I thought I’d share a few reflections on a very beautiful poem by Mansur Hallaj. A brief biography of Mansour al-Hallaj Mansour al-Hallaj or Mansour Hallaj was a Persian mystic, poet, and teacher of Sufism. He was born 858 CE in Iran and died in 922 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is best known for his […]
Sufi Mystic Al-Hallaj’s Beautiful Poem: Stillness Read Post »
I was just reflecting on just how much time I spend rehearsing my life, rather than, in a sense, just living it directly. By this I mean …. how much time do I spend thinking about what I should do in the future? How much time is caught up in going through various scenarios of
Rehearsing my life Read Post »
I love this quote by Shunryu Suzuki. It’s not about having special experience. No experience will ‘save you’ or give you eternal happiness. You cannot take refuge in particular experiences, however uplifting or extraordinary. Not satori, not insight, not enlightenment, not getting there. Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual
Nothing Special – Shunryu Suzuki Read Post »
… it’s about opening to what is, every moment … and being able to fully open to whatever arises. That’s all. It ain’t about getting somewhere, having any particular sort of experience rather than another, however so called spiritual, or getting enlightened. No place to go, nobody to be … Just open and rest in
What’s it all about? Read Post »
I thought I’d just share this teaching from Pema Chodron on one of the slogans of the 7 Point Mind Training. This one cuts really deep for me, and has had a profound influence on my practice. It’s such an interesting area … this tension between trying to get somewhere (other than where we are
Abandon any Hope of Fruition Read Post »
Is there anything I can do to make myself enlightened? As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning. Then of what use are the spiritual exercises you prescribe? To make sure you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise. Anthony deMelloOne Minute Wisdom Not sure who Anthony
Anthony deMello – The Dawning of Enlightenment Read Post »
There is this profound play between application of effort, and letting go. Sometimes, and in some ways, one has to galvanise ones energy, enlist ones desire, focus aspiration, and strive for the goal. Whether that is in terms of life overall, or a particular moment within it, there is the need to make an effort.
Effort and Letting Go 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 »
Sometimes you make choices in life which seem as though they are going to have huge consequences. Sometimes it seems as though they are going to define the parameters of what will be possible and what will be for many years to come. From a conventional point of view, it seems obvious that if you
Where Does It Lead? Read Post »
After reading Meridith’s gracious comments on my blog, I ‘discovered’ hers …. Today, with my friend’s words in my heart, I felt very calm, and centered. My interactions seem to bloom from a spiritual center today – full of warm and radiant light. I opened my heart with each person I came into contact with.
