Let’s Rise Up! If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence we could rise up rooted, like trees. (Rainer Maria Rilke) When I did a retreat with Joanna Macy (a renowned Buddhist scholar and activist) many years ago, I was shocked to discover that pretty much all my personal suffering is funnelled down from a more…
“You don’t need to do everything. Do what calls your heart; effective action comes from love. It is unstoppable, and it is enough.” Joanna Macy Is it possible to make a difference in a way that gives inspiration and fulfilment and doesn’t cost us too much? Can we fill rather than drain our batteries,…
I always remember a quote from the Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, which says that a wise person who wants to be happy learns to practice compassion. In essence he is saying that a compassionate person is a happy person. As you hear this idea, do questions come up? Maybe you have questions that…
‘How often do you sit in your practice feeling like it’s your fault and your responsibility to fix it – whatever ‘it’ is on a given day?’ Read this blog to find out why compassion in action can be key to lifting this feeling. Within our Engaged Mindfulness course, we will look with fresh and…
One of the areas of interest to the Mindfulness Association and the wider mindfulness fields is Engaged Mindfulness. By this we mean applying our mindfulness meditation practice to how we may feel about the state of the world on a social and environmental level and exploring ways of contributing positively through compassionate action. So, what does…
I have been questioned by some colleagues and criticised by some readers of my blog about promoting a vegan diet on the retreat I am leading this week and in my blog. When I was discussing this with colleagues last week, the view I arrived at was that within the Mindfulness Association ‘Compassion is at…
Mindfulness for Life – join our Engaged Mindfulness weekend at Samye Ling