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
As covid restrictions wind down, we need to balance control with freedom
Weekend Word, BBC radio Wales, 16.07.2021 From next Monday, if you take a train from Swansea to London you’ll be required to wear a face mask as you travel through Wales. Once you’ve passed through the Severn Tunnel, you can take it off if you want because the rules...
Buddhism and ‘Freedom Day’
Boris Johnson declared that July 19 2021 would be Freedom Day, but dropped the term as the virus started to spread again. So what is true freedom from a Buddhist perspective? It’s 14th July, Quatorze Juillet, when France marks the storming of the Bastille in the name...
Bob Dylan and the Buddha
As Dylan turns 80, his an icon of honesty in a world hungry for success rather than truth resonates with the Buddha's rejection of worldly values Prompted by his eightieth birthday, which fell on Monday, I’ve been listening to Bob Dylan and pondering what keeps...
Animal Sentience and Compassion
A law recognising that animals are sentient will help protect them. But engaging compassionately with other beings is central to our true humanity Thought for the Day 19.05.2021 A few weeks ago Tessa arrived in my life – a sweet-natured brindled greyhound, recently...
Solidarity with India in the Time of Covid
It’s becoming impossible to ignore the gulf between what’s happening with Covid in the developed world and the developing world. But to respond to what’s happening in India we need to feel it It’s high spring in Britain as we move towards the end of lockdown. But in...
Lincoln in the Bardo – Review
Lincoln in the Bardo, winner of the 2017 Mann Booker Prize, has been widely praised as a remarkable vision of human life and its possibilities that is formally daring but also moving and accessible. It is all those things, but it is also the first truly great western...
What’s a Buddhist Doing on Prayer for the Day?
Buddhism is a non-theistic faith, so what's Buddhist doing on Prayer for the Day?Do Buddhists Pray?Prayer for the Day, BBC Radio 4, 06.03.2021 What’s a Buddhist doing on Prayer for the Day? Buddhism is a non-theistic faith, so it isn’t about worshipping God, let...
Prayers for the Day on Loving Kindness
Five talks on BBC R4's Prayer for the Day based around the stages of the Buddhist Meditation on Loving Kindness or 'Mettabhavana'1. Kindness for YourselfPrayer for the Day, BBC Radio 4, 08.03.2021 It might not be true that ‘All you need is Love’, but who can doubt...
What we need to learn from the Covid Pandemic
Buddhism teaches that existence is impermanent, insubstantial and unsatisfactory. Covid and the conditions of the modern world bring out these underlying patterns, and we need to change our mindset to match reality Thought for the Day 19.02.2021 As we glimpse the...
Facing Mortality on Parinirvana Day
Covid-19 has brought home to everyone our unavoidable vulnerability and mortality. This is a central theme of Buddhist teachings, which we mark on Parinirvana Day, which commemorates the Buddha's passing away Thought for the Day 12.02.2021 In a mid-winter chill we...
Covid created a mental health crisis. Now we need to rethink education
Though for the Day 05.02.2021 After the pandemic we'll face the cost for mental health, especially among young people. But the problems are longterm, and we need to rethink meditation. The new Welsh curriculum, which prioritises wellbeing approaches, including...
Free Speech has limits. Buddhists call it Skilful Communication
When Trump incited his followers before they attacked Congress, but claimed ''Free Speech'. Buddhist principles locate the limits of freedom in communication Weekend Word, BBC Radio Wales, 15.01.2021 As his impeachment proceeds, being banned from Twitter may seem the...
In a pandemic without borders we need vaccine equity
Rich countries are pre-ordering massive quantities of the covid-19 vaccines. But what about the poorer countries who are pushed to the back of the queue? Think of a Buddhist and perhaps you imagine the Buddha’s untroubled gaze, or someone meditating with their eyes...
I need shared rituals to help me survive another Lockdown
If the second lockdown is to work, people need to get behind it. We need to feel its importance once again, and I think we need rituals to help us Thought for the Day 07.11.2020 As England starts its four week lockdown, here in Wales, we’re coming to the end of a two...
