Exploring the interface between Buddhist teachings, meditation techniques, academic Buddhist Studies, and the practical application of them into our lives as lay Buddhists
In last week’s blog I was exploring how our hopes and wishes make no difference if the right conditions aren’t in place, with conditions changing so much at the moment it was no surprise that I quickly found myself with a change of conditions that gave me an opportunity to examine the many different aspects … Continue reading On The Run
After thinking about new year’s resolutions last week, it seemed quite fitting to follow it with reflecting on a sutta that explores the limits of desire in helping us to achieve the outcomes we are looking for. So many new year’s resolutions fall quickly by the wayside because they were little more than hopeful wishes; … Continue reading The Wrong End of the Cow
It’s easy to dismiss some of our modern New Year’s traditions such as making resolutions as just vehicles for the commercial exploitation of our inclination to narcissism, especially when you see advert after advert for yoga mats, protein powders, and diet books. Likewise it can be just as easy to dismiss some of our older … Continue reading New Year, New Who?
I don’t know why it should surprise me after writing about impermanence and uncertainty last week, but my own plans for this week’s blog were royally upended by the events of this week. I was all set to write what I thought would be a failsafe piece about Christmas and generosity, but starting the week … Continue reading Christmas Present Moment
Change and uncertainty are an unavoidable aspect of life, a point neatly reiterated to those of us living in the UK in yesterday's announcements that changed Christmas plans for many, myself included. For a lot of people without a practice, constant change is something that they want to stop or to delay as long as … Continue reading Understanding Impermanence
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
Do you ever get one of those days where your mind just never seems to stop squealing for things, like a toddler in a supermarket? I want one of those, oo, no wait I want one of those, no I want both of those, and one of these too. This is just the workings of … Continue reading Caught In The Craving Storm
The Buddha's teachings are rich with wonderful imagery and inventive metaphors that help us not only to relate the teachings to our own ordinary experiences, but also help us to reimagine an experience from a completely different perspective. I found another one of these rich images last week in a sutta that I hadn't come … Continue reading The Well Made Wheel
The path seems long and complicated, and at times it can feel like the only way that any of our unskilful responses change is by being slowly ground out of us, one at a time. I won't lie to you, this is sometimes the case, but it isn't the only mechanism for change. The Buddha pointed out that there is a simple principle that we should be employing, and it so simple that it can easily be overlooked as important. But when you do some work with it, you can quickly find out how effective it can be.
Kalyana Mitta 