buddhism – it's not necessary

Day 1

Today’s morning session was pure magic. I explored the infinite visual field available with eyes closed, patterns, motion, light, colour. I have accepted the constraints of society for a long long time, without being aware of it. I thought I walked unafraid. I did not, I do not. The glitch, the matrix. That’s a start.

Habit

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”

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”

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”

Father

Today I meditated on my father, I embraced him, forgave him, wrapped him up in energy. This was difficult for me. This was the first time I have meditated for him. When I opened my eyes, the sun rise had turned into morning, an angelic yellow healing us all.

Happy Child

This is only the second time I have had this experience. I sat down to meditate, focussing on my breathing, in, out, in, out, in, out, deep, slow. It is hard for me to find the words. But it felt like I slowly melted into the present. I was aware of the tiny pulsations inContinue reading “Happy Child”

Alone

The most distressing thing one might hear a human being iterate is “I am alone”. No one ever has or ever will be alone. As I sit here in meditation listening to the rain and the birds and the insects, really listening, I am filled with wonder for I too once used to say “IContinue reading “Alone”

Magic

It was different today. Some sort of breakthrough. I lost all sense of form and shape. I did not feel sleepy. A discovery, my sleepiness is not the result of relaxation during meditation, rather a means to avoid the unknown. The ‘concept’ of letting go is beginning to reveal itself. What must that be, allContinue reading “Magic”