial, and despair. Awakening our inner capacities for compassion and equanimity,...
Live Wholeheartedly and Leave Not a Trace
“When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” Suzuki Roshi I read this teaching by Suzuki Roshi in my early days as a Zen...
A Bigger Sky
Einstein declared that the most important question facing humanity is this: “Is the universe friendly or unfriendly?” How we answer this question, he insisted, determines how we relate to and engage with ourselves, each...
Re-writing the Stories that Guide our Lives
We live our lives through stories. If you’ve ever tried to sit in meditation, you’re probably noticed that the mind is a story-generating machine. Memories of the past. Predictions about the future. Then we...
We were Made for These Times: Touching our True Home in the Here and Now
We are currently facing a time of great division and destruction. We see walls and bans and gulfs widening everywhere we look. We ourselves, or those we love, may be targeted and under attack....
Trust and Confidence: One of the Five Great Spiritual Powers
Trust is like pouring oil on troubled waters; it smooths the way. We don’t need to take so much trouble to build our walls. We can let go and let life sweep through us....
The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Self
It is an extraordinary relief to encounter the perfection of ordinary self in a world that is screaming loudly, “There is something better out there! There is something you might be missing! There are...
When did you Stop Breathing?
Last year I was living on campus for three months at my teacher’s home; the Venerable Sangharakshita. When back in the UK I found myself caught up in my family constellation. It had been...
Calling All Eco-Sattvas: Buddhism and Climate Change
Impermanence, anicca in Pali, is the underlying reality upon which the Buddha based his teachings of liberation. Things change. Accepting change and being willing to let go of what has passed is often seen...