Meditation Day – Saturday 22nd June
So, we are going to try out our first at home meditation day on Saturday 22nd June. The idea is that you can join in wherever you are, whenever you can and for whatever length of time you’d like to. …...
View ArticleThe Wizard of Oz
Films can be a great source of Dharma. In a talk I gave last week I gave the example of the wizard in The Wizard of Oz. In the film, you may remember, when Dorothy and her entourage finally arrive …...
View ArticleLook and See
The Buddha taught that suffering is caused by desire and aversion. Now you can analyse the heck out of this, and many people have done so. Or you can simply look to see if it is true in your own …...
View ArticleAnother Meditation Day, Saturday 20th July
Following the success of the meditation day held on the 22nd June we have decided to hold another one on the 20th July. The format will be the same with an 8.00 am start, 20 min. sittings on the hour …...
View ArticleReflections On The Meditation Day
By all accounts the day of meditation on the 22nd was well attended and was much appreciated too. Several people have reported how motivating it was to know that others were meditating at the same time...
View ArticleRenewal
Tomorrow I am going to a cottage in the Lake District for two weeks of renewal. I like this term renewal. My dictionary gives one definition of renew as “give fresh life or strength to”. At the...
View ArticleBreath-by-breath and step-by-step
Just imagine. Just imagine climbing up the outside of London’s 1,016 foot Shard? Sixteen grueling hours in extreme conditions. That was yesterday and one to remember for sure. Today is another day for...
View ArticleWalking Meditation – Kinhin
Our At-Home meditation day is coming up this Saturday and I hope there will be many of you who can sit for some of the day. We start at 8.00 am GMT and end at 4.00 pm with an on-line … Continue reading →
View ArticleHome and Away
I arrived back from my break in the Lake District 5 days ago. I had a very pleasant and relaxing time and do indeed feel refreshed and renewed. I didn’t walk every day as I had intended to, in fact …...
View ArticleA Call to Maintenance
I’ve just got back from dropping off a car at the local garage for its annual MOT Test. For those who don’t know this is a Ministry of Transport test for road worthiness and having a current test...
View ArticleBridging the Gap
I’d like to continue on my theme of the difference we experience when we spend time away from our daily routine, because I have realised that it has much relevance to the support that Rev. Mugo & I...
View ArticleCharity Registration Achieved
Thought I would just let you all know that I received an email from the Charity Commission this morning to say that Field of Merit has achieved charitable status and has been entered onto the Register...
View Article*The Buddha Lacks For Nothing –
There is a line in the commentary to the Kyojukaimon (The Giving and Receiving of the Precepts) that goes, *The Buddha lacks for nothing, yet needs something. The Buddha that is the Field of Merit...
View ArticleThe Bigger Picture
My art teacher at school was the first one who taught me to look up. He took his O-level class for a walk along the high street and got us to look up, above the shop facades to the original … Continue...
View ArticleArticle 1
We are two female Buddhist monastics in the Soto Zen tradition. Our purpose is to gather support for the founding of a rural retreat within our order (OBC). We will offer those practicing in our...
View ArticleWhen Somebody Dies
When somebody dies and even before they take their final breath there is a sense that one is traveling with them. Over the last few days monks at Shasta Abbey have been sitting vigil with a fellow...
View ArticleIf You Meet Someone Without a Smile…
…give them one of yours. I saw this recently on a greetings card in a shop. I am reminded of it now as I prepare to fly to the US on Wednesday for a gathering … Continue reading →
View ArticleAbout Time!
In February, in a shop in Keswick, I’d nearly closed a deal on a replacement strap for this Caseo watch and then discovered it was going to cost a massive five pounds! I slipped out of the shop feeling...
View ArticleVive la Difference
More than once, on an introductory retreat, a person new to Buddhist practice has expressed the concern that training might strip away their personality, that in letting go of attachment to self they...
View ArticleBe Not Overly Concerned
Today I received a card from a reader and supporter. The image is an embroidered picture of hedge parsley near Beadnell, on the coast of Northumberland. I love embroidery in all forms. The note in the...
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