Autumn seemed to arrive early that year. Annual flowers had died, birds had begun migrating and leaves were already falling. During one of my walks I noticed a single fallen leaf. There was nothing damaged or incomplete about it. Quite the opposite. Haiku The leaf lies fallen,Perfect in form and colour,A life fully lived (Written Read More
Tag: Buddhism
Impermanence in Nature | What Can a Harvested Field Teach Us?
Reflection on Impermanence In Nature The midday heat shimmers above the empty fields, the combine having left only golden stubble behind. I walk across the harvested land, breathing in the dry smell of earth. Last spring my feet sank into soft mud here; now the ground is hard beneath them. The crops have come and Read More
Can You Be Enlightened Without Having Achieved Nibbana?
I’ve been thinking about a question that initially seemed quite straightforward: Can you be enlightened without having achieved Nibbāna? At first, I thought the answer might be yes. My reasoning was that perhaps enlightenment is the path, while Nibbāna is the destination. If that were the case, we could be becoming enlightened as we travel 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 #2
Session 2 How Can I Find Joy and Peace in Meditation "Breathing in, I experience joy. Breathing out, I experience joy."— Ānāpānasati Sutta If you have practised the first four contemplations, you may already have noticed something beginning to change. Perhaps your breathing has become quieter. Your shoulders have softened. Your body feels a little Read More