Letter from Jac – What season are you in right now?
I often teach about our personal seasons. Summer being hot, full, lengthy and abundant, but also with the chance of burnout. Autumn being a time to pare back, and prepare for battening down […]
Zen Wednesday
L E T T E R from Jac – Who are you to you?
Our relationship to ourselves is the most important relationship we have. Yet it is often shelved due the demands placed upon us by our relationships to others. I want you […]
L E T T E R from Jac – The real disturbance
What conditioning of your mind might you recognise is robbing you of reality? What reactions are taking you out of your body and driving your mind wild? Are these reactions […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Crossing Over
I have of late been diving more deeply into studying the Tao Te Ching and the Heart Sutra. The wisdom infused within these texts is a soothing balm for a […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Love Everything
If you have been a student of mine for awhile, or reader of these Letters, you will have at some stage encountered my love for the teacher Ram Dass. I […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; How Can I Help?
‘The perfume of sandalwood,Rosebay or jasmineCannot travel against the wind. But the fragrance of virtueTravels even against the wind,As far as the ends of the world. Like garlands woven from a heap […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; Your Truth is Within
There’s so much preaching in spirituality and self-development, and far too much ego. We can use people as little points of inspiration, or to show us a direction, but no […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; Accepting We Know Nothing
It is easy for us to think ‘aaahhh, this is it’ when evolving. To joyously think we have found some solid ground in which we can stick a flag in […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; Avoiding Disappointment
In Buddhism, everything is seen as impermanent, so grasping and holding onto things, like money is useless, as is craving that which is impermanent. This doesn’t mean you throw your […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; Meals As More Than Body Nourishment
There is a Pali chant, a Buddhist chant that is often used with meals; ‘Sabe lokami Ye satah, Jivanta hara he tukumanunang, oh Jinungsabe labante mamaje tasah’ which translates as […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday
‘You have to go further. You have to demonstrate the answer. You have to embody the answer. You have to show the Zen master how you live fully in the […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; Enthralling Solitude
Zen meditation teacher Susan Murphy writes in her brilliant book Upside Down Zen, “Meditation is lonely as any practice is lonely – no one can make it easier for you, no […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; Creating Space for Mushin
‘Mushin’ is a Japanese term referring to no-mind. It’s embraced in martial arts, meditation and various creative arts. Mushin is present when the flow of activity is completely free-flowing, present, it’s […]
L E T T E R from Jac – Zen Wednesday; Finding Truth
‘Fudoshin’ is a Japanese term used in Zen frequently, which means an unshakeable will, utter determination, the mindset of a Samurai. Even in the face of death, injury or pain, […]
L E T T E R – Zen Wednesday; The Teachings of Compassion
On Wednesday now I am going to puddle about with Zen teachings, replacing our Tao Tuesday for awhile. There are so many beautiful aspects of Zen Buddhism that I would […]