tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799319684830140352012-01-26T05:51:18.734Zparamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.comBlogger641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-29310955110004346712011-06-23T15:16:00.001+01:002011-06-23T15:18:53.332+01:00

hi therewondering if it is worth starting to write here again or start a new blog. i'm currently visiting mexico city and have been pretty busy since arriving. Pxx

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-76786372306802290362010-02-17T03:15:00.004Z2010-02-17T03:49:10.130Z

well, it really has been too long!!! i think most folk have given up on me blogging by now. i just get so busy and it slides but i'd like to try and find the time to keep it up.i'm on the last full day of my trip to the south pacific region. i left britain in the midst of incredible snowstorms and below zero temperatures and flew to auckland. i was picked up at the airport and whisked off to

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-58127978363241449932009-06-17T07:37:00.003+01:002009-06-17T08:02:39.715+01:00

i'm in valencia for a week after having been at akashavana for the ordination period of the 3 month retreat where 17 women became dharmacharinis. they were from 6 different countries. the retreat is going very well and when we (the preceptors) left they were about to enter a silent phase of more intensive meditation. then they will have a period of 'order induction' and end their retreat with

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-43523688782301928412009-04-06T05:57:00.002+01:002009-04-06T06:03:24.365+01:00

hi alli'm back in the northern hemisphere. india was pretty amazing though challenging - particularly organising the convention. went really well though.loved sydney again and enjoyed the things i did there - talks, study day, order weekend, retreat. also visited new zealand for a long weekend where i went to an order weekend and also a meeting of some of the foks who are engaged in the work

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-23460913236639319082009-03-03T04:42:00.002Z2009-03-03T04:46:43.029Z

hi alli am in mumbai at prajnamata's flat en route to australia. sanghadevi and i travelled down from bodh gaya on a train with quite a few indian order members arriving last night after over 30 hours on the train.the convention was a great success as far as i could tell. all the feedback i received was pretty positive and i am delighted that we held it in india --in bodh gaya. we started

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-77612548456776548732009-02-10T17:11:00.002Z2009-02-10T17:27:54.810Z

hi and bye for now. i am in london en route to india.i got here on sunday and enjoyed spending time with dhammadinna.yesterday and today i've been doing study with the karuna team in north london. i've really enjoyed that, we studied a tsongkapa text.last night i went with karunagita to see the movie "milk". i thought it was excellent and sean penn's performance was brilliant. it was

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-17146328813812480112009-01-25T16:46:00.002Z2009-01-25T17:29:13.409Z

happy burns day. today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of robert burns and i'm feeling a wee bit homesick for scotland. as a kid i grew up on irish and scottish songs and poems. in my house we had irish rebel songs and we celebrated burns suppers on 25th january. strange brew but not that unusual in glasgow.we had burns celebrations at school and also in local community centres and, one

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-30572002198854178072009-01-20T22:34:00.002Z2009-01-20T23:08:57.784Z

couldn't let it go by without some comment. i watched the inauguration on the telly at tiratanaloka with the other women public preceptors and the tiratanaloka community. it was such an historic moment -- as obama himself said, he was standing in an area where 60 years ago his father would not have been served in a local restaurant and here he was delivering his inaugural speech as the 44th

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-32624043180750626052008-12-28T09:56:00.004Z2008-12-28T14:30:58.656Z

well, 2008 is coming to an end and 2009 is coming fast towards us. it's been quite a year for me personally, and quite a year on the national and international fronts. credit crunches, obama's election, celtic are currently 7 points ahead of rangers in the spl. all sorts of interesting things happening. but no time to comment on all that,personally, the first half of the year was difficult. i

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-68631020314292022102008-11-13T10:30:00.002Z2008-11-13T10:43:13.426Z

six moths have passed since the last time i wrote here. that is hard to believe. and, of course, it's hard to know how to update after such a long time.maybe i'll just start with the present. right now i am in london sitting in the gallery cafe in bethnal green having a coffee and logging on. am meeting someone for a coffee soon -- my friends juan carlos -- so won't write more now but soon...

