Another Way of Knowing

The Blessed One thought, “I have taught the Truth, but simple as it is, the people don’t understand it! Therefore I will tell them stories.” Recently I wrote of how we need to meet our spiritual needs in order to attain a sense of wholeness in our lives. I have written that in achieving this […]

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A Dream of Brahman

In my previous essay which I titled “Such is Life” I explained the basic cosmogony of Hindus and others is that the world and all in it were created by a dream of Brhman. The sceptics will probably laugh that I should pay any respect at all to such a fanciful concept. My critics will […]

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Such is Life

I recently published an essay Reconciling with Impermanence. Whilst rummaging through my archives recently I discovered another essay I had written almost twenty years ago that throws some light on this important subject. I have updated it somewhat and now share it with you. Let us begin by asking the question, “What is a man’s […]

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Reconciling with Impermanence

In our normal day to day existence there are many things that we hang on to because they give us a sense of permanence. Our consciousness compels us to be aware of our own mortality. Advances in nutrition and health may have enabled us on average to exceed the biblical “three score years and ten”. […]

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Happily Aging


You know it is not all downside getting old. I notice when I have my geriatric jog in the mornings these days I have more time to think than I used to. This, of course, is mainly a factor of my reducing speed which means it takes me longer to get around my jogging route […]

December 8, 2012

A Few Thoughts on Consciousness


“To ask ‘What is consciousness?’ does not appear to be unreasonable: yet the question does not seem to be fully answerable in reasonable terms. So along with questions like ‘What is God?’ and ‘What is life?’ we generally rule out consciousness from scientific enquiry.   After long searching for answers in many places, I have […]

December 1, 2012

Muslim Misogyny and Manufactured Malaise


Quranic verse 4:34: “Allah has made men superior to women because men spend their wealth to support them. Therefore, virtuous women are obedient, and they are to guard their unseen parts as Allah has guarded them. As for women whom you fear will rebel, admonish them first, and then send them to a separate bed, […]

November 24, 2012

Parenting a Princess


My little book Froth and Goblets depicts a story of the Princess Naomi, daughter of the Sultan, Salazar, and how she has her burden of depression eased by the ministration of a Buddhist sage. I won’t have the opportunity in this short article to describe all the techniques he used to alleviate the Princess’s suffering. […]

November 16, 2012

What Lies Behind Love


“The world is illusory; Brahman alone is real; Brahman is the world.” Sri Ramana Maharshi When a child is born, it has no concept of its individuality. It has no need to believe it is unique – because from its own perspective it is all. It believes it is the universe. But then the process […]

November 9, 2012

Telling Stories


The Blessed One thought, “I have taught the Truth, But simple as it is, the people can not understand it. Therefore I will tell them stories.” I have written many times that it seems to me that the essential truths of Mankind are largely taught through the medium of parables and metaphors. This seems true […]

November 3, 2012

Beyond Intellect


I posted on my Facebook page the other day a quotation from the famous Robert Oppenheimer (theoretical physicist and to his everlasting regret, one of the “fathers of the atomic bomb”). This goes to show, I suppose, how unsuited I am to Facebook and such as a medium of communication– when others are posting pictures […]

October 27, 2012

Positive Psychology and Buddhism


Positive Psychology has only emerged as a defined field of study in psychology in the last decade or so. Martin Seligman is credited with its birth. Martin Seligman was elected as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998. He chose “positive psychology” as the theme for his term. Seligman had a few predecessors in […]

October 20, 2012

Seeing Things Differently


I recently heard a radio interview with Professor Gordon Parker who was for many years associated with the Black Dog Institute which as you may know seeks to help those suffering from depression. In the course of the interview, the interviewer asked Professor Parker how he would distinguish between depression and melancholia. Without hesitation Parker […]

October 14, 2012

Froth and Goblets


You might wonder why I might have imbued my new book with such a title. Those of you that have read my small offerings over the years would know that I have a belief that most of the great truths are propagated through stories and often through the use of parable and metaphor. I like […]

October 7, 2012