This Post Won’t Save You (And It Won’t Make You More Zen)
I used to hop from practice to practice, chasing the one that would finally make me Zen. This post won’t fix you either. That’s rather the point.
Buddhism
Love Fully, Hold Loosely
I said “I love you” to hear it back and raced the neighbour from number five. Jesus, the Buddha and a breakdown taught me to love fully, hold loosely.
Why I Choose Not to Promote Any Religion, Even Buddhism
Most mornings in Bradford I chant and I meditate. I choose not to promote any religion, even Buddhism — everyone’s path is their own.
What My Knee Knows About “I”
A fight tore the ligaments in my knee. More than eight years on, after surgery, I’m still asking if the angry I that alcohol built was worth defending.
A Slower Mind at the Sink
Rafik on volunteering: food banks, soup kitchens, the sink and the serving hatch, and what slow, ordinary kindness teaches the mind.
I Didn’t Jump Out of a Plane. I Kept Bees.
When I was giving up alcohol, the adverts said to face your fear by jumping out of a plane. I kept bees instead. A story about slow courage, hive jobs, and finding your own path.
What I reached for, and what finally held
For most of my life I reached for whatever would stop me feeling. This is a plain look back at those years, and at the practice I met in my early forties.
Show me your kitties: from trauma to laughter
A crude pickup line reclaimed as laughter — and a clear look at Buddha’s teaching of anatta (non-self).