How important is willpower to your happiness? And does food have anything to do with it? Most of us would agree that it requires willpower to graduate from school, learn a skill, or practice anything till you get really good at it. Self-fulfilment is unlikely to just happen spontaneously. It is more likely to...
I’m often asked how I first heard about Tibetan Buddhism. So I decided to record a short video to explain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_28O8HCe–Y If you’d like to see any other of my short blogs or vlogs, please click ‘Follow’ on the bottom right hand of your screen. I promise not to bombard you with desperate sales messages!...
I have been practising yoga for some time now, beginning with Ashtanga before switching to Iyengar, which suits me better. There was a time when I couldn’t make the simple statement ‘I practice yoga’ without following it up immediately with what I felt was an important admission ‘-but I’m useless at it.’ However, as I’ve...
Prologue Oh good, you’re finally here, though you’ve taken your time about it, if you don’t mind my saying so! You see, dear reader, I have a message for you. Not an everyday message and certainly not one from an ordinary person. What’s more, it concerns your deepest, personal happiness. There’s really no need...
Among my earliest memories are sharing my bed with a Siamese cat called Pandy. Growing up I was surrounded by pets – feline, canine, my much-loved rabbit Bugs, Greg the guinea pig, as well as an assortment of golden hamsters and white mice. Most of my teenage years were spent with a cockatiel on my...
I am sometimes asked why I wrote The Dalai Lama’s Cat. With the second book in the series, The Art of Purring, to be released in just over a month’s time, I thought perhaps it’s time I explained myself. Please click this link to a three minute video: The Dalai Lama’s Cat is available on...
Is it easy living as the anonymous companion to a global celebrity? Some people believe that the unknown companions of very famous individuals must feel constantly overlooked and undervalued, like the drab hens to glorious roosters. When the rooster gets all the attention with his lustrous plumage and magnificent dawn arpeggios, wouldn’t it be understandable...
This is a question that has come up a lot recently. Can you believe the cheek of it?! People will study the sumptuous elegance of my delightfully fluffy coat, admire my thousand whiskers and gaze directly into the oceanic blueness of my eyes. And even though they immediately recognise me as the author of the...
Yes I know this is not ‘my’ blog. Technically speaking. But ask any cat lover and you’ll soon discover that what you believe is ‘your’ sofa, bed or lap actually belong to the cat – unless she feels inclined to move. And right now, I don’t. I’m still having a good look around cyberspace to...
Our first experiences of a mind free of all agitation or dullness are usually all too brief. A fleeting glimpse, like catching sight of a rare fish beneath the surface of a river – unmistakable but elusive. For a few precious moments we may enjoy the peaceful spaciousness of mind, perhaps begin to settle into...
