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
Tag: Dharma
Can Silence Change the Way We Experience Memory?
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
Creating a Buddhist Meditation Space at Home
I have recently changed my Buddhist meditation space at home. The change came after several weeks of reflecting on why my meditation practice had started to feel mechanical, restless, and strangely uncomfortable. For the first time in many years, meditation began to feel forced. Something was clearly wrong. Being a fairly logical and systematic person, Read More
Why Silence Feels Different in Temples
Does true silence ever really exist? Even during meditation there always seems to be something to hear:traffic outside,someone moving elsewhere in the house,the ticking of a clock,wind against the windows,rain falling,or the unmistakable dawn chorus of birdsong. During my own morning meditation, I almost always hear blackbirds singing somewhere nearby. And yet meditation remains possible. Read More
Stillness Haiku|The Buddha Smiles
The Buddha’s teachings are often discovered not in books but in the quiet observation of our own minds. This short Buddhist meditation poem reflects my daily meditation practice and the realisation that wisdom grows through experience, mindfulness and ordinary living. “Each morning I sit,watching thoughts become my teachers—the Buddha smiles still,not from books upon the Read More