In a world where all is borrowed,and time like elusive dust seems tojust slip through our fingers, all we really have are these precious momentswhere we can make fertile the soilin the garden of our hearts,that here love may make its homeand here the mortal seed may flourish. Only love can free us from the […]
Impermanence – Azam Ali – Where all is Borrowed Read Post »
At night, deep in the mountains I sit in zazen. The affairs of men never reach me here. In the stillness I sit on a cushion across from the empty window. The incense has been swallowed up by the endless night; My robe has become a garment of white dew. Unable to sleep, I walk
Reflections on Ryokan – At Night, Deep in the Mountains Read Post »
I was sitting next to our bath last night, with my toddler playing with his bubbles. And I was reflecting that for many years, when I first came to practice, and first had children, I used to feel very strongly that my goal in life, the goal of spiritual life, was ‘somewhere else’, ‘something else’,
Is This All There Is? Read Post »
Looking at a situation with a group of people, what do you see? Suffering However you look, you see either immediate suffering, the suffering that comes from the nature of change and therefore loss of present happiness, or existential suffering – the suffering that comes simply through being embodied. Looking at beings, you see beings
Suffering, Compassion and Meeting Needs Read Post »
I was sitting watching my son, who was watching a kids news program on TV. The program was showing the refugee camps in the Sudan. The refugees were mostly children, and many had lost their parents who had been slaughtered by militia. The fortunate ones lived in a tent, without possessions. Those less fortunate had
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
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 »
One thing which has come to me over and over again in recent days is the profound ‘is-ness’ of things. By this, I don’t mean the ‘suchness’, to use Buddhist terminology. What I mean is that when I look at a leaf, it is extraordinary how ‘leafy’ it is …. the texture ripples with extraordinary
The ‘Is-ness’ of Things Read Post »
….. my two old boy, sitting on my lap, clasped to me with his little hug, whilst I gently chant and meditate. Moments before, he was mid-tantrum, screaming and kicking … lost in his pain. How beautiful to share those precious moments with him, 5 minutes together, with peace in our hearts. …. how beautifully
