The 22^nd April is the annual Earth Day which serves as a profound reminder that we do not own this world; we are merely renting it from future generations, and it is our sacred responsibility to protect the home we’ve been lent.

This year’s theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” helps us concentrate on personal agency, something that is so important because the scale of environmental change can feel overwhelming and can easily see us throwing up our ours in frustration and defeat. However, in these moments one must remember the advice of Lao Tzu: “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”.

That one step to making more earth friendly choices can be a mindful pause.  It is in that pause we can be more conscious, more aware about the decisions we make that impact our carbon footprint. We often flick light switches or leave chargers plugged in without a second thought. Instead, bring mindful awareness to your usage. By being fully present, you might notice the sun providing enough natural light to delay turning on a lamp, or realise that unplugging electronics that we are not currently using is a simple way to start making your own impact.  From such small acorns, mighty oaks can grow.

And this can be just the first step. Whether we realise it or not, advertising and social media has championed the idea of “the new”, of the latest thing, of constant consumption.  This has led to environmentally disastrous concepts like fast fashion and an unceasing production of electronics, gadgets and other consumables for an already saturated market.

Being mindful of our impulses to purchase can help us ride out those impulse buy moments and help us to appreciate the inherent value of what we already possess. Before clicking “buy,” ask yourself “do I need this, or am I seeking excitement or avoiding a difficult emotion”? Choosing to renew, repair, or upcycle breaks the cycle of waste and allows us to appreciate what we already have.

Perhaps the most grounding way to support the environment is through mindful gardening. Tending to a small vegetable patch or even a window box connects you to the natural cycle of growth. Feeling the soil between your fingers anchors you in the “now” and if you are able to grow yoru own food, even if just a small amount, we can reduce food miles, packaging and the wider environmental cost.

By integrating these small, intentional choices into our daily lives, we transform “environmentalism” from a chore into a lifestyle of awareness. This Earth Day, let’s choose to be present for the planet we call home.

If you are interested in developing a more mindful and compassionate approach to life, then why not check out our Compassion in Action Weekend

Reflection on Humility

Humility is considered a crucial virtue in various spiritual and religious traditions including Buddhism and Christianity and cultivating humility is a way to live well, to age well and to die well. As we get older and move towards our death, we will all inevitably experience a diminishing in our ability, physical and mental, and will experience a loss of much of the status and power that we may have derived from our youth, our work and our salary. This can be a painful process made more difficult by ego-pride but eased by humility.

 

This week I have been studying humility, as an antidote to ego-pride and entitlement. Ego-pride and entitlement are rife in our culture and society and can arise from a belief that if we are successful then there is something special about us and therefore we are better than others. When we reflect deeply on our successes, then we can begin to see clearly that they are a result of myriad causes and conditions, many of which we did not chose and which are way beyond our control. This opens up the door to gratitude and appreciation for these causes and conditions and genuine compassion for those who do not have such good fortune.

 

I have been working with the destructive emotions, including ego-pride, for over a decade as part of the Level 3: Seeing Deeply Insight training, but until recently have found it difficult to recognise my own ego-pride and entitlement. It has been painful to experience as it required a letting go of the sense that I am special in some way that others are not. It required me to recognise that I am just one human being among billions, all struggling to be happy and to not suffer. The successes in my life have led me to think of myself in my life as a hero and not as a ‘normal’ person. This has been reinforced by my role as a meditation teacher, in which people tend to look up to me and project special qualities on to me. It has also been reinforced by the idea of being a Bodhisattva, a warrior of compassion, committed to relieve the suffering of all sentient beings over many lifetimes.

 

Over the years, I have identified with and cherished the glorious heroes of the stories I love. Frodo in the Lord of the Rings and the Gryffindor House heroes in Harry Potter. More recently I am beginning to cherish and wish to emulate Frodo’s constant companion Samwise Gamgee and the qualities of Hufflepuff House. Samwise Gamgee is defined by his unwavering loyalty, immense courage and selfless devotion to Frodo. As a down to earth hobbit he provides emotional strength, optimism and practical wisdom, acting as a sturdy, loving companion. Hufflepuff is the most inclusive of the four Hogwarts Houses, valuing a student’s loyalty, patience, fair play, hard work and willingness to learn, rather than specific aptitudes like brilliance or ambition.

 

What Samwise Gamgee and the Hufflepuff qualities have in common is the quality of humility, which is an antidote to ego-pride.

 

The etymology of the word humility comes from humilis, which literally means “on the ground” conveying a sense of Sam’s down to earth-ness. Humility is the honest assessment of one’s own abilities, limitations and worth, involving acknowledging imperfections, remaining open to feedback and treating others with respect. It is not a lack of confidence or self-worth, but instead is secure and grounded in honest self-awareness, open-mindedness and a recognition that all of us have equal value, regardless of our successes or accomplishments.

