Category Archives: Newsletter
WE CAN BUT ONLY BE PHILOSOPHICAL
Dear Friends
Reality is, but reality bites - sometimes when we least expect, want or think that we can deal with it.
Certainly we have all had this experience. However Mindfulness and Wisdom can prevail in helping us see clearly and gain ground when we either think or feel that the ground is sliding away from underneath us.
Our Mindfulness and Meditation practice, our re-perspective from Understanding and Wisdom can offer firm footing to help regain our poise and presence.
Take heart from...
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Of Good and Greatness
Dear Friends
With the beginning of the new year we often think about what we wish, want or will achieve this year. Such thoughts can also bring a sense of sadness at what we haven’t yet achieved or experienced, got or gained, developed or maintained. We may also think about what we could have, should have, will not or won’t ever achieve or fulfil.
However, if we take a moment to move our mind beyond our sense of being a single...
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Dates for Mindfulness Half Day Retreats in 2019 – Farrants Hill
Please mark your diaries with these dates ....
Sunday 10th February
Sunday 31st March
Sunday 19th May (John’s Birthday on 20th)
Sunday 7th July
Sunday 1st September
Sunday 20th October
Sunday 1st December
All half day retreats will be at my home in Farrants Hill.
John B.
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Heart, Mind is receptive knowing
HEART – MIND IS RECEPTIVE KNOWING
It is so easy to take for granted how we see, know and experience things. We often don’t consider that there may be another way of experiencing and knowing things. We may wonder how and why someone else might see and feel differently to ourselves? This could be because they are seeing and knowing in a different way to us. Consider my reflections below on the two ways of knowing.
What we see and know,...
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The Buddha’s Verse on Health, Wealth, Friendship and Happiness
Arōgyā paramā lābhā
santuṭṭhi paramaṁ dhanaṁ
vissāsa paramā ñāthi
Nibbānaṁ paramaṁ sukhaṁ
A healthy mind is the greatest gain,
Contentment is the greatest wealth,
A trustworthy friend is the best of kin,
Unconditional Freedom is the highest bliss.
(The Buddha: Dhammapada verse 204)
Have you ever taken the time to pause and ponder on What is the Focus, Form and Function of your Life?
What are we hoping to fulfill with our life? ‘What is a life well lived and what is the result of a life well lived?
Indeed, what is it...
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Living to Let-Go
LIVING TO LET-GO
We often focus our time energy and attention on getting, gaining, having, holding and becoming. Yet there is that which can be gained or known by none of these activities. This is the peace that results from relaxing, releasing and letting-go!
This is expressed in my poem that follows:
At the end of the moment, minute, hour;
At the end of the day, the week, the month;
At the end of the year, the decade, the life and the life time;
When...
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‘PEACING’ THE PRESENT
‘PEACING’ THE PRESENT
So much of the precious time and energy of our life is mis placed and mis directed. We spend our precious time and energy caught in disappointment and despair about ‘the has been’ and in fear and frustration about ‘the might be’!
Yes, caught in the pains of the past and the fears about the future.
However, life is always and only just here and just now. So if it is peace, calm and joy that we...
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See, Know, Be, Free
SEE - KNOW – BE - FREE
Have you ever wondered or asked yourself how you see and know things? How we do see and know things does then create and condition how we will then be with those things and even be as those things.
Science, Psychology and Spiritual Wisdom is helping us to see and know the true nature of things and not be fooled or led astray by their surface level appearance or seeming solidity and advertised satisfaction.
Mindful...
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When the Mind
WHEN THE MIND
Love is a fundamental energetic connection that motivates and moves most creatures in various forms and functions. Love is a particular way of connecting to another person or thing. The idea that ‘I love’, creates and compounds the idea of self and other, the idea of two, of ‘I’ and what I love. This is ‘Duality’.
There is a love, even a love affair that we are all involved with, that is so close so us that we...
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Sometimes Grey
Dear Friends
We can not expect to always have bright and light sun filled days. Our life does also include the grey days as well. This is both true of the weather and climate of nature and also of our psychological nature.
Depending on our psychological mood and even our psychological disposition or character, we may experience more or less grey days. We might see this as our psychological weather, season, even our particular psychological climate. Whether we live under more...
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