Don’t Compete With Others is about remembering that life isn’t a race. You don’t have to be the first or the best, and you don’t have to compete to win. The original lojong slogan is: Don’t try to be the fastest. Life seems to be getting faster and faster every day. Competitiveness is built-in to… Continue reading Buddhist Writing Prompt: Don’t Compete With Others
Last time we introduced the second phase of the path and the need for purification of the Self. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism with a closer look at the process of purification through detachment and the stripping of any aspect of the self that stands between the mystic and realisation of… Continue reading The Mystic Way 4: Purification of the Self – Detachment
Last time we looked at loneliness and the power of community and our need to reconnect with each other. One of the things that makes that more difficult is our relationship to time. It seems to move faster each year and we’re so focused on getting a million things done that we don’t have time… Continue reading Active Hope and How to Travel in Time
Don’t Pass the Buck is about taking responsibility for the commitments you have made to yourself and others, and not passing the buck onto somebody else. The original lojong slogan is: Don’t transfer the ox’s load to the cow, in other words, don’t transfer your load onto others. It’s written like this because the ox… Continue reading Buddhist Writing Prompt: Don’t Pass the Buck
Last time we looked at how the mystic enters onto the path through the awakening of the Self using extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism. Here we continue to explore the mystical process in the second phase of the path: “Here then, stands the newly awakened self: aware, for the first time, of reality, responding to… Continue reading The Mystic Way 3: Purification of the Self
Last time we looked at our need to develop a new kind of power that brings people together rather than putting them in conflict. This is especially important now because we’re suffering from an epidemic of loneliness, if you believe the internet. Many are keen to blame social networking, but it might not be that… Continue reading Active Hope and the Power of Community
Don’t Make Things Painful is about not making a bad situation worse by dwelling on it in a negative way. Molehills don’t have to be mountains in your mind. The original lojong slogan is: Don’t bring things to a painful point, and follows naturally from the previous one about not holding a grudge. Everybody worries… Continue reading Buddhist Writing Prompt: Don’t Make Things Painful
Last time we looked at an overview of the phases of the mystical life using extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism. Here we continue the extracts with an exploration of the first phase on the path: the awakening of the transcendental consciousness: “This awakening…is a disturbance of the equilibrium of the self, which results in the… Continue reading The Mystic Way 2: Awakening of the Self
Last time we looked at expanding the self and how we’re all connected in a vast web of life. Unfortunately, many people don’t feel that connection because they’re locked inside their own little ego bubble. This has dire consequences for society and creates a lot of conflict. When you feel like you’re alone against the… Continue reading Active Hope and a New Kind of Power
Don’t Wait in Ambush is about not holding a grudge or seeking revenge when somebody has hurt you. When you hold a grudge others have more control over your own mind than you do. The original lojong slogan is the same and is related to the previous one: Don’t be mean. When you wait in… Continue reading Buddhist Writing Prompt: Don’t Wait in Ambush
In this series we’ll explore ‘The Mystic Way’ as outlined by Evelyn Underhill in her classic text Mysticism: A Study of the Nature and Development of Man’s Spiritual Consciousness. This is her attempt to describe the general process involved in practising mysticism and the contemplative life. There are many different types of personalities found among… Continue reading The Mystic Way 1: Phases of the Mystical Life
Last time we looked at the transformation of pain into healing and how it reminds us that we need each other. One of the problems with pain is that it can make you withdraw into yourself. But this just makes the pain worse because now you feel isolated too, and that messes with your head… Continue reading Active Hope and Expanding the Sense of Self
Jessica Davidson 