Zen Way

It started with seeing a small fridge magnet that instructed, in rather twee American colonial style graphics, "Bloom where you are planted"...

It still surprises me, the power that words have...

It takes the simple things in life to show you how complicated they in fact are...

Are you an android? Feed the ducks and find out.

Not the brightest creatures, ducks.

Maybe that’s a bit unfair. It could be that ducks are pretty smart, and that the only reason I’m so duckist is that I haven’t taken the time to get to know them. Fine. Then it’s my loss and I’ll learn to live with it. In the meantime I’m happy with my prejudiced opinion that ducks aint exactly what you’d call intellectually stimulating...

One warm day recently, I walked up to the top of our field to catch the evening breeze, to sit and look out over the valley. By my feet I noticed a large lump of flint, and out of habit went to pick it up, intending to heave it to the edge of the field. A split second after I prised it out of the earth, I dropped it back again. I realised it was on top of an ant's nest. No eggs or larvae or whatever, just loads of small blank ants - panicking...

A group of people called the Kalamas lived in a town called Kesaputta in ancient India. They were fed up with wandering teachers continually coming into their town, and "expounding their own doctrines, and the doctrines of others they despise, revile and pull to pieces."

They asked the Buddha who was also visiting, how they could tell who was telling the truth.

Autumn always focuses my mind on the passing of time. I really enjoy reading poetic and lyrical words about the ephemeral wonders of the season, and observing the changes in the hedgerows and woods. How easy it is at this time of year to watch each moment passing with each leaf that falls. It can all be very Zen.

"Drink your cloud" is the instruction given by Thich Nhat Hanh (image courtesy of Plum Village Practice Centre, France)

Drinking a cup of tea can not only be refreshing but potentially enlightening. Forget the complicated and structured Japanese Way of Tea or cha no yu, this is just your every day cuppa.

The thing I find it difficult to take, is when a belief system tells you there is another way of seeing the world - and it can be yours, instantly - and they point the finger of guilt, and make you feel ashamed to still be so blind.

If I am on a journey here, then this is the next step, and it must be peaceful as far as I am concerned.

I can only start with myself.

The first step...