Right Speech is the first practice in Ethical Conduct on the Eightfold Path and is about communicating with compassion and in a straightforward way. It follows from Right Thinking and Right Understanding, so you see reality as it is and then express that truth directly. It includes communication through speech and all forms of writing:… Continue reading The Eightfold Path: Right Speech
Right Thought is the second Wisdom practice of the Eightfold Path, and is also known as Right Intention. It follows directly from Right Understanding because your thoughts and intentions arise from your perception of reality. If you see reality as it is, you’ll have no problems. But if you see reality through a haze of… Continue reading The Eightfold Path: Right Thought
Right Understanding is the first practice of the Eightfold Path, and is also known as Right View. It provides context and perspective for the whole path, and is the foundation for all the other practices because it’s about perception. Right Understanding is about seeing yourself and the world as they really are. Sounds simple, right?… Continue reading The Eightfold Path: Right Understanding
If you want to understand the ideas that underpin any belief system, it’s best to start at the beginning. With Buddhism that means going back to the Four Noble Truths which was the Buddha’s very first teaching. The Four Noble Truths of the Middle Way include the teachings on the Eightfold Path, which is a… Continue reading The foundational teachings of Buddhism and the Eightfold Path
“Mindfulness of Breathing, monks, cultivated and regularly practiced, is of great fruit and great benefit. Mindfulness of Breathing, cultivated and regularly practiced, brings to Perfection the four Foundations of Mindfulness. The four Foundations of Mindfulness, cultivated and regularly practiced, bring the seven Factors of Enlightenment to perfection; the seven Factors of Enlightenment, cultivated and regularly… Continue reading What is the real meaning of Mindfulness?
“Mindfulness is the skill of thinking you are doing something when you are doing nothing. One of the good things about mindfulness is that you get to do a lot of sitting down. Sitting down is good for the mind because so much positive energy is stored in the lap.” – The Ladybird Book of… Continue reading The Dark Face of the Mindfulness Craze
I need to be a little less hospitable towards my thoughts… and this is such a beautiful, gentle way to do it :)
There’s a Buddhist story I like about overcoming the fear of death: a Zen monastery was under attack by an infamous warlord and his army. All the monks fled, except for the abbot who sat peacefully in front of the shrine. The warlord entered the courtyard and approached, pulling out his sword. He shouted at… Continue reading Fearlessness in the face of a hot spoon
Earlier this week we looked at the process of feeding your demons, which is a way to make friends with your shadow. In this post we’ll dig deeper into the various types of demon you might find skulking in the darkness of your worst fears. But first, what is a demon? In this practice, demons… Continue reading Shadow Companions: Types of Demons
Lama Tsultrim Allione gives us a bit of background on the practice of feeding your demons and how it works, a little on the founder, Machig Labdron, and how she made friends with the naga demons. But most useful of all, she then takes us through the five steps of the process of meeting and feeding a demon. Worth taking the time out to do this meditation. Enjoy!
Here’s some of my favourite quotes from the totally insane but brilliant TV show Monkey. Silly jokes and Buddhist philosophy – you can’t go wrong… “Just because you’re a Dragon it doesn’t make you better than me.” – Monkey “There is one, it is infinite. Yet what is called Buddha fills it. The one takes… Continue reading Favourite Monkey Quotes
To celebrate Chinese New Year and the Year of the Monkey, I thought it would be fun to explore the background to one of my favourite TV shows: Monkey. It’s a cult classic and was on TV during my formative years in the 70s. We would rush home from ballet class (don’t ask) because I… Continue reading Monkey Magic! or How Buddhism came to China
Jessica Davidson 