WORK ON YOUR OWN IDEALS

Through this practice, I realised that whatever I believed, whatever I was thinking, whatever I imagined, was the root cause of all my suffering. Whatever I was thinking separated me from, and closed me off to, how I experienced the world. Whatever I thought removed me from reality. There is ...

I became aware that everything is connected on a level that I still haven’t found the right words to describe, even after all these years. I truly believe I transcended myself and, in the process, realised I already had all the answers I had been looking for. The truth is already there. The t...

The Zen philosopher Alan Watts put it beautifully when he said those who think all the time have nothing to think about except thoughts so they lose touch with reality and live in a world of illusion.

To quote the Zen practitioner, Steve Hagen:

“There is nothing to prove, nothing to figure out, nothing to get, nothing to understand. When we finally stop explaining everything to ourselves, we may discover that in silence, complete understanding is already there.”

Just for a second, stop whatever you're doing and get comfortable. A zazen cushion works best for this. But if you haven’t got one, simply sit on the floor, the edge of the sofa, or the chair you're currently on.

Now notice your breathing. Really notice it. Watch your breath as it comes in ...

Thoughts will arise but no one thought or emotion is better than the next with this practice. The key thing here is to spend time sitting with whatever arises and breathing into it instead of feeling as if you need to distract yourself from it.

Recognise and acknowledge your thinking as jus...

There is so much to absorb if we slow down and pay attention but we only interested in pushing our realities away; only concerned with doing whatever we can to avoid confronting that monkey in our heads. We continually want for more even though we never find ourselves satisfied. Doesn’t that in i...

[N]otice your breathing. Really notice it. There is nothing else for you to do. Watch your breath as it comes in and again as it goes out. Don't think about anything else but the breath. Watch it. Count to yourself as you inhale and again as you exhale if that makes it easier.