I have always been a big fan of Clive James’s work (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_James) and was saddened to hear some time ago that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. True to form, Clive has not allowed this diagnoses to stop his ongoing and amusing flow of insights, and in yesterday’s Sunday Times (UK) there was a...
Year: 2015
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David Michie reads the Prologue of ‘The Power of Meow’
Feel like a quick taster of The Dalai Lama’s Cat and The Power of Meow? Please click below for my 4 minute reading of the Prologue. If you’d like to make sure you’re among the first to get your paws on the book, I highly recommend that you pre-order from your local bookstore, or...
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How pets offer us the gift of mindfulness
My office desk overlooks a street on which people in the neighbourhood walk their dogs every day. In the past ten years I’ve noticed a trend that saddens me. Instead of taking their dogs for a walk as they used to, these days many people are more likely to be hunched over their phones while...
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Read the first chapter of ‘Buddhism for Busy People’ here!
The first book I wrote about Buddhism was called Buddhism for Busy People. That was back in 2004, when there weren’t many books providing an introduction to the key concepts in Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhism for Busy People is also a very personal account, relating my own encounter with Buddha’s teachings (the Dharma), why they resonated...
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The amazing thing most people never discover about themselves
I am often struck by what I think is one of life’s greatest paradoxes: even though our entire experience of reality depends on our mind, most people have no idea what mind actually is. Everything we perceive, think and feel arises only with mind’s participation. That being the case, wouldn’t it be useful to have...
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Who was your pet in a previous lifetime? Tibetan Buddhist wisdom
Like most people who spend time around cats, the superior attitude of some of my feline friends has often made me wonder who they were in a previous lifetime. Princess Wussik, the inspiration for The Dalai Lama’s Cat, frequently reminded us where we stood in the overall scheme of things. Delighted to find a new...
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How to be with your pet during the death process: Tibetan Buddhist practices
I first published the following blog below some years ago. It immediately became the best read blog I had ever written. I realised there is a hunger for information and practical advice about the death process as it applies to pets, from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective. In a very direct way, this blog led me...
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Does meditating slow ageing? What science says.
Many factors that affect the ageing process. But a growing body of scientific research shows how the very gentle practice of meditation can have a powerful impact. A few highlights: Biological age 12 years less than chronological age One of the earliest studies was conducted by Dr Robert Keith Wallace, whose findings were published in...
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Are Buddhists non-theists or atheists – and what’s the difference?
Buddhism is a non-theistic tradition, meaning that it does not involve a belief in God. The focus of Buddhism is on the nature of mind. What concerns Buddhists is an understanding of how consciousness works, not only in theory but more importantly in practise. Our goal is to take charge of our own mental continuum,...
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Do animals have souls that go to heaven?
There was quite a stir when it was reported that Pope Francis had told a young boy that animals have souls which go to heaven. The story grabbed the headlines because it was the opposite of the previous Papal position. Within 24 hours the story had been repeated so often that it was an assumed...
