I’m really thrilled to announce my first ever ‘Meditate in the Mountains’ retreat in Europe from Monday 19th – Friday 23 July 2021. This had to be postponed from summer 2020 because of Covid 19. Just like the Mindful Safaris I lead each year to Africa, our ‘Meditate in the Mountains’ experience will take us to the heart of nature,...
Latest Blog Posts
Giving to others on Mindful Safari
I’m often struck by the sad truth that most of us think of ourselves as ordinary people. When we wake up in the mornings and go about our lives, we usually do so on the basis that we’re pretty normal. We may even sometimes think of ourselves as unlucky when things aren’t going the way we wish in terms of...
Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary – A Place to Call Home
After Mindful Safari and our Meditate with Elephants experience this year (see blog: https://davidmichie.com/the-magic-of-meditating-with-elephants/) a few of our group had time before flying home to visit The Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary just outside Harare. When I think of Twala, that famous quote of Mahatma Gandhi often comes to mind: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be...
The Dalai Lama’s Cat and the Four Paws of Spiritual Success. Prologue and Chapter One here!
Prologue Are you curious, dear reader? If you were to find yourself padding past an alcove concealed by a curtain, would your every instinct be to tug back the fabric—or, indeed, push under it—to see what lay behind? Making your way down a familiar street, if you came to a door which, for your entire existence, had been closed, but...
Attaining insights: Buddha’s wisdom of the three bowls
When we read a book, or listen to a teaching about personal transformation, we are doing something out of the ordinary. We are not simply wishing to acquire information or be entertained – although both of those things may happen. Instead, we are seeking insights to help us experience life differently. To bring an end to whatever unhappiness afflicts us. ...
The Magic of Meditating with Elephants
Last month our Mindful Safari group visited one of the most extraordinary wildlife sanctuaries in Southern Africa, the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN). Established by Roxy Danckwerts in 2012, ZEN is situated within Wild is Life Trust (1998), taking care of orphaned elephants as well as many other animals who cannot be returned to the wild. Most of us animal lovers...
A simple tool to connect with animals
One of the special aspects of our Mindful Safari visits to Africa is meeting kindred spirits from around the world. There are usually participants from USA, Australia, UK, and other countries, and while we have very different backgrounds and lives, we come together in our deep appreciation of nature, our practice of mindfulness and meditation – and our recognition that...
The new Dalai Lama’s Cat book: cover reveal!
I am thrilled to be revealing the chosen cover of the fourth Dalai Lama’s Cat book! My sincere thanks to each and every one of you who voted, commented and offered insights on the different options I shared a month ago. Although most people liked this cover, a number of you will have voted for a different one. I hope...
Why your life is so precious – in Buddha’s own words
In Buddhism, sutras are records of the actual teachings of the Buddha. Like other spiritual teachers, he sometimes offered metaphors to make a point with sufficient power to shift our perspective. And when it came to explaining the rarity of our lives – yours, and mine – he used a metaphor so mind-boggling that it has become one of the...
Please help me pick the cover of the next Dalai Lama’s Cat book!
We have reached that fun part of the publishing process where we get to choose a cover of the new book! Once again, I’d like to ask for your help please! Our wonderful book designer, Sue Campbell, has come up with five fantastic options for development. But which one is the winner? Rather than try to decide on my own, I’d like...
New Dalai Lama’s Cat book …and other exciting news!
I am thrilled to announce that The Dalai Lama’s Cat & The Four Paws of Spiritual Success is to be published on the 19th November 2019! For years, Dalai Lama’s Cat fans have been asking if there’s to be a fourth book – and HHC (His Holiness’s Cat) has been working her paws to the bone in recent months to bring...
Practising compassion shouldn’t make you a doormat: a Buddhist perspective
If you had to choose the single quality most closely associated with Tibetan Buddhism, it would probably be compassion. In the words of my precious teacher, Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden: ‘If you were to ask: “What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?” the answer must be great compassion, because that is the foundation of all living beings’ happiness and...
