Rest in beginner’s mind encourages you to meditate and rest in the awareness you discovered in slogan 3. So if you don’t already have a regular meditation practice, now would be a good time to begin. The original lojong slogan is: Rest in the nature of alaya, the essence. Alaya is the essence of consciousness,… Continue reading Buddhist Writing Prompt: Rest in Beginner’s Mind
Examine the nature of awareness asks you to turn your attention inwards and notice who is aware of your experience. If you want to train your mind you first need to understand how it works and who is doing all this thinking. The original lojong slogan is: Examine the nature of unborn awareness. When you… Continue reading Buddhist Writing Prompt: Examine the Nature of Awareness
Here’s a timely reminder to not get caught up in the propaganda free-for-all that seems to have replaced online and broadcast news media. Truth is never an easy thing to discern, and even harder to act on sometimes. But there is a way. The Kalama Sutra – you’ll have seen it all over the internet… Continue reading Don’t Believe Everything You Read
Right Mindfulness is the second practice in Mental Discipline on the Eightfold Path and involves being aware of the present moment with a clear focus. Right Mindfulness is the heart of Buddhist practice and applies across the whole Eightfold Path. When you’re mindful, your thinking is Right Thought, your speech is Right Speech, your actions… Continue reading The Eightfold Path: Right Mindfulness
“What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.” – Rumi We’re on a quest to discover more about the murky depths of the mind and our worst enemy. In Going Dark we met the predator. Now we’ll dig a little deeper using the story of Bluebeard to learn how he operates and what we… Continue reading Surviving Bluebeard: How to Deal with the Predator
“We are afraid to approach the fathomless and bottomless groundlessness of everything. ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of’. The ultimate reassurance, and the ultimate terror.” – R.D. Laing, The Politics of Experience Absolute Subjectivity, Pure Awareness, Suchness, No-mind, Oneness, Non-duality Consciousness, Brahman, Original Mind, Luminous Emptiness, God. These are some of the words used to name… Continue reading Evolution of Consciousness: True Nature
The stage after Ego is a radical shift in the evolution of consciousness. From this moment on, you’ll never be the same again. Once you’ve tasted the open space and peace of the Witness, the ego feels even more claustrophobic. The ego is a set of ideas and concepts: the idea that you are who… Continue reading Evolution of Consciousness: Witness Self
This is a guided meditation that comes from the therapeutic practice of psychosynthesis which was started by psychoanalyst Roberto Assagioli. It involves a process of gradually stripping away the layers of false identification to reveal the true nature of the Self underneath. Normally you identify with everything except your true Self – your body, emotions,… Continue reading How to Meditate: Self Identification Meditation
When we think of meditation, it usually conjures an image of Buddha sitting with a serene smile on his face. But meditation doesn’t always have to be practised sitting down. You can practice moving meditations while doing almost anything: running, dancing, doing the gardening or cleaning, and while exercising or walking. The practices of Tai… Continue reading How to Meditate: Zen Walking
Vipassana comes from the Therevada Buddhist tradition and is also known as Insight meditation. It was the form of meditation practised and taught by the Buddha in order to attain enlightenment. It involves looking into the true nature of the mind to overcome suffering and discover who you really are. The word has two parts:… Continue reading How to Meditate: Vipassana
Mindfulness is a form of meditation where you practise being aware of whatever is happening in the present moment without judging or thinking about it. If you’ve been watching your breath, then you’re already practising mindfulness. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful meditation practices because it can be done anywhere and at any… Continue reading How to Meditate: Mindfulness
Watching the breath is simple but powerful and provides a solid foundation for your meditation practice. It keeps you grounded in your body and stops your mind wandering off and driving you crazy. It’s a good idea to start your daily practice with this meditation and then move on to other types once your mind… Continue reading How to Meditate: Watching the Breath