 

In Tibetan Buddhism, the Seven Points of Mind Training or Lojong, is taught to reduce ego-fixation, through following the teachings of the Lojong phrases and practicing Tonglen. It is a good training for cultivating humility. One of the practices we explore on the Living Well to Die Well training is Tonglen. So why not join us for our next Living Well to Die well course, you can find more information here 

I’ve heard the Buddha’s last words translated as ‘Be the light of yourself.’ I like this translation because it turns my attention to what is already waiting within. There’s nothing to add on, to improve or fix. I can let go of the ‘Great Project of Fay’ which I’m convinced needs constant management and advancement and realise that the light within is not something to generate. It is the clear, knowing, caring presence that is already here if I know how to pause.

The symbol of the mandala can be a mirror for this truth.

In a mandala, the centre is awake and luminous, the seat of wisdom and compassion. Around it arise countless forms – energies, emotions, fears, longings, and stories – each with its own characteristics. Nothing is outside the field of the mandala, so nothing is rejected. Even whatfeels heavy or chaotic is held within what can be understood as a sacred order.

The practice is a return to the light of yourself, at the centre of the mandala.

When we repeatedly return to the light of ourself, we allow the restless mind to settle into its own nature. The presence of the body becomes the ground from which we begin. From here, the light can radiate, not with effort but naturally, like warmth glowing from a light. Just because that’s what it does.

In the light of compassion and wisdom, emotions become energy in motion. Old wounds start to feel like tenderness. The inner monsters, once feared, are recognised as protectors that lost their way. There’s an appreciation for the richness of it all.

To rest at the centre of the mandala is to discover refuge that cannot be taken away. This refuge does not depend on calm circumstances or perfect conditions. From here, compassioncan begin to arise spontaneously and without effort, first toward oneself, then toward others.

When we walk in the world from this place, our presence can feel like a very quiet and humble superpower Perhaps we are able to listen more deeply. Our heart feels more awake and we may act with greater care. The light we have learned to trust in ourselves becomes a gentle offering to those we meet.

This is an invitation to enter the mandala of your own experience and to remember, again and again, the great possibility of you.

 

Find out more about this course:  https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/course/the-mandala-of-compassion/

Try this Mini practice from the course

By Heather Regan-Addis

 

A couple of years ago I heard a story that non-dual teacher Rupert Spira tells. It has stayed with me and informed my practice and my approach to life.

He talked about a romantic relationship he had in his twenties, which he thought would be the relationship of his life. Then his girlfriend phoned him to end the relationship and in a matter of minutes, this whole future, in which he had invested his happiness dissolved and was lost. He was devastated.

This happens in life, when something ends unexpectedly. The imagined future, which we had invested our happiness in, dissolves and is lost. As is our happiness.

And as we go through life, what do we lose – relationships, jobs, material possessions, children who leave home? As we get older these losses tend to increase. As many of us get older we start to lose physical and cognitive ability. This is part of the human condition which we all share.

Rupert’s experience caused him to reflect where his happiness was best invested and he chose the path of meditation, which has not failed him.

In recent years my meditation practice is a place where I have invested much of my own happiness, and it is not failing me either.

My meditation practice is always there for me to enable me to see clearly and understand what is happening within my mind and my life. It is always there to hold whatever painful experiences arise with kindness and care. It is always there to help me see a wider perspective, than just my own.

But most importantly, as I have practiced over these years, a confidence and a trust has slowly developed in the fundamental okness of my being. Whatever happens, this fundamental okness is always there to fall back on, never impacted or damaged in any way by experience, however intense or difficult. This indeed is worth investing in!

The qualities of this fundamental okness are unperturbable peace, unconditional love and effortless joy. Would you like to connect with this a bit more within your own mind and life? Try this mini meditation for a taste.

In my work as an NHS chaplain, I see all types of losses all the time. Loss of health, ability, life, family, friends, all of which increases with age. I also see how those who are in touch with their fundamental okness, manage these losses with grace, which is astonishing and beautiful to behold. You see it in their eyes and they see it in my eyes, we recognise it in each other, through our mutual presence.

Investing our happiness in this fundamental okness is how we live well. How our life and our relationships flourish, despite whatever hardship occurs. Investing our happiness in this fundamental okness is how we age with grace and how we die in peace.

Our next living well to die well course starts on the weekend of 30^th and 31^st May, either online or in person at the Crichton in Dumfries. Why not come and join us?