Archives | January 2010

This is a copy of a letter I wrote to my teacher–Geshe Thubten Loden–a few days before leaving for Tasmania. I am publishing it here now as a means to create the merit for Geshe la to continue to stay with us. Please Geshe-la do not leave us now. Please continue to remain with us, to help, guide and protect us. Dear Geshe la, This letter is to say thank you for the kindness you have shown me over the past 14 years, in particular the teachings, initiations and daily guidance I received from you over that time. You have been more than a father, more than a mother, more than a best...

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For those of us that aspire to meditate well, it can be easy to get caught in thoughts of how wonderful it would be to have flawless concentration. As most of us carry expectations into our meditation sessions, and as we sit with a mind that continues to wander, continues to play the uncontrollable buffoon, it is easy for us to become disheartened by our lack of progress. Be like a meditator, think like a meditator: embrace failure. Successful meditators on the other hand, no strike that, successful people, embrace failure. Such people are not put off by long and difficult journeys, in fact,...

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In 2009 as part of my PhD research I took a trip in India, Dharamsala the home of the 14th Dalai Lama where most of these photos are taken from. While there I met a bunch of amazing people - including monk and yogis. Not to mention having the great fortune of meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and attending a private Buddhism and science conference held inside His Holiness' private residence. Most nights friends and I would go out walking (chum chum in Tibetan) through the surrounding mountains. It is the beauty of the mountains that captured my heart. There is something deeply and still...

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A pithy turn of phrase, a quip engendering insight, all these linguistic devices are the tools of smarter men (and women) than I. Philosophy, for the most part, is not easy. It is not easy because of the hours spent frustrated by misunderstanding, or, as is more often the case, a sense of not understanding what the hell it is that you are reading. In the end, I must add, it is an experience for which one is better off for having. With the afore written in mind, and as good evidence of my point, I wanted to address the notion of clarity in philosophy. Some might argue there is, in fact, a lack...

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