My Metaphysics

I wrote this in a break during a recent zen retreat: All is one. This lies at the root of spiritual metaphysics – of the kind i know – and in a sense the story ends there. But let’s unpack it a little. What is the nature of “One” ? Well, One is God, but … Read more

Circumambulating the stupa

me playing guitar in a C-47

Hello friends. Have been through what feels like another round of frying-pan-fire, with cars breaking unexpectedly (quick pushing onto median strips at lights with other cars waiting), songs going out into the world without much fanfare, money on the mind, and as usual the riot menagerie of dogs, kids, and chickens, with 17 new babies … Read more

Buddhism.. Shaivism.. touching the mystery

I’ve recently discovered I’m living near to a Buddhist temple that seems to have its main links going towards the Burmese Buddhist tradition, with an enormous golden Buddha statue at its heart. It has a beautiful smaller shrine around the back with a marble Buddha surrounded by a small collection of interesting statues in different … Read more

rediscovering the centre

For a long time whenever i meditate i have wandered in my mind back to Arunachala, the holy mountain in Tamil Nadu, India, which i visited when i was 19. The mountain, and the Ramana Ashram at its foot, have stayed with me through all the subsequent years, a touchstone of silence like no other … Read more

Visiting the local labyrinth

After consulting the Canberra labyrinth map I decided to visit the 5 senses labyrinth on the flanks of Mt Ainslie. On the way I accidentally drive through a school zone too fast and get caught by one of those camera vans so I am not feeling all that relaxed as I park and begin to … Read more

night terrors

Erik Charlton

I have been awaking at night, usually in the early hours of the morning, having had a dream with some unsavoury end, or sometimes its not unsavoury but still strikes me with a resonance of a kind – like seeing a future time, or having connected with another person (whose identity i can’t always fix) … Read more

not as bitter as before

Another day at home with a fever, cups of tea, feeling on the edge of reality. This is the best time to post an update. When the cares of the world seem distant. I am not as bitter as before. Although many of us can now see the trajectory things are going, and the carcrash … Read more

How I meditate now

When I was younger I spent long periods of time in solitude meditating. Over the years my practice has changed, and I have explored different techniques from different traditions while travelling in Europe and elsewhere. After some years, I concluded that for me, the path doesn’t matter in the end, as meditation is a way … Read more

Future objects of veneration

The reorganisation of humanity as imagined in my post on world government requires an adjustment which might need to be revolutionary. If during the transition, the world descends into chaos, it will be important to have some touchstones, some values that can guide us and keep us on track. For many people, this comes in … Read more

Holy Cow

I’ve just agreed to milk one of the neighbour’s cows. Haven’t milked a cow since I was about 6, when I used to hang around with dad when he was on milking duty. Our lovely jersey cow Heidi was a good friend for me in those days, she was so gentle and her side was … Read more

making sense of things past

I recently had a clear out of my notebooks which i took when traveling in 1997-8-9 and filled with poetry and drawings (most are not publishable – but some of the o.k. ones are in the ‘poem library’ part of this site). The ‘little red notebook’ and Schrÿfbloks. Schrÿfblok scribblings. The “little red notebook” which … Read more