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-3602393343990866202008-05-10T14:56:00.003+01:002008-05-10T15:02:31.419+01:00

i am on the isle of mull, one of the inner hebrides off the west coast of scotland. it is beautiful and i've been incredibly lucky with the weather. where i'm staying is the ferry port for ferries to iona. spent a day there a few days ago and had a great time. walked a fair bit round the island (it's small) and then meditated in the nunnery which unlike the more famous nearby abbey is a ruin.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-29288511065797711692008-04-30T21:31:00.003+01:002008-04-30T21:38:23.840+01:00

i have mentioned a couple of times that i was deeply moved in australia to witness the "sorry" speech made by kevin rudd in february. i have been meaning to post a link to some articles about it and haven't done so. so, here it is. click on the header to go to a page from the sydney morning herald. the first video link (the day we said sorry) is a 4 minute report and really captures the spirit

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-51201682621614773552008-04-18T14:47:00.003+01:002008-04-18T14:51:04.737+01:00

for anyone interested in my last post, take a look at the closing speech by rob hopkins of the transition town initiative. click on the header of this post to take you to the speech. i was especially interested in his references to santideva's bodhicaryavatara

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-44805105656340152622008-04-09T16:52:00.002+01:002008-04-09T17:01:33.582+01:00

last weekend i met some people involved in the "transition town" initiatives -- sometimes known as energy descent initiative- in totness, bath and bristol. i had heard the term before and knew it had something to do with peak oil but i hadn't heard much about it nor met anyone involved in one of these transition towns. i think i had put it in a box in my mind which goes : "could be interesting

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-29872827456524066472008-03-24T12:27:00.002Z2008-03-24T12:41:35.820Z

i wrote this last week for shabda (the order reporting in monthly) and just thought i could post it here too.i am back in the northern hemisphere. i almost said the frozen north but actually spring is just starting to show. there are daffodils in the garden here at taraloka and in the lanes around here and a few brave buds are trying to push through. i came back from australia on friday last

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-76890593511246755592008-03-09T23:53:00.002Z2008-03-10T00:23:40.256Z

still in the land of oz. haven't been in the mood for writing - or when i have been i haven't had time. main thing i want to mention now is the trip i took to uluru and kata tjuta national park in mid australia. click on the title to link to the govt official web page. i took few photos there. it was truly awesome in the real sense of the word.i just wanted to experience it.imagine desert,

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-66855299238248078732008-01-19T20:10:00.000Z2008-01-19T20:17:51.817Z

well of course it's only down under if you are up there, so to speak.am in auckland just now where it is, of course, high summer which is very nice indeed. i have just finished leading a retreat for the australasian dharmacharinis on the lojong training. the 7 point mind training to be precise.there were 30 of us and it went really well.before that i led a week called healing self, healing world

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-49552909022828048542007-12-18T05:35:00.000Z2007-12-18T05:39:13.063Z

I am writing this in an internet cafe in Bankok on the last day of my holiday in Thailand. I am now a month into a round the world trip. Firstly, I spent two very inspiring weeks in India, mainly visiting TBMSG projects. It was a very short visit - and incidentally my first trip to India. I have written something about this already in my last post. I also visited many of our social projects

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-77045635700701969992007-12-09T13:15:00.000Z2007-12-13T03:27:27.599Z

hi all,i am in a very strange internet cafe in thailand. full of teenagers playing video games but hey, it's cheap. extremely cheap.so i had two weeks in india. not easy to get online while i was there so no blogging. internet connections were slow and frustrating and liable to cut out.i had a great time though demanading. in two weeks i gave 12 programmes (two more public, the rest ladies

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-16449375904061799812007-11-19T07:12:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:20:57.677Z

tomorrow at the crack of dawn i set off to india - the first stage in a round world trip. in india i will be visiting tbmsg activities and meeting folk. that's from 20th noveber till the 4th dec. i am excited about that. after that i am having a two week holiday in thailand. from the 20th december till the 23rd jan i will be in auckland, new zealand.23rd - 31st jan in wellington31st jan in

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-64383309292153627312007-11-17T15:22:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:20:57.938Z

at the end of september i went to a meeting of the bte (buddhist teachers of europe) with kamalasila and then i stayed on for the ebu (european buddhist union) agm. dhammarati reminded me the other day that i have to write something for him -- i went on his behalf. i haven't yet but it did remind me that i had put some photos on my web page so, click on the header to go to those. i really

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-50300588384953112192007-10-11T19:52:00.000+01:002007-10-11T19:55:52.475+01:00

i think this is a great idea - a global film day of documentaries and images that could change the world. the link (click on pangea day) will take you to a youTube clip which i found really moving. it needs half an hour of your time but it's well worth it. go look

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-25677605288810659172007-10-09T16:02:00.000+01:002007-10-09T16:06:06.892+01:00

this is interesting. participate in raising awareness round environmental issues. click on the look at this at the top of this entry and look at blog action day. and maybe join in!!

