I practice and teach meditation. I also enjoy wine. White in summer, red in winter is what floats my particular boat. I drink in moderation and only rarely over-indulge. I have no doubt at all that mindfulness makes drinking wine very much more enjoyable. When we are being mindful – ‘paying attention to the present moment deliberately and non-judgementally’ – we...
Latest Blog Posts
Listen to David Michie and 99 others at the Hay House World Summit
Hi Everyone, I was honoured to be invited by Hay House, publishers of my Dalai Lama’s Cat series, to take part in the 2016 Hay House World Summit – the largest health and wellness event in the world! A few key points about the World Summit: It is an online event, enabling you to access sessions with 100 experts, authors and spiritual...
Can you be a Buddhist if you don’t believe in karma and reincarnation?
I am sometimes asked this question, especially at the end of an introductory class on Buddhism. The person asking me will usually have been struck by one of the life-enhancing insights offered by the Dharma. Perhaps they have experienced the gentle but powerful impact that meditation has on our state of mind. Many Buddhist teachings have a strong resonance among...
The five benefits of suffering
Most of us will do whatever we can to avoid suffering. We don’t like the idea of it. We don’t much like even the word. Whether it’s trivial inconvenience or major life-changing suffering we want no part of it. But the reality is that for much of our lives we experience some level of dissatisfaction. This was Buddha’s first ‘Noble...
Do animals use telepathy to communicate? Intriguing video evidence.
Many pet lovers have had the experience of a dog, cat, or other being appearing to know about something without having been shown it. Or inexplicably understanding the significance of something that happened. In some cases a persistent thought may arise in a pet-lover’s mind which, when they respond to it, seems to have been communicated by the pet himself...
Where does consciousness come from?
It seems to me that, whoever we are and whatever our convictions, there is a single question we all need to answer. The way we answer may well underpin how we live our life. The question is seldom made explicit, but is often implicit in both scientific and religious beliefs. For my own part, I wish that people were encouraged...
Can Buddhists celebrate Christmas?
Can Buddhists celebrate Christmas – especially those of us living in the West? Of course we can! What is un-Buddhist about peace and goodwill to all men? About practising generosity and showing kindness to family, friends and strangers? All of these are in perfect accord with Buddhism, and it is wonderful to have a culturally-agreed season during which special emphasis...
How do you pronounce “David Michie”?
A few months ago, if anyone had said I’d be writing a blog on how to pronounce my name, I’d have told them they were mad. Only a completely self-absorbed narcissist would think that a subject worthy of a blog. And I’m not one of those. Or am I?! It’s true that most people mispronounce my surname in a...
Guest Blog from Cass Lane: Will you dare to live?
Having published nearly 100 blogs, I thought it might be fun to share a fresh voice on this blog from time to time. My first guest blogger is an amazingly talented young woman I have recently been in touch with – Cass Lane. There’s something about the sparkle and vitality of her work which I find really appealing, and which...
The unexpected joy of writing The Dalai Lama’s Cat series
After publishing Buddhism for Busy People in 2004 and subsequent non-fiction books, I sometimes found myself talking to people who were voracious readers, and had a keen interest in the subjects I wrote about. They hadn’t read my books – and they didn’t plan to. The reason wasn’t personal, and was quite simple: they didn’t read non-fiction. They never went...
Shiny eyes: Join me on the next Mindful Safari
When was the last time you got shiny eyes? When you felt so excited by what just happened that you couldn’t wait to share it with others? When you felt gloriously lucky to be alive? It seems to me that as we get older, the less we experience moments of genuine wonderment. But one place I saw lots of shiny...
Mourning our pets: when grief turns destructive
Many of us have loved and lost an animal companion. It is truly one of life’s most harrowing ordeals. When we have especially close relationships with our pets, they are members of our family, often as loved as human members. Their passing creates a void we know can never be filled. Immediately after the passing of our pet, during the...
