Music plays an important role in my novel Addled because the heroine, Zoe Popper, learns so much about how to be present and in the moment from her musician boyfriend, Jonah and his band Dionysus Wept. She first hears Jonah sing in Chapter 5 and is transported, amazed by the way the individual band members… Continue reading Music opens a secret door in time to eternity
This is a beautiful passage from Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by Irish poet John O’Donohue on the importance of taking the time to slow down and smell the roses. Life can’t be swallowed in one big gulp… you must sip and savour… “Often we approach things with greed and urgency. We do not like to… Continue reading On the Journey of Life Be Everywhere You Are
“I traffic in fiction. I do not traffic in lies.” Alan Moore reminds me of an Old English Sheepdog with a wry twinkle in his eye. You just know he’s got a juicy bone hidden somewhere. He’s best known for his comics, like Watchmen and V for Vendetta, and for the fact that he hates… Continue reading Alan Moore on the magic of fiction and imagination
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
“Wherever there is light, look for the shadow. The shadow is me.” – Anais Nin “Every man carries with him through life a mirror, as unique and impossible to get rid of as his shadow.” – W.H. Auden, The Dyer’s Hand “Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our… Continue reading Me and My Shadow
A Buddhist monk approached his teacher and asked the Zen Master, “If I meditate very diligently, how long will it take for me to become enlightened?” The Master thought for a moment, and then replied, “Ten years.” The student then said, “But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn… Continue reading How long does it take to become enlightened?
I know the exact day I became a writer. It was Friday 23rd April 2004 and I was walking to work. As I dodged the rush hour traffic, a story unspooled into my mind that was so compelling I knew I must write it down. I arrived at work, grabbed some paper and scribbled down… Continue reading Why Do Writers Write?
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
On the night of creation, I was awake Busy at work while everyone slept. I was there to see the first wink and hear the first tale told. I was the first one caught in the hair of the great imposter. Whirling around the still point of ecstasy, I spun like the wheel of heaven.… Continue reading Beyond Words: a commentary on Rumi by Andrew Harvey
There’s a well-known Zen koan that begins with this question. Reams of words and scholastic papers have been written about Joshu’s Dog. The koan sounds like the start of a bad Buddhist joke: A monk asked Joshu, a Chinese Zen master: ‘Has a dog Buddha nature or not?’ Joshu answered: ‘Mu!’ ‘Mu’ means No-thing, but… Continue reading Does a Dog have Buddha Nature?
I’ve been watching the unfolding calamity of the refugee crisis in Europe, searching for a response – how to process the grief and not turn away from the darkness that I’m seeing. Then I found this beautiful poem by Rilke (from Sonnets to Orpheus II, 29) and it helped. I hope it helps you too…… Continue reading Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower
Jessica Davidson 