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-6722427006420742442007-09-30T23:52:00.000+01:002007-10-01T00:05:14.708+01:00

in october i will be leading a retreat at dhanakosa called inner peace, outer peace. follow the link by clicking on the header above to get to their web-page with blurb. there are still places if anyone is interested. i have just written something for their newsletter - based on some questions nayaka asked me. thought i's reproduce it here as it is not just about the retreat but says a bit more

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-20981542666583837312007-09-21T13:33:00.000+01:002007-09-21T13:51:34.565+01:00

we have had quite the social whirl here at taraloka recently. first of all we went to see a fantastic dance company called sampad performing a piece called motherland. (click the "hectic social whirl" header above to see their web page.) it was a really moving piece. according to their web:Vibrant dance, live music and lyrical poetry come together to create Motherland - a compelling story of

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-32836313649898654822007-09-07T10:05:00.000+01:002007-09-07T16:38:15.600+01:00

on my birthday i was in london and dhammadinna and i went to the vegan festival in kensington. i really enjoyed it and i treated myself to a pair of jinga shoes. they are great, really comfortable and totally ethical. from brazil and help projects there. (well, there are airmiles i know). anyway, have a look at their website by clicking on the header to this post. i love themalso if you click

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-76674658562783666362007-08-04T19:42:00.000+01:002008-11-15T08:20:58.463Z

last weekend i went down to london for vimalachitta and nagabodhi's wedding. i had a great time. on friday afternoon we had a little, intimate ceremony at the east london buddhist centre in bethnal green. i was pleased to be the celebrant and it was very simple and beautiful. afterwards we had cake and coffee in the wild cherry restaurant.then on saturday there was the civil wedding at hackney

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-46011653575894793592007-08-04T12:52:00.000+01:002007-08-04T13:16:58.025+01:00

when i was in nyc i spent a couple of hours at the site of the african burial ground in manhattan. here is a quote from a press release late 2005:Speaking to the crowd, GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry commented: “Today we mark the ground where the African Burial Ground memorial will be built, and where it will stand forever as a monument to the 17th and 18th century enslaved Africans who

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-23007724442994243172007-07-25T18:18:00.000+01:002007-07-25T22:50:26.255+01:00

hi alli am back at taraloka for a few days. read the new harry potter on the flights back. well the first 500 pages between mexico city and newark then most of the rest on the flight from newark to manchester, uk. quite enjoyed it though the very last chapter was a bit naff i thought (don't worry no plot spoilers that's it for comments).lots i could write about mexico. as usual i am not managing

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-86616975957712721542007-07-13T21:38:00.000+01:002008-11-15T08:20:58.652Z

click the link above (the title) to connect to a new page in my web site with some photos of my trip to mexico

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-88300144322605306432007-07-01T17:26:00.000+01:002007-07-01T17:58:57.404+01:00

hi, last night i led a full moon puja at the centre here in mexico city. there were over a hundred people there and lots of them young which is pretty amazing considering it was a saturday night. there was a great atmosphere and although i stumbled a bit over one or two lines - the version here is different from the version we use in spain - there was a very strong feeling of devotion. i had

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-72129120813739778882007-06-29T15:26:00.000+01:002007-06-29T15:56:44.302+01:00

hi all,had a great time in NYC but unfortunately a kind of stressful departure. first of all i got lost in chinatown in over 90 degrees, great humidity and lots of traffic, both pedestrian and motor. then i found where i was looking for which was the stop for the newark express bus from chinatown to newark airport. anyway after standing there for about 15 minutes i noticed the small notice on

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-30721965952261597652007-06-26T21:45:00.000+01:002007-06-26T21:53:08.368+01:00

hi therei am in the apple store on fifth avenue, new york. it is, as they say here, awesome. i'm with candradasa which is an added bonus. have just been to aryaloka for the ordination of viriyagita which went well - very enjoyable. tonight i'll go the sangha night which vajramati has been running here very faithfully for years. i am impressed by how loyal a dharma teacher vajramati is. on

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-4361833234064366802007-06-16T11:40:00.000+01:002007-06-16T12:06:09.571+01:00

hi all,so over a month has gone by since i last blogged. it has been a busy month. highlights: - trip to london for an ordination; bhante at the sangha gathering here at taraloka; trip to valencia where i lead a day for the women who have asked for ordination and then AKASHAVANA and the first ordinations up there.so i will try to write something about all of that later today or tomorrow before i

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-37199220722816288972007-05-04T11:15:00.000+01:002008-11-15T08:20:58.865Z

Hi, for some photos from the post ordination retreat that i have just attended and also some photos of bluebell woods near tiratanaloka click on the header above - on post ordination retreat and bluebell woods. the retreat was great, will try to write about it soon

