We all experience reoccurring negative thoughts at some point in our lives. It might be when we replay an argument we have had with someone, or relive some past abuse which haunts us. When these negative thoughts arise, we are not living in the present moment any longer, but the past. How does this help … Continue reading Negativity
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Energy
When a toddler becomes tired and low on energy it starts to whine and throw tantrums, all the normal things it usually takes in its stride suddenly seeming insurmountable problems which become very upsetting. If the child were to have a nap or to eat something, then generally it feels refreshed, re-invigorated and happy again, … Continue reading Energy
Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone
Whether you class yourself as religious or not, whether you believe in sin or not, this quote from the Book of John holds an important message for all of us. Who are we to judge what another does, and what right does society have to decide what is good or bad? There do have to … Continue reading Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone
Eleusinian Mysteries
In the Eleusinian Mysteries, the motto written over the door was Know Thyself. During the initiations, a student was placed inside a maze fraught with dangers, with the promise that if they were to reach the centre then they would find the truth, they would discover God. For those that made it through, the holy … Continue reading Eleusinian Mysteries
I think, therefore the universe is.
As I entered the forest this morning, a myriad of experiences assaulted my senses. The bird song was prolific, the burbling chatter of the song thrush, the rich tones of the blackbirds, the rapid hurry of chaffinch notes and tweeting of the blue tits. The wind rushed through the swaying tree tops, roaring like a … Continue reading I think, therefore the universe is.
Awakening
A small child walks into a hardware store with his parents. He doesn’t register the screws and nuts or any of the other materials he has no prior knowledge of, but does see the display of brightly coloured buckets and spades and is instantly drawn there. The father, who has been working on a DIY … Continue reading Awakening
Absolute
Practice zazen as if your hair were on fire. When we sit, we cannot be thinking about yesterday’s actions or tomorrow’s plans. When we while away the time doing this, we are not sitting, but thinking. Sitting should be performed like any other action, we should be consumed by it, so that the thoughts drop … Continue reading Absolute
Reflection
What do we see when we look in a mirror? Do we see only the physical body looking back at us? Do we see further inside to what emotions we may be experiencing at that particular moment? Do the frown or smile lines make us consider what has happened to us in the past few … Continue reading Reflection
Soul
Do humans have a soul? Is there something perpetual and eternal, some enduring aspect of us which lingers on after we die? There is something so quintessentially me, something that makes me unique and unlike any other human that has ever lived – surely, whether or not we were created by some higher intelligence, that … Continue reading Soul
Learning
Imagine we had never been in a body of water, had never even seen one or known anyone else who had, but we suddenly decided, for whatever reason, that we wanted to learn how to swim. We could find a number of textbooks regarding the subject, we could read all about the different techniques, find … Continue reading Learning
Zen musings 