Surprising Buddhists Insights Suggest How to Tackle Terrorism
The case of the supposedly reformed terrorist who killed people at a conference on offender rehabilitation raises fundamental questions. It should prompt us to look at the role of views and beliefs in light of the Buddha’s teachings
In the Green Economy, Sustainability Demands Wellbeing
Thought for the Day 28.08.2020 There are job losses at Gatwick and Rolls Royce, and shops are closing all down the high street. Covid-19 started as a medical emergency, but the crisis has turned economic and we’re told there’s much more to come. When people are...
Ellen Degeneres and the Limits of Daytime TV Kindness
As Ellen Degeneres’ Kindness brand runs into trouble, how does kindness look from a Buddhist perspective?
Keeping a Global Perspective on Covid
Coronavirus has created a crisis in developed countries like the UK. But the wider impact is being felt even more strongly in the developing world. How can we keep that wider perspective? Something remarkable happened with the onset of Covid-19. With half the world in...
The Four Sights in Lockdown
Buddha Day or Wesak 2020 falls as much of the world is in lockdown. And the ancient story of the Buddha's Four Sights has a new resonance Thought for the Day 07/05/2020 If the clouds clear tonight we’ll see the May full moon, traditionally called the Full Flower Moon...
Lockdown and the Creative Space
The Covid-19 lockdown is disturbing. But what are the creative possibilities of the space it creates Like so many others, I’ve been deleting future events from my online calendar and, in place of the busy summer I’d planned, there’s a lot of blank space. Those...
Isolation and Connection in the COVID-19 Crisis
If we want to meet the challenge with an expansive response, I think we must start with our feelings in this moment and the people around us right now
Buddhist Reflections on brexit day
Brexit Day is an important milestone, but it’s part of the process that has lasted for three years and divided the country. Setting aside our preferences about Brexit, how can we engage with what's happening in line with Buddhist values Weekend Word, BBC Radio Wales...
Liminality
The Liminal Space of Election Day The enforced pause in broadcasting about the election on polling day has an oddly ritualistic effect, creating a rare space in our noisy public discourse. Using a term from anthropology, I’d call it a liminal space, meaning a...
Beyond Competition
Thought for the Day 6.12.19 When the four artists nominated for this year’s Turner Prize fell into conversation, they quickly decided that they didn’t want to compete against each other. They asked to be judged as a single collective and this week the Prize was shared...
Mindfulness and Government in Wales
Mindfulness & Government in Wales A unique collaboration between the Welsh Government and mindfulness teachers and reseachers is supporting the impact of mindfulness on sectors such as Education and Mental Health. But can mindfulness really change society and what...
Bidding Farewell to Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom, a man of letters in the old style and an authentic heir to the great Romantic writers, has died aged 89. He affected me deeply. He has importan for Buddhists and others pursuing a spiritual life in the modern world The sadness I feel at learning of the...
Interconnectedness and the Systems We Depend On
When the lights go out, we glimpse our dependence on conditions and lack of control. It's also a window onto our interconnected place in the fabric of life. Since the nationwide power cut a couple of weeks ago, people have been asking how it happened and who’s to...
Emotional Balance
How can we balance openness and emotional sensitivity, with traditionally masculine qualities like courage and fortitude? The Buddha's story of the Two Arrows offers an answer Lords was awash with red yesterday on the second day of the Ashes Test Match. Red caps, red...
The Wisdom of Trees
Weekend Word, BBC Radio Wales, 02/08/2019 Some years ago, I moved into a suburban house with a large, nondescript garden and started to imagine how it might look. Before long I’d caught the gardening bug and I’ve gradually created a beautiful space filled with flowers...
Speaking out on Climate Change
On June 26th 2019 I represented Buddhists at a gathering of the interfaith group The Faith For The Climate Network. Here's my talk This is text of my talk to the Faith for the Climate speakers meeting at Church House on June 25th. The other speakers included a...