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Category Archives: poems on meditation
Sun Square, Lancaster
Mind, you and I, we work a lot together. We can enter you, and observe. We can go into a quiet little square, on a sunny lunchtime in any provincial town. People sit under parasols, by the café, and … Continue reading
Randomlessness
When I run regularly I bring breathlessness to my body. Over time, I have seen how my body changes in response. My lungs expand, my muscles grow, my metabolism has the capacity to speed up. I have understood that … Continue reading
Once you’re up…
In the Lakes, once you’ve made the effort of getting high, you might as well stay up there and enjoy it: take advantage of the views, the transcendent perspectives. They say ridge walking is the best kind of Lakes walking. … Continue reading
Bow to the birds
And what will emerge next, and what is emerging now? Out of the silence, out of this, a bird song, a blackbird song, emerges over there, from a tree. My breath emerges, a tickle on my shoulder, a gurgle in … Continue reading
For those who will listen, he will tell his tale.
The one who would swim amongst the ice floes stands on the shore in his nakedness. He has practised many years, his mind is clear. He sees the power not the cold. He prepares himself, and enters silently, with intensity. … Continue reading
Coughing meditation
Sit up in bed on a grey morning; quietly, be with your breathing; focus your attention on a particular spot at the back of your throat, and wait. Notice when the smallest of tickles manifests there – from nothing – … Continue reading
The one who breathes
You who would meditate may like to befriend your breathing. As though across a crowded room you may see the one who breathes; when you make your way to them, the one who breathes smiles and offers help, takes your … Continue reading
The one who meditates is like a steward
The one who meditates is like a steward at the entrance to the shrine room. The steward stays at his post while people come in and out; his job is to stay at the door and be present; crowds may … Continue reading
The offering
I heard this question one time in the island grove, where we were gathered in the early morning: ‘How does a perfect teaching work?’ An offering dropped gently into my being, as though into the clarity of water; it was … Continue reading
The school gate is near enough, thank you
The school gate is near enough, thank you At first you are glad when your mother holds your hand and takes you into the classroom at school; later on, the school gate is near enough, thank you; at eighteen you … Continue reading
No favourites
No favourites Like the loving mother who has no favourites, amongst her large and lively family, we can sit at the noisy kitchen table with our brood and dispense love and attention where needed: to the one who works hard, … Continue reading
a mind of its own…
a mind of its own… I thought I was in charge of my own mind, but this turned out not to be the case. I thought I would change my mind, but it turned out my mind decided when it … Continue reading
No thanks Galileo
No thanks Galileo Galileo: here’s my new instrument, a telescope, look for yourself: the moons go round Jupiter as the earth goes round the sun. Inquisition: no thanks. Post-rationalist: here’s meditation, inner contemplation, and an extraordinary new mix now available … Continue reading
Into the wind
Into the wind To learn to sail from a book would be hard. It’s easier to watch other people, get their guidance, and benefit from their experience. At some point though, we still have to steer the boat ourselves, and … Continue reading
‘I am blooming as a flower’
‘I am blooming as a flower’ I admire the tenacity and complexity of ivy. If you look closely at ivy on a garden wall, you will see that over many years it has penetrated the cracks between the stones, expanded … Continue reading
Faint shadows of flowers
Faint shadows of flowers In the silence of the dawn, I wake up from my dreaming mind; the candlelight throws faint shadows of flowers on the wall. ah, my dreaming mind, you have been a friend to me, been with … Continue reading
Such devotion to your practice.
Such devotion to your practice. In the cold pre-dawn dark you rise and put on your habitual black vestments; you pad quickly along the empty street, past the harbour, and along the base of the cliffs. Leaving behind the vestiges … Continue reading
Vinegar days.
Vinegar days. The path winds down through the apple trees on this breezy August day We slowly walk this path, my friends, in silent contemplation. Red apples glow, the air is balm, and the grass we tread is soft. My … Continue reading
Armchair rules
Armchair rules Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin by saying you need to get rid of your armchair. It’s the most dangerous piece of furniture in your house. The spiritual health and safety (meditation) executive has comprehensively banned them, … Continue reading
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Spiritual triangulation
Spiritual triangulation If George Fox had met Thich Nhat Hanh I like to think they might have got on well together. Two radical spiritual teachers, creating new perspectives on their long-established traditions encouraging us all to look deeply within. George, … Continue reading