Dharma Reflections

I recall several years ago feeling a sharp pain under my left nipple while taking a shower as my left arm brushed across the nipple. Women have told me that they first felt a lump in the breast while taking a shower.  I felt a lump like hard glue under the nipple. I googled for information about lumps under nipples for men. It seems that a tiny, tiny number of men get cancer that starts with the first tell-tale sign of a lump under the nipple. …

A Personal Reflection on Angelina Jolie and her double masectomyRead More »

The Kalama Sutta

(Sutta means discourse)

The Kalama people told the Buddha they were perplexed by the different spiritual/religious views. He replied:  “It is fitting for you to be perplexed. Doubt has arisen in you about a perplexing matter.”

 Then the Buddha gave to the Kalama people of north India a discourse. This discourse constitutes one of his most loved statements endorsing our capacity to question authority.  …

The Buddha gave the much loved Kalama Sutta that questions authority. Here is the Totnes Sutta with the same principle.Read More »

OK. Perhaps you don’t feel particularly compassionate towards animals, birds and fish. Then consider a vegan diet for personal health reasons.

It is a thing of beauty to live a much more healthy and happy  life from food growing out of the Earth. …

OK. You don’t care about animals. Consider a vegan diet from self-interest and such tasty dishes as…..Read More »

I  recall weighing around 66 kilos (10 stone 6 pounds, 146 pounds) in my early 20s and standing  about 182 centimetres (six feet tall). I wore a large size tee-shirt, large size boxer shorts, large size pullover and so forth. I lost a few kilos (too much fasting) in my years as a Buddhist monk in Thailand before returning to the UK in my early 30’s but regained weight after I disrobed. …

I could be shopping in a few years in the kids section of a store for my next tee shirtRead More »