Do You Have To Be A Buddhist To Meditate

"Can meditation exist without religion?" It is a question I have been asked several times, and one that has become increasingly relevant as meditation has grown in popularity through mindfulness apps, wellbeing programmes and modern psychology. Before answering it, I find myself thinking about something much broader. Mindfulness. Wellbeing. Spirituality. Religion. Meditation. Can any one Read More

Stillness Haiku| Mindfulness in Nature

Mindfulness in nature can be observed as well as experienced. Try watching a heron standing like a statue, a hawk hovering above a prey, a nervous deer in long grass.

Stillness Haiku| Impermanence

Reflection One of the simplest objects in my meditation room is a single candle. Yet its flame reminds me of one of the deepest teachings in Buddhism: impermanence. The flame appears constant, but in reality it is changing from moment to moment, just as our thoughts, feelings and bodies are constantly changing. Sitting quietly before 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

Stillness Haiku| Thinking no Thinking

Haiku ”Silently sitting,listening to the new dawn—thinking no thinking.” From "Stillness | Moments of Buddhist Practice in Verse" written February 2022 Reflection Some poems explain an experience. Others simply point towards it. I wrote this many years ago and, interestingly, left no journal entry explaining what inspired it. Looking back, I suspect I had been Read More