Hope or despair? What are these ancient stones saying?

It’s a reminder that humanity lives under the constant threat of tragedy, but tragedy is also an opportunity for the best of our natures. ‘Hunger Stones’ are emerging across Europe. The idea is that for centuries people have been watching rivers rise and fall with the seasons. And there would be certain stones in the […]

Axe This Ancient Emotional Block Now

We are all guilty of some wishful-thinking sometimes. Thankfully, the Tibetan monks are on to it. A lot of what we call ‘spiritual wisdom’ is really just common sense. Take that saying in Tibetan Buddhism: Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. I don’t think this is meant to a […]

How to bounce back from seven failures

Some failures are easy. Some take massive courage There’s a Japanese saying that goes: nana korobi, ya oki – knocked down seven times, get up eight I love this saying. It’s a good reminder that the journey is going to involve at least a few knocks. The only way to get through unscathed is to […]

The two keys to happiness AND productivity

There’s a line of hungers waiting for you. Don’t listen to them. There’s an idea that comes up in a few places that says: “Satisfy a desire and it will only give birth to more desire.” Think Ecclesiastes 1, or I think the Buddha said something similar. But in many ways its one of the […]

The three great mistakes in life

We all make these mistakes. What matters is how you let them go. The Irish poet David Whyte says that there are three false beliefs that we share with all of humanity. The first is that we will somehow escape the wintering – that we will somehow manage to enjoy all the springs and summers […]

How you treat cabbages is the key to your success

An Indian parable that points to the essence of personal growth. There’s a teaching story out of India I really love. There’s someone living on rocky and infertile island. One day someone comes out of the water and says to them, “What are you doing here? You should come across to this other island. It’s […]

What this Japanese Master taught me about life

This Japanese martial arts master is really on to something. Somehow I stumbled across this poem by Aikido Master and founder of Aikido-Yuishinkai, Koretoshi Maruyama. I am mind itself If I hold positive thoughts in my mind, Good things are likely to happen. Holding negative thoughts in my mind, Works against my best interests. Therefore […]