Exploring the interface between Buddhist teachings, meditation techniques, academic Buddhist Studies, and the practical application of them into our lives as lay Buddhists
Ajahn Chah said everything is teachings us, and it never ceases to amaze me how often we can learn something significant in the least likely of situations. For me my most recent experience of this was standing precariously on a yoga brick on one leg trying to hold a tree pose. The suttas in the … Continue reading Don’t Follow the Wobble
Last week I wrote about fear and that I had noticed a connection between my own thought process and fear reactions. The famous spiritual teacher Krishnamurti believed that thought was actually the cause of fear, that it was the proliferation of the mind when we encounter some danger that triggered out fearful responses. This does … Continue reading The Roots of Fear
You might recognise the title of this week’s blog as paraphrasing Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous line that he delivered it in his presidential inauguration speech in 1933, in reference to the challenges facing America as the Great Depression reached its lowest point: “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror … Continue reading Fear of Fear Itself
There is an often used scenario in Buddhism that explores the nature of perception. You are walking along a country path one day, and as stroll along you spot a snake in the grass, a venomous one perhaps. Naturally your heart rate instantly goes up, your body goes onto full alert, and your mind is … Continue reading A Snake, a Rope, a Wasp, and a Hoverfly
In a time of great need, we must all be needed to do something. It’s a very logical thought, surely at a time like this we must be something we are all required to do. As we sit in lockdown wondering what to do with ourselves often our mind starts posing this question to us … Continue reading Be Brave, Stay Still
Life is always uncertain but at the moment that uncertainty seems more apparent than usual. At times like this naturally we take refuge in our practices, but while they can support us through testing times they often don't give us clear situation specific instructions to follow. We are never really told what to do. Instead … Continue reading Metta For Fear
Kalyana Mitta 