Writing and Talks

Mindfulness is so often talked about in terms of practising meditation to relax and calm down, to be non-reactive, to be mindfully present, and to release some of the “stuff” that makes it so tiring and painful to be in the world. Now this is undeniably helpful. Sometimes, it even feels like this is the cure. Being calm and present is a great start to help with some aspects of burnout (I’ll talk more about how meditation helps in the later parts of this series). But meditation could also lead to a kind of dead-end where you become an inert robot that simply “copes” with what is happening; where one finds a kind of “equanimous productivity”, as Rob Burbea describes, to function in a society that constantly pressures us to do and be in ways that are exhausting, depleting, and lead to a sense of futility and meaninglessness.

Video recording of a Dharma Talk from Day of Practice (14:10) Audio only: Register for the Day of Practice — next on Sunday 3 August. This is an excerpt from a talk at the Day of Practice. I offer some… Continue reading Presence and Buddha Nature (talk)

~10 minute read Reflections on different phases of meditation, what it means to deepen practice, and how an emphasis on trust, confidence, and humility can allow the practice to unfold. You don’t know what you don’t know There’s a Deepening… Continue reading You don’t know what you don’t know

This is a reflection on some of the formative moments in the earlier part of my meditation journey. 5 minute read. I’ve been thinking recently about the moments in my own life and practice when things were not going so… Continue reading Inflection Points – Key Moments of Finding Direction in Practice

Hi friends! I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of community for practice. I recently returned from spending some time in the United States practising on retreat, teaching, and spending time with the communities over there. It was an… Continue reading Community, Sangha, Support