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-13314678254182887732007-04-22T14:26:00.000+01:002008-11-15T08:20:59.462Z

on sunday the 15th april we celebrated fwbo day (dia del aobo) in valencia. there was a really nice atmosphere although not loads of people there. the weekend before, when lots of people were celebrating fwbo day was easter sunday and that doesn't work in spain -- big holiday so lots of people away. also the women who have asked for ordination were having a retreat. however the monday after

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-42262043981838839762007-04-22T14:21:00.000+01:002008-11-15T08:20:59.807Z

on my way through paddington on friday night i was amazed to see this brass band playing. it was fantastic, strange, eccentric, lovely. everyone had big grins on their faces and a couple of kids were dancing together.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-32642069515903936052007-04-21T18:34:00.000+01:002008-11-15T08:20:59.873Z

while i was in spain i led a women's gfr retreat. hit the heading here to see some piccies of the venue

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-90584501718131963392007-04-04T12:40:00.000+01:002007-04-04T12:42:29.151+01:00

hey i just came across this blog entry (click the header energy vacation)and thought it was a great idea. i´d like to organise something like that later in the year. maybe a few of us over the country on the same weekend.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-9306324465615826372007-04-03T20:05:00.000+01:002007-04-03T20:25:41.309+01:00

i'm in spain. got here on sat night having left london at lunchtime on friday. for years i haven't taken domestic flights but still fly to spain once or twice a year. i feel increasingly unhappy doing this but every year i look at seat61 web page and try to work out train prices etc to come overland. the train sounds good but is just too expensive. so this time i thought i'd try the coach - at

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-19072436254945365252007-03-12T09:19:00.000Z2007-03-12T09:22:03.673Z

for another little snippet about the newcastle opening, click on the header of this item and it will take you to FWBO news which has a wee bit on the opening

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-32995220894629413572007-03-11T19:15:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:00.136Z

have you seen "an inconvenient truth"? click on the header to go the web page. if you haven't seen it, buy the dvd - or borrow it - but see it. if you have seen it, watch it again with friends. when you've done that, watch the credits at the end carefully - and do the things it suggests. i am convinced that climate change is one of the biggest threats to the world and that as a buddhist i must

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-86409086493265073172007-03-11T16:33:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:00.699Z

these are the folks that attended the retreat i did with the highland sangha at the end of feb. it was great to spend time with them all - they are an interesting bunch. spot the wee new member of the sangha.this is the beach near where we had our highlands retreat. it was a gorgeous spot. it was on a peninsula about an hour and a half north of inverness. the sky was absolutely fantastic and it

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-50203133692619987582007-03-09T14:25:00.000Z2007-03-09T14:30:11.278Z

i often use the verb "to grok" and not everyone groks it. so i just found this ref in wikapedia so go look (click on the header)

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-55154509035730736642007-03-09T14:20:00.000Z2007-03-09T14:21:02.194Z

to see some photos of a few of my friends, click on the header.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-22923148745238101492007-03-09T13:32:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:01.119Z

i really enjoyed the opening ceremony at the new centre in newcastle. i had a great weekend. the photo on the top is the buddha rupa and the red splodge on it is the thread that we used in the ceremony. unfortunately my photos of that bit didn't come out that well. basically we did a ritual in which we expressed our interconnectedness by passing a rather lovely red thread around and between us

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-65307121255349521612007-03-09T13:23:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:01.240Z

padmanatha and poppy, was lovely to visit them again. last year padmanatha and heather asked me if i would be the "buddhamother" or whatever the term is for poppy - along with nandavajra. i wasn't sure given my lifestyle how much good i'd be as i am always travelling and don't get to newcastle very often but they said that was fine. they just felt they would like to have me in her life. but

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-69057470205168161772007-03-09T13:11:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:01.346Z

mel and koti just popped in to say hi which was nice.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-11044172586863886032007-03-09T12:27:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:01.840Z

here i am with some time (hopefully) to catch up a bit with my blog. i am working on the phones today at taraloka so can't really get on with some of the things I need to get on with so while i sit here on the desk waiting for the phone to ring, let's see if i can catch up a bit from the last few weeks. i will write seperate entries on things but here's a list of what i have been up to recently

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-21888038795717813192007-02-20T12:54:00.000Z2007-02-20T12:57:23.263Z

hi there,have just put some info on my web site about a retreat i'm involved in in may of this year. i'm excited about this. have a look at the info by clicking on the header.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-58918309713838696242007-02-14T13:36:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:02.179Z

took these last week between meditations one morning. i love those mornings when you go into the shrine room for the first sit and it's still night and then between sits the moon is still there in one part of the sky but elsewhere in the sky the sun is starting to kiss the horizon

