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...
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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...
Was Jesus, like the Buddha, really a teacher of inner transformation?
I was brought up in a church-going Presbyterian family, and during my formative years I developed a view of Jesus which remained pretty much constant. Until recently. It’s only late in life that I’ve come to discover how a number of important messages, which I took to be core to Christianity, may actually be much more a product of early...
What vows do you take to be a Buddhist?
If you decide that Tibetan Buddhism is the path for you, and you wish to formalise your commitment, you may choose to take part in a ceremony called ‘Taking Refuge.’ (I have previously written about this concept in my blog: https://davidmichie.com/what-is-a-buddhist-a-definition/) The refuge ceremony is often short, and as well as taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, as...
How we went to “Meditate in the Mountains” at Penhalonga, Zimbabwe
In August 2018 I led a group of around 20 people to La Rochelle in Zimbabwe’s pristine Eastern Highlands. During the three day break we spent most of our time sitting in well-established botanical gardens among the most uniquely beautiful in the world; learning something about meditation and Buddhism; being led through some gentle yoga stretches and, most of all,...
Hurry Up and Meditate: Read the Introduction here!
INTRODUCTION I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavour. Henry David Thoreau Yes, it’s a deliberately provocative title. After all, being in a hurry is the opposite of meditating, isn’t it? If we have a lot going on in our lives, is it realistic trying to...
When did you last see yourself? A Buddhist question which takes us to unexpected places.
There’s a question Buddhist teachers like to ask, to tease their students towards a particular insight: when did you last see yourself? “A short while ago,” some of us reflexively reply. “I was washing my hands and I looked up and saw myself in the mirror.” “What you saw then was a reflection of your body,’ our teacher may reply. ...
