Wise Attention Blog
The writing on this site explores what it means to practice Buddhism, mindfulness and ethics in the modern world. You'll find reviews, , talks, interviews, broadcasts and reflection on the arts as well as reflections on the Buddha and Buddhist teachings
Thought for the Day
Arts
Buddhism in the Modern World
Book Reviews
The Buddha’s Significance Today
As Buddhists mark the Buddha’s Enlightenment, Vishvapani asks, what is his significance today?
Entering the Buddha’s Realm
The Buddha and his teaching are very down to earth, but his perspective also expresses is very strange and quite beyond anything we already know. This can also become a vivid element of our experience through the experience of liberation, particularly by breaking what Buddhism calls ‘the fetters’
Discussing Mindfulness in Parliament
The Wellbeing Economics All Party Parliamentary Group in the UK’s Westminster parliament had a meeting discussing mindfulness on 9th April 2014. Here’s a report
Rude Awakenings: Zen at War
Zen at War revealed to people in the West the extent of Buddhist collusion with the Japanese War Effort in WW2. This article explores the issue that raised with the book’s author, Brian Victoria
Interview with the Middle Way Society
In this interview I discuss the secular mindfulness movement, the relationship between the religious and the secular aspects of Buddhism, enlightenment, Jung and integration, the relationship of the Middle Way with the arts, incrementality and my views on karma and rebirth.
Religious Responses to Wilderness (Beyond Belief on BBC Radio 4)
I am one of three speakers on this BBC radio 4 discussion programme on the spiritual significance of wilderness. Here's the text from the bbc.co.uk: The Christian season of Lent is a time for...
Free Speech Means Listening, Too
When controversy is met by criticism what happens to free speech? As novelist Hilary Mantel speaks out at her treatment in the media, what do Buddhist teachings have to say about the ethics of communication?
Mindfulness is more Relevant Than Ever
The mindfulness movement show that, in our speedy, stressed out society ancient wisdom traditions are more relevant than ever. Thought for the Day.
Mindfulness in Westminster on PM (BBC Radio 4 News)
Here is a clip of a news programme on PM, the BBC Radio 4 afternoon news programme describing the mindfulness courses that have been running in Westminster for MPs and Lords. ...
Mindfulness is Political
Mindfulness practice is sometimes presented as a way of coping better with what society throws at us. But the implicit message is more radical and more political. What does mindfulness tell us about our society and how we might change it?
You Can’t Change the Weather
Britain is being battered and much of Europe is being battered by storms. However much we dislike it, the truth is we can’t change the weather. Facing the raw power of the natural world shows us our vulnerability and challenges our inner resources. Weekend Word, BBC...
The Mental Battle is What Draws Us To Sport
As the Winter Olympics start in Sochi, Russia, what is the fascination of sport? Could it be the mental battle that echoes the challenges of our own lives? Thought for the Day
The Basis of Mindfulness and Meditation Practice
Mindfulness and meditation are powerful practices. Right from the start we sense we’re engaging with something very profound – and also very simple. In this post and the linked talk I suggest how these experiences can become a path to liberation
Integrating Dharma Practice: An Interview With Gil Fronsdal
Following recent discussions of the need to integrate meditation practice, here is an interview with Gil Fronsdal is an innovative teacher in the Insight Meditation Movement. Vishvapani met him in Palo Alto, California, where his students were forming a network of friendship around him that led to the establishment of an urban Dharma Centre
The Problem with 8-Week Mindfulness Courses
Mindfulness courses are powerful and transformative. But the fact that they only last for eight weeks is a limitation we need to acknowledge and address
Children in Need & Compassion
It’s Children in Need Day and the 75th anniversary of Krystallnacht, when my father watched the synagogue burning. The significance of how we respond isn’t just the money. It also says something about who we are and our relationships with others
Remembrance Day Meditation
Remembrance Sunday is an invitation to find a space in our harried lives for a silent opening to all that war has meant for the country: a national meditation on what Wilfred Owen called ‘the truth untold / the pity of war, the pity war distilled.’
What Mindfulness Isn’t … And What It Is
As mindfulness becomes more popular there are many views about it and some misunderstandings … so what is it, really?
What is Education For?
As my son has his first day at school, here is a reflection on what I hope for from his education. There’s more to learning than knowledge. What does it mean to learn, not just about the world, but how to live well within it
Intervening in Syria: How Can We Decide Wisely?
What happens when our country faces questions of peace and war – as the UK has this week? What influences our thinking and how can Buddhist teachings help us to make wiser decisions?
The Deeper Significance of Democracy
As the Middle East blazes, what is really worth fighting for? Democracy is the best defence against the tyranny of what Buddhism calls ‘views’. It requires and fosters humility: the uncomfortable knowledge that people are different and that none of us possesses the whole truth
The Lessons of Edward Snowden’s Surveillance Revelations
The real story about Edward Snowden is not the legal drama or even the should-he-shouldn’t-he whistleblower debate. It’s what we’ve learned from his devastating revelations of state computer surveillance. The ethical framework for secret services should be decided by society as a whole
Macbeth and Karma
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is an overwhelming account of ambition, violence and their fearful consequences. This essay suggests that, on a deep level, Shakespeare’s vision accords with the Buddha’s teaching of karma.
Buddha the Superhero
The Christian Passion is a dramatic story touching on powerful emotions. Is there a similar drama in the Buddha’s story?
Buddhist Terror
Buddhist mobs have been killing Moslems in Burma. How did we come to this pass and how must Buddhism reform itself? Thought for the Day 22/6/2013
The Buddha’s continuing Relevance
As Buddhists celebrated Wesak, Vishvapani reflected on the continuing relevance of the Buddha. ‘Standing apart from political struggles he offered a distinctive outlook on their causes …’
Surviving Cancer and Facing Death
More of us are living longer, contracting cancer and often surviving it. As the shape of our lives changes, how can we adjust, applying the Buddhist teaching of the value of facing squarely old age, disease and death
Choose Your Input, Don’t Just Go With the Flow
What do you do when the news is full of stories of murder and kidnap that you don’t want to hear but keep listening to? It shows what a strong habit the news can be. So how can we manage the pull of the news and the itch for stimulation?
Buddha’s Brain: Review
There is a buzz around the application of neuroscience to meditation, but can science really tell us more about meditation? Buddha’s Brain reviewed by Vishvapani
The Measles Epidemic and Making Wise Choices
The measles cases in South Wales stems from parents’ fear and confusion. Here’s the Buddha’s advice on making wiser decisions and confronting our fears, rather than being driven by them.