Posts filed under “Zen Buddhism”
Zen in a cup of tea
rss | t | g+ How easily can a cup of tea be taken for granted? Before I went to Plum Village, I had no idea that I never knew how to truly enjoy a cup of tea, water or coffee. I used to gulp it down without a second thought. It’s the same with [...]
Minimalism & The Noble Eightfold Path III – Mental Development
rss | t | g+ Greetings everyone! If you follow my twitter you might know that I just spent some time on retreat to Plum Village in France, learning about the teachings of one of my heroes, Thich Nhat Hanh. I’ve taken away so many great lessons from this trip, and I can’t wait to explore it all with you [...]
Minimalism & The Noble Eightfold Path II – Ethical Conduct
rss | t | g+ The next stage of our journey along the Noble Eightfold Path is understanding how Ethical Conduct affects every single aspect of our lives. By conducting Right Speech, Action and Livelihood to the best of our abilities, we can move closer towards an enlightened body, heart and mind. You don’t have to be Buddhist to follow [...]
Minimalism & The Noble Eightfold Path I – Attaining Wisdom
rss | t | g+ So here we are on the first part of our journey along the Noble Eightfold Path, laid out by the Buddha to guide us away from ignorance and suffering. In this first part, we will look at wisdom, what it means and how to attain it by practising Right View and Right Intention. [...]
Minimalism & The Noble Eightfold Path
rss | t | g+ Buddhism is one of those things, like travel and culture, that you can read all the books you want about it (believe me I have read many) but the only way you really learn is through practical experience. Buddhism is not so much a religion, but a philosophy – a way of living. There are [...]
Embrace Life’s Flow
rss | t | g+ “Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it”. ~Lao Tzu If only we could be more like water – strong, life-giving and beautiful. It trickles and surges, ebbs and swirls, here and there, following the natural course of life without attachment or resistance. Even when it appears to be [...]
When you let go of… words
rss | t | g+ Since starting Minimal Student almost three years ago now, I have never taken more than a few weeks off at a time, but after coming back to England and settling in my own place, and no longer travelling as much as I used to, I felt that my writing had run out of [...]
On Mindfulness
rss | t | g+ Three years ago, since starting Minimal Student (on a whim – like most of the things I end up doing), my life has gone through some very distinct phases – I moved away from home, I spent a year abroad in Japan, I came back to England and got my own place… and during [...]
Spiritual Revolution
“What I propose is a spiritual revolution” ~ Dalai Lama As political freedom spreads to more people and technology integrates into our lives, one would think that man’s quest for happiness is more obtainable than ever. And yet, there is still so much suffering in the world. There is still discrimination, war and violence. People [...]
A bell for mindfulness
Just outside my window, a beautiful clock tower chimes softly every hour. To me, it’s a bell for mindfulness. A reminder that time is passing, and that I should not waste a moment of it. The things that seem like a big deal now, one day I shall forget about them, and realise the things [...]