Very nice book. Written in 1960. ”The Way and the Mountain is a selection of Marco Pallis’ most important writings on Tibetan Buddhism. Pallis traveled extensively in the Himalayas and studied Buddhism from Lamas within the tradition…
Very nice book. Written in 1960. ”The Way and the Mountain is a selection of Marco Pallis’ most important writings on Tibetan Buddhism. Pallis traveled extensively in the Himalayas and studied Buddhism from Lamas within the tradition…
On the day the world ends A bee circles a clover, A fisherman mends a glimmering net. Happy porpoises jump in the sea, By the rainspout young sparrows are playing And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.…
1. Indeed I live in the dark ages! A guileless word is an absurdity. A smooth forehead betokens A hard heart. He who laughs Has not yet heard The terrible tidings. Ah, what an age it is When to speak…
Let the day grow on you upward through your feet, the vegetal knuckles, to your knees of stone, until by evening you are a black tree; feel, with evening, the swifts thicken your hair, the new moon rising out of…
“I am not, I will not be. I have not, I will not have. This frightens all children, And kills fear in the wise.” Nagarjuna, lived between approximately 150 and 250 AD (CE). The name means ”noble serpent”. …
1. Something came up out of the dark. It wasn’t anything I had ever seen before. It wasn’t an animal or a flower, unless it was both. Something came up out of the water, a head the size of a…
There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold…
A couple of happenings in the past fortnight have brought me some sobering thoughts; sobering but worthwhile. First, two weeks ago a good friend of mine hung herself. It was an absolute shock to hear the news and…
(Art by Michael Divine) HAPPINESS Whoever embraces a woman is Adam. The woman is Eve. Everything happens for the first time. I saw something white in the sky. They tell me it is the moon, but what can I do…
It all matters… That someone turns out the lamp, picks up the windblown wrapper, says hello to the invalid, pays at the unattended lot, listens to the repeated tale, folds the abandoned laundry, plays the game fairly, tells the story…
In his book Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines René Guénon lists six main darshanas or ”points of view” applicable within the Hindu doctrine. These are not competing or conflicting philosophical systems, as they are sometimes misunderstood to…
HIDING is a way of staying alive. Hiding is a way of holding ourselves until we are ready to come into the light. Even hiding the truth from ourselves can be a way to come to what we…
It is very difficult to pick a ‘favourite’ poem – but if put to absolute pin of my collar, I would choose this one as my favourite. It is beautiful…. ‘There will be a talking . . .’ by…
Windhorse is a concept that comes from the shamanic traditions of Tibet, Mongolia, and other areas of Asia. Basically it’s meaning is life force, or soul. Though incorporated into Buddhism now, the windhorse predates it. It also is…
My grandmother prophesied the end Of your empires, O fools! She was ironing. The radio was on. The earth trembled beneath our feet. One of your heroes was giving a speech. “Monster,” she called him. There were cheers and gun salutes…
When you start on your journey to Ithaca, then pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of knowledge. Do not fear the Lestrygonians and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon. You will never meet such as these…
When I was wounded whether by God, the devil, or myself —I don’t know yet which— it was seeing the sparrows again and clumps of clover, after three days, that told me I hadn’t died. When I was young, all…
A reading of the chapter on Kundalini from ”Studies in Hinduism” by Rene Guenon. Music – Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin McLeod.
In which I interview Branko Malic, about his perspectives on Ireland. We discuss the euphoric reaction to the recent abortion referendum, the fate of the Catholic church, pedophilia and the priesthood, the rise of right wing sentiment, the…
There was never any rush of fury or disgust; it was a very gradual and imperceptible hollowing. A soft turning away. I was born into a place steeped in Catholicism. The whole of our lives was saturated with its…