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 shoulder: Tokai especially liked it...
Latest Blog Posts
Why I am writing The Dalai Lama’s Cat series
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 most online stores like amazon...
What is it like being the companion of a global celebrity?
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 if the hen sometimes yearned...
Does the Dalai Lama really have a cat?
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 most intriguing volume of memoirs...
First Pawprints in Cyberspace
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 see why humans get so...
Cutting off thoughts versus suppressing them: what’s the difference?
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 the profound well-being that comes...
Why meditation ‘retreats’ should be banned
I regularly attend meditation retreats at the Tibetan Buddhist Society here in Perth, Australia, where it’s my privilege to have been a member for the past twenty or so years. I recently heard a story which made me think of ‘retreats’ in a completely different way. One of my fellow retreatants had been explaining to her elderly father that he...
Be better
Every day when I go online I find myself facing a barrage of emails, Facebook messages and blogs, with many of them urging me to do something. No doubt you have the same experience. Whether it’s Amazon prompting you to buy a new book, a thought leadership coach urging you to monetize your ideas, or an investment adviser telling you...
