I have had a few conversations recently about fear. This primal emotion seems to be working strongly in many people’s lives at the moment and is worth exploring. So what is fear? It is an emotion, a complex thought that makes us act. It tries to make us act to… Read More »Fear & Fearlessness
I don’t know if you can remember, but Freedom Day has come and gone. Like all such ‘freedoms’ they never quite fully live up to the name. The promised lifting of all Covid restrictions did technically happen, however, there was a strong recommendation from the Government to keep in place… Read More »Freedom Day
The PM’s announcement that the ending of lock-down on the 21st June was going to be postponed for four weeks brought up, I am sure, an emotional reaction in many of us. Quite a few members of the Ipswich Sangha had been working very hard to get the Centre ready… Read More »My dreams have been shattered
I recently tried to watch a documentary on Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish climate activist. I say try, because after watching for a few minutes strong emotion surfaced within me and I cried. To consider that the fate of our ability to live on this planet rested on such young… Read More »Saving the world
I was pleasantly surprised to hear a government minister talking about the Bodhisattva Ideal. This was during the height of our pandemic whilst we were in lock down. The minister said “No one is safe until the whole world is safe”. I heard this phrase being used a number of… Read More »The Bodhisattva Ideal
There are many people in this world that we have cause to thank, to whom we should show gratitude. This is especially so when those people and institutions help us progress on a spiritual path. It is sometimes good to look back at those that have helped us along the… Read More »Gratitude
My old car has just failed its MOT, it has changed from being a ‘car’ to being a collection of scrap metal. The garage spoke to me kindly, in a gentle voice, like a relative or pet had just died. We went through the list of its ailments, with the… Read More »…and so we adapt!
For a number of reasons I have, in the last few days, had to write some papers concerning Growth and Development. It is interesting to reflect on Growth in general, especially as we start to move into spring. Daffodils and snowdrops are emerging and there are again signs of new… Read More »Growth and Development
Looking back over the past year 2020, I can see much sadness and desperation. The COVID pandemic has meant, for many of us, great disruption to our lives. We started the year as usual, thinking all would plod along as normal and maybe we would adjust our lives a little… Read More »Seeing Beyond the Familiar
My family expectantly listened to the news recently. They were waiting, like many, for the details of what the Covid restrictions would be in-force over the winter holiday period. The childish enthusiasm and excitement my grown-up daughters have for this event has not waned over the many years we have… Read More »A different (Christmas) presence
