Thoughts are like stray cats that walk across the garden. We don’t have to feed them or chase them away. Is it really our garden? Or is it just a garden? If we learn to treat it with respect without ownership then we can openly share this space with whatever is present. Because we’re really […]
Author Archives: AJ
In mindfulness we rest in the wider experience of the moment. Establishing mindfulness; acquiring the positive habit of allowing attention to move to the senses, the form, the energies and feelings we experience, all the while aware of these rather than identified with them, is incredibly beneficial. What we discover is that obsessive and repetitive […]
Whether it’s part of our spiritual practice or it began for us after awakening, mindfulness is a subtle shift in focus that keeps our attention held lightly in the present moment. We find ourselves spending more and more time simply being present with what is. This is a great gift in one sense. Colours can seem […]
It’s hard not to feel a sense of control when we can all notice that there are choices we make every moment of every day. Perhaps it’s inevitable that we’re fooled again and again into seeing a world where there is an ‘I’ that makes decisions in response to the everyday situations that arise. And […]
Awakening, or realising truth, can only happen in the present. It may seem obvious to say, but it’s implied in every teaching or pointer that encourages us to be present with what is, in the moment. One way to look at this is to note that this shift, or awakening happens at a fundamental level. […]
Sleepless nights are not a thing I’m used to. Normally when my head hits the pillow you can count the seconds till I’m off. So it was a bit of a surprise to find myself losing not one but two night’s sleep last week. The funny thing was I didn’t feel bad about it either […]
154. O house-builder, you are seen! You will not build this house again. For your rafters are broken and your ridgepole shattered. My mind has reached the Unconditioned; I have attained the destruction of craving. This is one of my favourite Dhammapada verses and over the last few years I’ve reflected on it many times. […]
Following on from the previous post, this is about looking at sense desire, ill will, desire for physical being and desire for non-physical being, the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th fetters. It might seem that freedom from the first three, from belief in a separate self, getting past where sceptical doubt can hold us back […]
Following on from the previous post, the first of the ten fetters is sakkayadhitti or self-view. In some ways this is considered by many to be the big one. It’s certainly at the root of a lot of spititual teachings. To ‘break’ this fetter is to see that there is no separate self, enabling the […]
We live in a world where we’re often persuaded that to be of any value something has to be new. If it’s not this year’s model, innovative or the latest thing then we’re missing out. So perhaps it’s no surprise that when it comes to spiritual development or awakening, Buddhism can be seen by some […]
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