Wise Attention Blog
Wise Attention includes 20 years of writing exploring 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
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.