We contain multitudes

Where to begin… This in itself is both the intention and the mystery as I sit to write this post. Many different things have come together to form the intention to write something about phenomenology today: the invite to write a chapter on Buddhist phenomenology; the ending of another academic year with its wrapping up …

Living the question

As I have done each year since 2012, I spent the b’twixt and between days this festive holiday reflecting on what has been in 2025 and what is to come in 2026. I think its fair to say that over the past 15 years there has been a gradual shift in focus and energy from …

Both sides of awe

I can’t believe its Friday again. Time goes ever so fast these days anyway; but this week it has been stretching and contracting, and I don’t quite know where (and when) I am. I don’t really know HOW I am either… This time last week, I was receiving the news that my Dad, who was …

Stuck in a moment

A couple of weeks ago I shared that it had been a good summer: one that ticked all the boxes across body, mind, and spirit. I also mentioned that it was not without its challenges. One of the ‘good’ things about being an existential psychotherapist – a Buddhist one at that – is the reality …

The art of expression

Last Friday, as part of my birth ”day”* celebrations, I was treated to a concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Set in the ‘brutalist’ exemplar of the Southbank Centre, the contrasting ‘gem’ of a music venue was the ideal setting to see a concert that carries much value…and the performer, “Sleeping at Last”, has come …

You’ve got to have faith

…and grace will follow; or so that is what I have been reflecting on in recent months. “Faith and Grace, Helen…I thought you were a Buddhist?” Yes, these are two words one might associate more commonly with the Christian, and indeed other theistic, traditions. And so why am I pondering on them this week? Well, …

Call to awaken

Awake early this morning; and so I start my day of writing in the (pitch) dark. There is a synergy in this situation with writing – awakening and the dark; being a buddha and a human being. With a history of insomnia, such early morning awaking does not trouble me…in fact I enjoy these early …

Stories to tell

As I complete one book’s birthing, thoughts have turned to what comes next on the writing front: I have many ideas. I sense there will always be many stories to tell along my life path as Buddhist-therapist-educator. Two ideas that I hope to come to fruition* are vying for my attention and affections. I am …