“I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether we perceive it as being good or being bad.” — Bill Gates Update: 06/05/21 I wrote this article in March, 2020, a few days after coming back to the UK from India due to the Covid outbreak . Who would …
“I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the monkey mind —the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl.” Elizabeth Gilbert Everyone, without exception, suffers from a restless monkey mind—an expression The Buddha coined millennia ago when he likened the thoughts in our head to a …
“A spiritual awakening gives us a glimpse behind the curtain of the ‘person’ to behold the splendour of what lies beyond— the true Self.” – Richard Paterson Do the things you used to define yourself by— your career, self-image, earnings, social status etc., feel less important, less meaningful than they used to? Do you feel …
“Be congruent. Be authentic. Be your true self.” —Mahatma Gandhi It can be exhausting and disempowering to live a life in which you’re not being true to yourself — always saying what you think others want to hear, doing things you have no enthusiasm for, pretending you’re fine when you’re not. Many of us learned …
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The Guest House is a beautiful poem by the Sufi mystic Rumi, which you’ll often hear recited on mindfulness courses and retreats. Its powerful message encapsulates one of the most important lessons in mindfulness training—embracing whatever shows up in our experience with an attitude of non-judgemental acceptance. When we experience difficult thoughts, feelings or emotions, …
Each one of us has to be our true self: fresh, solid, at ease, loving and compassionate. When we are our true selves, not only you but everyone around you will profit from your presence—Thich Nhat Hanh Do you feel that you’re not enough as you are? That no matter what you do, no matter …
“Living in the moment means living your life consciously, deeply aware that each breath is a gift.” — Oprah Winfrey When my daughter was two or three-years old, I used to take her to Inokashira Koen, a beautiful park near our house in Tokyo. She was, like all kids of that age, intensely present and alert… and …
It’s not your thoughts, feelings or situations that create suffering in your life. It’s the thoughts you have about them.” If you’re familiar with the teachings of mindfulness or Buddhism, you may have come across the expression, “pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” But what does it mean? You’d think that suffering is a perfectly …
Mindfulness is the state of being awake to the present moment; being consciously aware of thoughts, feelings and physical sensations as they arise moment by moment, with an attitude of compassion and non-judgemental acceptance. The above description of mindfulness is in pretty stark contrast to most people’s everyday experience of life. At the breakfast table, …
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You don’t need to have a peaceful mind to experience peace. Peace happens naturally when the mind subsides. When I offer meditation taster sessions to the public, it never ceases to amaze me how people who have never meditated before will often experience profound peace the first time they try it. Even deeply unhappy people …
Why You Don’t Need A Peaceful Mind To Experience Peace Read More »