This extract from Revelations of Divine Love is chapter 5 from the first revelation. Here Julian discusses the nature of the creation and marvels at how small it is when seen within the eternity of God’s existence. She goes on to express the impossibility of finding peace within something so small and limited. “At the… Continue reading Julian of Norwich: Creation as tiny as a hazelnut
Julian of Norwich was a mystic and anchoress of the 14th century and wrote Revelations of Divine Love, the first book to be written in English by a woman. Not much is known about her life, but she was born in about 1342 and may have been from a wealthy family that lived in Norwich.… Continue reading Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love
“We cannot understand – not yet – but we can see how the more we lose our sense of separateness in the knowledge of the oneness of all living creatures, millions of small leaves on the one single tree of life, the more we shall lose our sense of self-importance, and so be liberated from… Continue reading Don’t be like Gollum!
In Buddhism, the precepts form a basic code of ethics or minimum standard of morality. There are various numbers of precepts, depending on the teaching, but the most common are the Five Precepts found in the Paramitas. They’re designed to help you achieve liberation from suffering and illusion – if you can stick to them!… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Buddhist Precepts
The Three Jewels of Buddhism are also known as the Three Refuges because when you commit to a spiritual practice you can take what’s called the Refuge Vow. This is where you take refuge in the Three Jewels to support and guide you on the path of liberation from suffering. The Three Jewels are: The… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: The Three Jewels
Buddha nature is your true nature. This may be hard to believe at times, but even a tiny glimpse of reality during awakening will reveal the truth of it. Enlightenment reveals the true nature of all beings as Buddha nature. It’s also called Buddha-dhātu, which means ‘Buddha Element’ or ‘Buddha Principle.’ This is the seed… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Buddha Nature
This is a translation of the condensed essence of the Prajna Paramita Sutra quoted from Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das: “Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, practising deep prajna paramita Clearly saw that all five skandhas are empty, transforming all suffering and distress. Form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form; Form is… Continue reading Essential Teachings: The Heart Sutra
