Silence and Mindfulness This is the oldest of the three seats on my morning walk, beside the quietest of the lakes. There is very little activity here. The water is almost silent, the trees and greenery barely move, and there are few sounds to compete for my attention. Sitting here, I become aware of how Read More
How Can I Be Mindful When Everything Is Happening At Once?
Reflection On Mindfulness and Distractions The first of my three seats is beside the largest lake on my morning walking route. It is not particularly peaceful in the conventional sense. There is almost always something happening: trees rustling, leaves falling, birds calling, water birds squawking, coots diving and ripples spreading across the surface. Sometimes a Read More
Does Water Calm the Mind?
Reflection on Water Calming the Mind My morning walk takes me through fields of wheat and barley before entering a wooded nature reserve dotted with small lakes. I often stop beside the water to rest and have begun to notice something. My mind becomes quieter here. As mindfulness finds its way more naturally into my Read More
Why Does My Mind Get in the Way of Meditation?
Have you ever sat down to meditate with every intention of being calm and mindful, only to discover that your mind seems determined to do anything else? I certainly have. During the first year of Covid, I began paying much more attention to the Five Hindrances in my meditation practice. I was trying hard to Read More
Ten Minutes With The Buddha #4
Session Four: Can Meditation Help Me Let Go? "Breathing in, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas. Breathing out, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas."— Ānāpānasati Sutta {A note on the word "dharma": In this teaching, dharma (Pali: Dhamma) can be understood simply as the phenomena or experiences we encounter—everything that arises Read More