Wednesday 17 May 2006 Click on the link below to hear Wednesday's Reflection from Andrew Taylor-Browne, a member of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, or read the transcript:
In the midst of our busy lives, finding time to meditate or just be at peace with ourselves, can be profoundly important. But often it can seem that there is just no time available for this. Well, it can be good to put aside half an hour to mediate or be calm, but it can also work to use the events and time that seems out of our control to find a moment of peace and calm. So here are two ideas that may help. The first is Traffic Light Meditation. When we are stuck at traffic lights we can easily feel frustrated and impatient. But there is really nothing we can do about the delay and becoming frustrated is only going to make us feel worse and more anxious and stressed. So instead we can take the delay as a gift, an opportunity to take a moment to relax, breathe deeply, be aware of our feelings and anxious thoughts, and just let them go. The second is to be aware of the moment our foot first touches the floor when we are getting up in the morning. Many of us leap out of bed in a state of hurry or anxiety, and if we do this then the rush starts as soon as our day starts. If instead we just note the touching of the foot on the floor and reflect on the peace that is truly within us the the whole of the day can be affected. And in the words of a great Zen Master:
‘The life of this one day, today, is absolutely vital life’ Tuesday 16 May 2006 Click on the link below to hear Tuesday's Reflection from Andrew Taylor-Browne a member of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, or read the transcript:
During the next three months on our farm, some of our alpacas are due to have their babies. This is a time of great excitement and some nervousness. These creatures are so beautiful and sensitive that it is natural to want to help them and to protect them. Because of this, one of the world’s leading alpaca experts recommends that all alpaca owners should have two key items of equipment ready for the birth. The first is a rope, the second is a pair of binoculars. The rope is to tie yourself to a post some distance away from the alpaca to stop yourself interfering with the birth; the binoculars are so you can see what is going on from a safe distance. Maybe in this there is an important lesson for all of us. Sometimes the best thing we can do in life is just to resist the urge to leap into action and try to take control; sometimes it is better first to stay still and just watch. This can be uncomfortable – we want to be useful and helpful, we want to be part of the action, we want to avert disaster. And often we have to acknowledge that there is little good that we can really do, and our interference may well cause or at least add to the problems. So in the words of a recent Zen Master:
‘Don’t just do something; sit there!’ Monday 15 May 2006 Click on the link below to hear Monday's Reflection from Andrew Taylor-Browne, or read the transcript:
It seems to me to be one of the defining characteristics of the last decade that our lives have all become much busier, and this can be something that is not good for us. Now this busy-ness is not the same as having a full and rich life with plenty to do; nor is it related to having absorbing and satisfying work – even if this takes up many hours of the day. The busy-ness I am talking of in fact often seems to break up our ability to do anything well, with quality, care and attention. It pulls us away from what seems important to do; it interrupts us and seems constantly to distract us. In the face of such busy-ness I think that it is really important to develop ways of finding and enhancing a sense of inner peace and calm. Meditation is one way of doing this; so can be walking a dog, gardening, going to the sea, or sometimes just taking a short break and doing nothing in particular. In the week ahead I hope you can find space to look for your inner peace. In the words of one of the great Zen masters:
‘Treat both your minds and bodies with care,
Everyone is the vessel of the Truth,
Every day is a good day’ | 
