How do you know that you feel miserable and out of touch with a sense of well-being? What is that miserable feeling or that dead, lifeless, depressed, can’t see the point in anything feeling? When you really turn your attention to it, what is it? Continue reading If we weren’t already in touch with an inherent sense of well-being, how could we know we are feeling miserable?
Many Western Buddhists struggle with this. It is not so much that we have to believe in life after death as to give up our belief that life ends at death. Instead, we need to be honest about the fact we are unsure what life means anyway and that is what we are looking to Dharma fo Continue reading Do you struggle with believing in rebirth and karma?
If body awareness doesn’t work for you as an anchor or if it doesn’t trigger a grounded or centred response, find another kind of sensation that does. Continue reading What if using the body to ground us in meditation feels intense or overwhelming?
Lama Shenpen gave a teaching last Saturday from The Hermitage in North Wales on ‘Confidence’ one of the themes and areas covered in her Discovering the Heart of Buddhism course, part of Living the Awakened Heart Training. Lama talks about discovering the inherent confidence that lies within us all, when we start to uncover and get in touch with our true nature – our Buddha … Continue reading Video Teaching: Confidence
I cheer on those who campaign and donate to many causes. I try to play my part. It would help the situation if everyone did at least this much – that is how I think of it. Continue reading How might we respond skilfully to the climate and ecological crisis?
The chances are that your actions are mixed with some elements that could be purer but if we had to be pure before we could accumulate punya how would any of us purify ourselves? Good actions that are directed at benefitting others always bring punya (often translated as merit) – i.e. good karmic results. Continue reading Am I a fraud? Am I craving the approval of others through my good actions?
Trying to be more open means adopting a particular attitude which could be called turning towards experience. This means giving whatever experience that arises sufficient space to be fully aware of it. Continue reading What does it mean to be open & turn towards our experience?
