Category: Articles

  • The Practical Buddhist: Coming Home

    Teachings on The Joy and Comfort of Buddhism, of Finding Yourself _____________________________________________​ NEW Video Series Based on posts from ThePracticalBuddhist.com, this video series by Hanh Niêm, Ronald Hirsch, presents both an easy to understand overview of Buddhist thought on why we suffer and the path to end suffering, and practical techniques on helping you reach that…

  • Summer Days on the Allotment

    “…Just had one of those cuppa teas I didn’t want to end!”… A past statement by a friend echoed in my mind as I quenched my thirst. The temperature has gone up by ten degrees since seven o’clock this morning. Every movement seems an effort, it’s hot, it’s humid, it’s June. I’ve seen three butterflies,…

  • Mindful Heroes – stories of journeys that changed lives

    Mindfulness is well recognised as an effective way to deal with the challenges of modern life. So many people have experienced for themselves the power of allowing things to get better by not making them worse. But hopefully the story doesn’t end there. Might the mindfulness journey also prove to be an expression of a…

  • Never Give Up: from Living and Dying in Peace

    No matter what is going on Never give up Develop the heart Too much energy in your country Is spent developing the mind Instead of the heart Be compassionate Not just to your friends But to everyone Be compassionate Work for peace In your heart and in the world Work for peace And I say…

  • Bullying: A New Approach

    In almost every school, there are posters and there are assemblies that address a problem that 20% of kids face every day, bullying. Kids who are bullied “are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school.” (Pacer.org) It is these effects that make bullying an important issue…

  • CREAMY CARROT SOUP

    A simple carrot soup which most children enjoy. Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter (or half butter, half oil) 1 large onion finely chopped 500g carrots scrubbed and sliced 4 cups (32 fl oz) vegetable stock (or water) Salt and pepper, to taste 1 cup (8 fl oz) milk Pinch of grated nutmeg 1/cup (4 fl oz)…

  • Positive News

    Like many seaside towns in the UK, St Austell has suffered from changing holiday habits (even before the pandemic) and the decline of the fishing industry. A new arts project aims to reverse its fortunes – and that of the bee

  • The Teachings of the Buddha

    A double-edged question. The local ruler, called Abhaya, went to Nataputta, a monk who belonged to a community hostile to the Buddha.  Nataputta said to Abhaya: ‘If you were to defeat Gautama, whom they call the Buddha, in public debate, your reputation would be hugely enhanced,’  Abhaya said: ‘How can I defeat Gautama in debate? …

  • The Birth of a New World

    How can I speak of hope when so many have died? The tragedy is that those who have passed are all the beloved of someone who lives to mourn them. Many innocent lives cut short. The sun continues to rise. As Francesca Melandri wrote, in A Letter from Italy, “We are witnessing the birth of…

  • Byken Matsukawa

    Personal stories are always interesting, especially when they are within living memory and their veracity hasn’t been eroded through time.  Below is a series of photographs which tells a story about David Russell’s father, Byken Matsukawa, a Japanese national interned in the UK during the second world war.  The photos are preceded by a short…

  • Prayer of Samantabhadra

    Bodhicharya Winter Teaching 2020 – LIVE Teaching by WANGDU on NOVEMBER 26, 2020 in EVENTS, NEWS, RINGU TULKU, TEACHINGS. Prayer of Samantabhadra (Kunzang Mönlam) 14th – 21st December 2020 Daily at 2:30pm (GMT/UTC) Rinpoche has very kindly accepted our request to give a teaching on the ‘Prayer of Samantabhadra (Kunzang Mönlam)’. This direct and important text is not only an aspiration prayer, but also…

  • THE UNIVERSAL WAY OF AVALOKITESVAR BODHISATTVA

    AVALOKITESVAR SHRINE A Place to Pray to and Meditate on the Grace and Great Compassion of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva  The Universal Way of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva- A Public Domain   Translation of Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra Preface The Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Chapter of the Lotus Sutra is perhaps one of the most efficacious Dharma Doors ever…

  • MUSHROOMS – च्याउ

    Ingredients 1 cup of mushrooms 4 teaspoons mustard or vegetable oil 1 medium onion 2 garlic cloves 2.5 cm piece of ginger 1/2 teaspoon chili (optional) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seed salt to taste Process Wash the mushrooms 2 or 3 times.  Break into small pieces by hand.  Mix turmeric rubbing with the…

  • SPINACH PAKODA पालक पाकोडा

    Ingredients 2 cups of the leaves of spinach 1 cup of gram flour (besan) 2 green chillis chopped or 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (optional) 1 large onion finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder pinch of asafoetida (hing) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup of water or as required Oil for deep frying Process Wash and clean…

  • IN SEARCH OF MEDICINE, BEYOND CLOUDS

    In NATURAL MEDICINE by Kate Roddick I felt on top of the world, with my letter of introduction to the Dalai Lama, in my pocket, close to my heart, we tickeled tocked, tickeled tocked, into the train station at Patankot. The mist had fallen onto the paddy fields, and plains left to right of the old sleeper…

  • HONEY MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINES…

    The following extract concerning the increased use of antibiotics for the treatment of colds and associated ailments is from the magazine Positive News. Honey could offer more effective treatment for some respiratory infections than prescription medicines, according to a study The pharmaceutical industry has developed a host of treatments for sore throats, blocked noses and coughs,…

  • GRATITUDE FOR THE PLANTS

    The more I work with the plants, the more I become eternally grateful for what they give to us. They have an uncanny knack of being in exactly the right place and the right time when you need them. It’s hardly surprising that the Cherokee’s have this Creation belief: “Each tree, shrub and herb, down…