I was very happy to meet my colleague Heather MacKenzie to prepare to deliver a teacher training retreat for an adaptation she has developed of our Mindfulness Based Living Course for young adults (13 to 18 years old), called MBLC-YA. We hope people that complete this retreat will then work in schools and with youth…
Over the past year, I have come to really love the practice of Tonglen. Only, I don’t do it so much when I am doing my sitting practice, rather I have been doing Tonglen on the spot. So, as I have mentioned in past posts, Tonglen is the Buddhist practice of Taking and Sending. A…
After writing the blog below, we have had the news of the Manchester bomb. In response, we can all send kind wishes or do Tonglen for all of those involved wishing to relieve their suffering, in particular at the end of our practice when we share the benefit. I know what has happened and don’t…
We now have a limited number of day places available for the 2017 Samye Ling conference: Mindfulness in Society, exclusive to MA Members only for £70.00 per day! Please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Each day will begin with an hour of guided meditation from 8-9am and the first keynote speech will…
They say that there are a thousands of influencing factors that affect the way we experience ‘something’ and perspective is one of them. Have you ever heard someone relay an event that you were a part of and been dumbfounded by their interpretation of it? Their version is not necessarily wrong, but it might be…
There seem to be many obstacles around that are preventing things from moving forward. I notice this within three major projects in the MA, in my daily life and in my practice at the moment. So what to do? I am doing a lot of practice recently, in order to meet the commitment required for…
This week has been a week of dedications for me. It feels like every time my mother rings me she is telling me about some friend or past colleague who has been diagnosed with a long- term illness or has passed away or is struggling with mobility, etc… I suppose it comes with her age…
I’ve really come to realise lately how important it is to have a community of like minded people around you. The word we use for this is sangha, which is a Pali word meaning community of practitioners, people we share our lives with. It is our network where we find others on a spiritual journey…
So this last week I have been on Holy Isle off the Isle of Arran in Scotland – surely one of the best places on the planet! The birds were in full song, providing an astonishingly beautiful support for our Mindfulness practice. The Iron Age Tsoay sheep had tiny new lambs, that shake their tails…