If non-attachment is the foundation of Buddhism, what exactly is the spiritual framework? This series of articles is the wrong way around, we started at the end and now we’re at the beginning. Finding ‘direction’ at the start of your journey is vital. Throw a man into the sea and tell him to swim, and he’ll…
In Ireland we’re a kind race of people, not Germanic Anglo Saxons, war-like Norse Vikings or dour lowland Scots. Recent genetic tests suggest we’re closely related to the Basque of north western Spain. Our cultural heritage is distinct and different to our neighbours to the north and east of us, and our closest links lie far away to…
Dear friends, January and February are depressing months. The winter still lingers, and the Spring seems far away. Maybe it’s a time for change, a new direction in your life……. Knock yourself out!
You may well ask what a Jungian personality test is doing on a spirituality blog? Before Freud and Jung, spirituality was the study of Psychology; so they’re actually the same subject. Of course there are plenty of people who never consider esoteric concepts of spirituality, they live externalised lives of compulsive activity. ‘Who am I,…
We're all fed up to the teeth with the commercialisation of Christmas. No Jesus isn't Santa Claus, but don't be too surprised if a lot of children think he is. We've become confused. Three wise men visited the baby Jesus on Christmas Day, and Santa Claus shimmies down the chimney on Christmas Eve. If your…
The singular most important tenant of Zen is non-attachment. The second is taking physical action to become a Free-spirit. This is the framework and foundation. Concentrate your attention on a spot equidistant between your eyes. If you painted a bullseye on the bridge of your nose at eye level, that would be the correct place. Your concentration must remain…
‘Did I meet you at Eton? Well maybe not, but you sound very upper class to me.’ Now that Britain has returned to the social elitism that existed before the War, we should definitely examine the secret lexicon of the modern ‘aristocracy.’ You didn’t know there was one? Oh dear, how plebeian! If by chance…
We’ve got a bow, we’ve got some arrows; but The Zen Master is not shooting at the bullseye. In fact he’s not shooting at the target at all. Welcome to the world of Metaphysics. Zen is known as Crazy Zen because it wakes up the student by using shock tactics. Dull platitudes are just that.…
The philosophical origin of Taoism is attributed to Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi in the 4th century bc. Although many different branches evolved, the concept of 'Yin-yang' eventually found favour. Chinese folk religion adapted and assimilated Taoism into diverse practices like Feng shui, which has now become uber-fashionable in the West.
Consider how Irish history would have changed, if Guy Fawkes had successfully blown up parliament and King James I on the 5th November 1605. Mary Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart were both Catholic, and they baptised their son James into their own faith. The royal Scottish house of Stuart has always been Roman Catholic.…
Deep in the human psyche, legends and myths prevail. Part of people’s day to day lives. It’s easy to laugh in the bright daylight with a laptop balanced on your knee, connected to the www. Be afraid, be very afraid. Be afraid because belief systems, subconscious or not, make up our lives in the real…
Yumi making in japan is an art. Bow makers are as revered as Kyudo Masters. Artisans who manufacture arrows equally respected. The tradition runs deep in Japanese society. In this short film a Japanese craftsman makes bamboo Kyudo arrows: Onyishi Kanjuro Shibata XX and his family have crafted Yumi for twenty generations, and to this…
Awa Kenzô (1880-1939) was the last living Kyudo[1] Master. In this beautifully simple film, Master Kenzo’s acolyte, the famous Zen philosopher D.T. Suzuki shoots at The Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Japanese culture is highly structured in every aspect of life. Zen is simplicity in all aspects of life. We would do well to give due…
People often ask if Sociology is an Art or a Science. The cynical would quip a black art, Catholicism I mean, not Sociology; and it often feels like that. Me, I'm a cultural catholic; and I'm culturally ashamed.
Educated free thinkers find it hard to accept the self-styled titles of high powered VIP's and luminaries. His Holiness, The most Venerable, The Living Reincarnation; this, that, and the other. Yet this narrative has continued to echo down the millennia, and the question we must examine is this: Is there a higher spiritual state, or…
