Sometimes unexpectedly, and perhaps in times of need, extraordinary individuals may appear in our lives. Such an individual showed up in my life recently and helped make it possible for my husband and I to attend a retreat at Shasta …Continue reading →
One summer morning I was on my usual drive to work. Leaving my driveway that day I turned left, rounded a bend and was slowed to a crawl by the vehicle ahead; a small, red pickup truck of fifties vintage. …Continue reading →
Since as early as aged ten, I remember I struggled with the question of what is the purpose of life in general, and then my life – and how extraordinary it was that the world moved as if there was …Continue reading →
In the last issue of the Journal we learned from the Throssel news of the deaths of three of the UK’s long-time lay sangha within just nine weeks: Brenda Birchenhough, Vajira Bailey and Pat Oldham. Our deepest sympathies go to …Continue reading →
There are just a few things which I have known in my bones for as far back as I can remember. They are constants, like the water which remains unchanged through raging storms and calm seas, through the changing of …Continue reading →
I’m not built for the monastic life, however. I am called to the push and pull of the outside world, the warmth and chaos of children, the interesting and frustrating human relationships that comprise the business environment, the attendant dynamics …Continue reading →
When visiting one of our smaller temples a few years ago, I was asked by the prior if I might talk about or answer any questions about training with depression. As they pointed out, most if not all of our …Continue reading →
Working with the dukkha of intense anxiety and panic attacks led me to meditation. At University I was offered CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to help with this but declined this as it seemed too much like being clinically reprogrammed. At …Continue reading →
I came to monastic training after 20 years working in the British National Health Service as a clinical psychologist/psychotherapist. During half this time I was also practicing within our tradition of Sōtō Zen and often found myself contemplating the seeming …Continue reading →
In the winter of 2016 I arrived in the US and stayed with the Shasta Abbey community for nine months. During my stay I was offered the opportunity to spend some time at one of the hermitages, to explore and …Continue reading →