As I sat meditating this morning, I was aware of a rage rising within me, so extreme was the anger that I started to tremble. I followed its path backwards and came to my supposed beginning, my birth. I saw this infant grow, the seed of rage growing into a sapling, then a plant withContinue reading “Habit”
Tag Archives: awareness
Earthworm
This morning, I came home from walking Marla and found an earthworm, half a foot long, on the gravel, in front of our gate. I knew it was very unsafe there, I walked Marla carefully around the worm, and inside the house. I was about to go and transport the worm to safety when motherContinue reading “Earthworm”
Rain
It’s been a wishy washy few days in the capital of India. Whilst I love the rain and clouds and colours and smells, I don’t particularly like getting wet. I also don’t like carrying an umbrella, and I have yet to invest in a raincoat, although I’m fairly certain I will dislike that too. IContinue reading “Rain”
Act of Love
Yesterday I practised, the piano that is, and it was different. I have been struggling with a deep conflict. For the longest time, I have identified with being a ‘musician’, and yet at the same time, I am aware that any sort of definition strips me off my freedom. I sought to resolve this byContinue reading “Act of Love”
Keep Trying
My mother has been preparing my father’s meals for over 40 years now. This is but a small portion of what she does for him. In these 40 odd years I have never heard a single word of acknowledgement or appreciation. My mother says she does it so that her good karma spills onto herContinue reading “Keep Trying”
Riches
It’s so strange, I had always imagined that following the Buddhist tradition involved detachment and giving up. I have always been enchanted by the Buddha, but it is through the interpretation and teachings of his disciple, my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, that I am beginning to see how much richer my life is, how muchContinue reading “Riches”
Chores
Mornings are always hectic, it’s like a whirlwind of chores, I’m usually quite irritable and exhausted by the end of it. Today I decided to do my chores mindfully and gracefully, paying attention, not thinking of other things, the yesterdays and tomorrows, I did each task purposefully and slowly. When most of it was complete,Continue reading “Chores”
Blur
Contemplate. You are primitive man, you may even think of yourself as the first man, indeed the seed of the first man is within us all. You are sitting in a forest and looking around you. You have no concepts, no comparisons. You do not know what a tree is, you cannot tell one fromContinue reading “Blur”
Teacher
I am listening to a discourse by Thich Nhat Hanh, on the true nature of things. He begins by pulling out a matchbox and asking us, is the flame not already there, it has not manifested true, it requires certain conditions to manifest, oxygen, for me to strike the match, but can we qualify thatContinue reading “Teacher”
Relief
Today I listened to Thich Nhat Hanh’s discourse on loving yourself. He spoke of the body, the wonder of it, how all our ancestors, human, animal, vegetal and mineral, and our future was all within the essence of our body. That the clean air and mother earth and the sun rays were all there, andContinue reading “Relief”