This last few days I’ve been reading blogs from soldiers fighting in Iraq. I’ve also been reading the comments on those blogs, and some related materials from people around the world. The recurring theme throughout those comments has been how polarised people seem to be in their views. They are either ‘for’ or ‘against’ the […]
Always Taking Sides Read Post »
It’s funny how mind works when it is filled with the fullness of vision of Vajrayana. Right out the window of my office where I work are some flags advertising a car showroom. The flags flutter madly in the winds, often against blue skies and racing clouds. How similarly shaped are these flags to a
Renault Prayer Flags Read Post »
Driving in to work this morning, it really struck me how close to death we all are. Flying along the road, I was continually inches away from crashing into another car. One momentary misjudgement, on anyone of a hundred different drivers part, and the result would have been dramatic. More than that …. how many
How tempting it is for the mind to grasp onto what is directly perceived, and to ossify it into necessarily rigid and falsifying concepts. The raft of skilful use of conceptual understanding is a tricky one to ride, and one which seems to hold much potential for misuse. The Buddha described the Dharma as being
It has really struck me over the weekend how much the continuity of meditation is facilitated by a daily practice. For many years when I started on the Dharmic path, I was fiercely concerned that I should meditate every day, following my teachers advice. Like many things in those days, there was a sense of
We experience endlessly, and on top of the flow of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, and thinking we project and add a fictional ‘experiencer’, a one, a self who is doing this experiencing. And yet, there isn’t anyone there to do this. so who or what is experiencing the experiences? ….. the experience itself is
The Experience is the Experiencer Read Post »
Yesterday I started to catch a cold. My mind was very cloudy indeed, and I felt like I was floating in a cloud. It was really hard to focus on anything and retain that focus as I tended to drift off into blankness. Mentally, it was real hard to apply myself to work, and thoughts
Compassion and emptiness are inseparable. This uninterrupted flowing innate mind Is suchness, primordially pure. Space is seen in intercourse with space. Because the root resides at home, Mind consciousness is imprisoned. Meditating on this, subsequent thoughts Are not patched together in the mind. Knowing the phenomenal world is the nature of mind, Meditation requires no
Marpa’s Teaching from Saraha in a Dream Read Post »
Two nights ago I watched the final episode of Michael Palin’s new TV series – ‘Himalaya’, a series which followed his trek through that extraordinary region. Most of this last episode was set in Bhutan, and showed wonderful views of the environment there, the mountains, the valleys, and life in villages and monasteries. Calling me
Calling Me Back Home Read Post »
Hmm … that was a real tough weekend! So many challenges to rise to, so much energy expended keeping everything going and everything together … I’m now ready for a rest when I get back to work! Buying into the headline of the story But lying there reflecting on the weekend last night, it really
Generalisations Obscure the Truth Read Post »
