‘Wisdom, in the Buddhist tradition, refers to the deep understanding of the nature of reality, particularly the realisation of impermanence, not-self, and suffering.’ Everyday Buddhism
The Four Highest Emotions
When we think of love, we have ideas that are purely personal and, on the whole, quite fanciful. They are based in general on our desire to be loved, from which we expect fulfillment. In reality love fulfills only the one who loves. If we understand love as a quality...
Morning meditation — In meditation, thoughts appear, yet awareness itself remains unmoved.
‘In meditation, thoughts appear, yet awareness itself remains unmoved. The mind’s radiance is not dimmed by thinking; it is simply overlooked. When we become lost in thought, it is not the light that is absent but our recognition of it. This distinction is crucial.’...
Morning meditation — Two extremes — blind faith without enquiry, and enquiry which is no real enquiry at all.
‘Two extremes — blind faith without enquiry, and enquiry which is no real enquiry at all; it’s just an endless sort of doubt, and lacks focus.’ Trevor Leggett
Morning meditation — Suddenly, at that very moment.
‘Suddenly, at that very moment, a very strong sense arose within my whole body and mind. I realised then that attachment is suffering.’ Beopjeong Sunim
Morning meditation — By giving freely, we loosen the bonds of greed
‘By giving freely, we loosen the bonds of greed and cultivate a sense of abundance, realising that the joy of giving far surpasses any temporary satisfaction gained from holding on to things.’ Everyday Buddhism
Transcending Time with Umeboshi
We have not seen each other in forty years, but when the package arrived from my childhood friend, Maki, who had found me on Facebook, I had a sense of what it might be: salty, briny, pickled, wrinkled, fragrant Japanese plums, called umeboshi, which her family in...
A Spring Prayer
On the mountain where I live, the weather can be incredibly bipolar, which is great fun. In the winter we get snowed in and in the summer the sun burns us all to hell. A big fan of the “middle way,” though, my favorite time of year is… today, as it turns out: Spring...
Morning meditation — True generosity arises from the recognition.
‘True generosity arises from the recognition that when we give, we are not losing something, but participating in a flow of generosity that benefits both the giver and the receiver.’ Everyday Buddhism
Morning meditation — To grasp the significance of pure lands.
‘To grasp the significance of pure lands is not to imagine them as distant or fantastical places, but to recognise that they symbolise states of awareness that are available to us here and now.’ Everyday Buddhism