For some reason the bhakti poetry of Lal Ded, (also known as Lalla and as Lalleshwari), always resonates deep in my heart. Some, who have closed their eyes, are wide awake. Some, who look out at the world, are fast asleep. Some who bathe in sacred pools remain dirty. Some are at home in the […]
Some, Who Have Closed Their Eyes – Lal Ded Read Post »
Based on dependent origination something occurs, yet There is no arising nor passing away. There is no nihilism nor eternalism. There is no coming nor going. There are not many nor one event(s). Whatever tends to be elaborated becomes almost calm again and again. Nagarjuna When you meditate it seems as though a lot of
The Eight Extremes – Nagarjuna’s Madhyamaka teaching Read Post »
Mental projections way outnumber the dust motes you see in the sunlight;A great yogi knows what appears for what it is. At bottom, the nature of things isn’t a product of causes, nor of conditionsA great yogi cuts to the core of the issue. Even a hundred men with spears couldn’t stop the thought-bubbles of
Reflections on Milarepa – Song of Six Essential Points Read Post »
I thought I’d therefore share some further reflections on Gampopa’s threefold classification of Compassion (from The Jewel Ornament of Liberation). Compassion with reference to Sentient beings Gampopa’s first category – ‘Compassion with reference to Sentient beings’ is simply the desire to help beings when we see that they are suffering. However, due to our level
Deepening Compassion Read Post »
When it really gets down to it, how much of our activity is quite simply ‘useless’? I don’t mean that it has no use at all on a mundane level, but that it is so conditioned, so led by instinct or habit, so unconscious or below awareness or choice, or simply so trivial, superficial and
The most powerful moment of the concerts for me was when Madonna brought on the Ethiopian woman who had last been seen as a blighted, starving child in a video shown at the Live Aid concerts 20 years ago. It seemed inconceivable that the terrible wretch in the video was now the radiant and stunningly
It seems that for many people the word ‘Faith’ is problematic. Formany people, the reason why is become of the negative connotationsthat they have with that term. For some, that is based on badexperiences they had with previous religious affiliations, or contactwith those of other religions. For some, it is because they wish thisreligion of
Faith and Emptiness Read Post »
Where does the unsatisfactoriness of life come from? How is it that we experience pain or sorrow, frustration or unhappiness? What is the cause of experience of life as being imperfect? It’s all just a matter of perspective! The experience of Samsara Misunderstanding the nature of things we experience suffering. This is the experience of
Samsara and Nirvana Read Post »
Sometimes you are faced with decisions which seem to have massive consequences, whichever choice you take. Sometimes that choice seems to lead to very mixed results, whichever choice you take. How can you see which choice to take? Life is so surprising in how it plays out. It’s so hard to ‘guess’ the future, to
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 »
