Why Do Opinions Become Part of Our Identity?

I recently wrote about whether we can become too attached to our identity. Since then another question has been bothering me. Where does that identity come from? We commonly describe ourselves through fairly obvious characteristics: nationality, gender, profession, education, religion, family and social background. But perhaps there is another part of identity that is less Read More

Stillness Haiku | Don’t Stop; Thinking About Tomorrow

Reflections on Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow One of the pleasures of growing older is discovering unexpected connections between different parts of life. My wife and I met at university during the 1960s, so our home is often filled with the music of that era. One day, listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop, I found Read More

What Do Buddhist Prayer Flags Teach Us About Impermanence?

“All conditioned things are impermanent."— The Buddha During my many visits to Nepal over the past fifty years, I have almost come to take Buddhist prayer flags for granted. They seem to be everywhere. They stretch between stupas and temples, flutter above monastery roofs, cross mountain passes and dance from tall bamboo poles in remote Himalayan Read More

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

Stillness Haiku | The Pebble-Walking Meditation

Reflection On Walking Meditation During one of my early morning walking meditation sessions around the fields of the Cotswolds, I found myself reflecting on the Mental Discipline section of the Noble Eightfold Path. The image that came to mind was a still pond. When the surface of the water is calm, even the smallest pebble Read More