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-25019568205660786332007-02-07T09:44:00.000Z2007-02-07T09:48:30.900Z

hi all,realise i have not written anything for a couple of weeks. i have been on retreat and also quite busy so the blog has taken a back seat. this retreat finishes tomorrow and i hope to write a bit over the weekend. i was on a great retreat here at taraloka with dhammadinna on the 7 point mind training, then we had three community days facilitated by locana and using nvc which was really

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-36716429194868001072007-01-14T12:15:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:02.593Z

so much chocolate, so little time

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-51516963504080486022007-01-11T11:28:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:03.279Z

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-6030618858376656062007-01-11T11:18:00.000Z2007-01-11T11:28:08.436Z

hi all, i have been ill over the new year with a nasty virusy coldy thing. for the 1st time ever - at least in my living memory - i was in bed at the bells! i was on retreat at dhanakosa and was there for the puja but at 11.45 i had had enough so abandoned all and went to bed.hope you are all well and that 2007 is a fantastic year bringing health, happiness and spiritual riches to all

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-27523766576068936892006-12-26T11:54:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:03.860Z

i am spending yuletide in london with dhammadinna and tarakanta -- and having a great time. foodwise there are themes - so first night was italian, xmas eve was mexican (muy bueno), the full monty xmas dinner yesterday and tonight it's indian. everything homemade what's more. i can't quite believe how much effort they are putting into it all. i appreciate being taken such good care of.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-75600451398744303602006-12-19T17:04:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:03.997Z

on sat carmen, my friend from valencia spain. came over to spend a week with me. she came this time last year as well. it is lovely to see her though sat was a pretty naff day. i set off to meet her at birmingham airport and decided to go to crewe and leave the car there. god it's expensive trying to be environmentally ethical. the train cost a fortune, there were delays and the standard

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-90343420297670763812006-12-14T19:22:00.000Z2006-12-14T20:01:18.882Z

yesterday i started a 3 month "chenresig retreat from afar". this is something organised by sravasti abbey, the monastic retreat centre in washington state run by venerable thubten chodron. i subscribe to the newsletter from the abbey and last year i saw that they had done a retreat on vajrasattva. it ran for three months and some people did it as a residential retreat in the abbey. others

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-26607817041097009002006-12-03T13:41:00.000Z2008-11-15T08:21:04.278Z

another sleepless night but this time the turbulence was external. there was a fantastic storm in the night last night. real howling winds and rain lashing against my window kept me awake. i quite enjoyed it! this morning there were branches lying across the lawn. the sun is shining now and it's quite gorgeous here, wild and windswept and sparkling.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-86345460351168691732006-11-26T12:17:00.000Z2006-11-26T12:23:12.898Z

so last night i did the typical insomniac thing. fell asleep reading! woke at about 1a.m. - had probably been asleep for about half an hour. neck at strange angle, slightly drooling, really asleep. yippee, i am sleepy, tired, relaxed. all good things. so i put the book down, turned out the light and... wide awake. completely, totally, mind crystal clear, completely awake. and that was it for

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-47882970134251608322006-11-16T13:45:00.000Z2006-11-16T14:08:35.495Z

here are a few more images from the q & a session with bhante. they are not great quality as i took them on my phone! anyway they give a wee sense of some of the public preceptors during the session. dhammarati took loads of photos so i will post some more soon.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-21262470133287242292006-11-16T12:11:00.000Z2006-11-16T13:45:01.527Z

have just got back to taraloka from our college meeting at tiratanaloka. bhante came for the last couple of days which was lovely. he did a couple of question and answer sessions with us. he was on good form though a wee bit tired the day he arrived as he had just been down to brighton for the weekend.

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-47439114561925884292006-11-12T15:26:00.000Z2006-11-13T14:38:05.407Z

london nov 3rd.sanghadevi, khemasuri and i drove down friday afternoon to north london to join other friends for the demo on sat 4th. we started off in the north london buddhist centre meeting with some folk from the no-jo retreat last june and others from the centre.friday night akuppa gave us a presentation on climate change.nov 4thsat some of us started the day with a meditation together at

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579931968483014035.post-85491661911446686372006-11-12T15:03:00.000Z2006-11-13T14:30:04.407Z

here are a few more images from the march. click to enlarge themi'm working out how to post my flickr badge of piccies but i'm not quite there yet.watch this space...

paramihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06690065556904096547noreply@blogger.com0