A soulful life

While the word ‘soul’ can have rather loaded meanings in our modern culture, most of us can probably relate to the idea of living a ‘soulful’ life. When we describe something as ‘soulless’, such as a building or a musical performance, there is a distinct sense of something vital which is missing.

Sacred space

Most of us can probably think of places which feel special to us in some way.

Buddhist mindfulness

Many of the concepts and practices of mindfulness which are now taught in secular mindfulness courses come from the Buddhist tradition.

Peace and goodwill

It’s easy to get carried away with the busy demands of this season, but we have a choice to grow peace within ourselves, in whichever way is most meaningful for us.

Mystery

‘Our practice is not to clear up the mystery, but to make the mystery clear.’

Silence

‘A religious spirit in which one feels there is nothing to which one is not related… This is the experience of silence.’

John Cage

The first performance of John Cage’s seminal piece, 4’33’’, was met by outrage and dismay. It took place at Woodstock, New York, in 1952, in front of an audience

Touching the ground

We may feel we are a long way from being a Buddha, but the story of his enlightenment can be helpful for us in our mindfulness practice. It is said that, following years of being brought up in luxury, and then a choosing a life of asceticism, Siddhartha Gautama sat down under the Bodhi tree […]