With regards to how to move through life, how to deal with difficult times, how to be with others, how to be with my children and my family, with myself, I am very fond of this text from Thich Nhat Hanh, taken from a talk around 20 years ago (hence the reference to Vietnamese boatContinue reading “Being Solid in the Storm”
Category Archives: Notes from Ben
A Personal Board of Directors
Every summer we go up to the mountains for a few weeks. It’s idyllic. Everything about it is perfect for de-stressing and relaxing. For several summers in a row I accompanied my time there with great books and podcasts. Three years ago it was Trappist monk Thomas Merton’s autobiography, two years ago it was manyContinue reading “A Personal Board of Directors”
The Farmer’s Peace and Lorca’s Drawings
I’m sure you know the wonderful Zen Story of the Chinese Farmer, here told by Alan Watts: “Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.”Continue reading “The Farmer’s Peace and Lorca’s Drawings”
Walk
An interesting way to set out on a walk from A to B is to choose the path of greatest silence. In the city this is just as possible as it is in the suburbs or the countryside – choosing the backstreets instead of the main roads, detouring through the middle of parks – evenContinue reading “Walk”
Change 4: The Body and the Bird Feeder
A few days ago I had a nice conversation with one of my sisters about the bird feeders in her garden, how her family love watching all the local bird life gathering there to eat. ‘I want to buy some bird feeders!’ I thought, so I jumped onto Amazon and entered ‘bird feeder’. Hundreds ofContinue reading “Change 4: The Body and the Bird Feeder”
Notes from Ben 