Catching up on writing, creativity, Buddhism and life in general

Well hasn’t it been an interesting time over the past two or three years! 

It feels like a period of time has been lost, because of the pandemic – and yet it has also been a very busy time. There have been some quite radical changes in our life through this period, which is probably true for many people. In this post—my first since 2020—I offer a sketch of these changes.

My husband, Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, retired from full-time employment in May 2019. It is quite an adjustment to move from being at home alone all day, five days a week, to almost never being at home alone. The transition has been gradual and creative and we are both enjoying having so much time together.

Because of the pandemic, physical attendance at Aro Ling Cardiff had to cease. We changed our weekly meditation group to a virtual meeting on Zoom. This has been most successful. For two years we included a short teaching as part of the meeting and these have been posted to YouTube. No longer needing premises for Aro Ling Cardiff created the unexpected benefit of being able to offer this space to our son to live when life became difficult for him during the pandemic. 

Battlecry of Freedom—my book about Mind Training (bLo sByong – Lojong—was published in 2019, and has been well received. It is published as a paperback and an e-book at Lulu, and available in all the usual channels, such as Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and so on. I also created slogan cards, which can be purchased at makeplayingcards.com.

My next book, Travelling at the Speed of Mind, will hopefully be published by the end of the year.

 

 

 

As ever, I have continued with craft work, making items for myself, the home, and also for our grandchildren. The pictures are of the blankets I made for them last Christmas.

I have bought a knitting machine and a peg loom, and recently learned a new technique: fingerloop braiding. I’ll leave that for another post.

I did not continue with the Art Journalling for several years, having rather lost my inspiration. I also stopped tangling. However I have recently revived this interest and am enjoying drawing again.

 

Another new venture is the creation of my store at RedBubble. I’m not expecting to earn anything from it, but it is such fun to see my artwork on all sorts of items, such as mugs, T-shirts, scarves, bags, and so on. They will make nice presents if nothing else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll stop here because this is getting quite long. I hope you have safely come through the pandemic and any other crises – such as Brexit in the UK. To finish, here are the details of our weekly meditation group which will start again on September 12th, marking the end of our summer break.

Monday Meditations.
7 - 8:30 pm on Zoom (UK time) every Monday.
Zoom meeting ID: 85249620913; Passcode: 640389.
Do join us for silent sitting and yogic song, with a short teaching in the middle.

The meetings are hosted by Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, an ordained teaching couple of the Aro gTér Lineage. They dedicate their time to practice, teaching, the Aro gTér Lineage, and working with their students. Ngakma Nor’dzin is an award winning author. Her books are: Spacious Passion, Relaxing into Meditation, Battlecry of Freedom, and Illusory Advice (co-authored with Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin).

Battlecry of Freedom – joy and thanks for my favourite slogans

I love all of the slogans of Mind Training. I believe it is an extraordinary and liberating teaching.  I do, however, have two favourite slogans.

The first favourite is: Always be joyful – slogan 21.

There are many studies that have shown that if we smile, we do feel happier. It can be discovered, quite quickly, that if meditation is practised  regularly and consistently, joy arises spontaneously in the mind. Practice develops a sort of background happiness and joy.

‘Joy naturally arises from trusting beginningless awakened mind.
Joy naturally arises from letting go of self-centred protectiveness and having
a more expansive view. Awakening is joyful.’

‘The mind does not need to be unseated from riding joy when mistakes are made or difficulties occur. If there is great sadness, it arises in the moment
and does not need to disturb the background potential of contentment.
When sadness dissolves, then joy is present again.’

I am delighted that Pema Chödron used this slogan for the title of her book on the slogans of Mind Training.

A Celtic knot style horse motif I designed for use in the book.

My second favourite is the final slogan: Do not wish for thanks – slogan 59.

It makes me smile every time I read this one. So often we feel cheated if we do not receive a thank you – such as when you have politely waited to let another car go ahead of you and the driver doesn’t even acknowledge it. Do you ever feel ‘Where’s my thank you!?’ and perhaps even regret letting them go first just a little bit. I know I have done this, and immediately this slogan is there, reminding me to be a practitioner and get over myself. 

I also really like Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s wording of this slogan: Don’t expect applause. 

‘Mind training is the greatest opportunity it is possible to be given in life.
Mind training is the path to awakening – to realise non-duality, to dwell in rigpa. Practitioners should not ask to be congratulated and thanked for training their minds.

If it is felt that thanks and applause are deserved, then there is still a lot of work to be done. Such an attitude is not awakened view, but rather, is somewhat ridiculous.

The practitioner may feel slightly embarrassed if they notice that they would actually quite like a standing ovation. Wryly recognise the wish for approval and appreciation,
smile at the recognition – and return to practice.

The reward of practice is the capacity for more practice.
Ultimately the reward of more practice is awakening.’

Extracts from Battlecry of Freedom by Ngakma Nor’dzin, Part II – the slogans;to be published by Aro Books worldwide in 2019.

Battlecry of Freedom – slogan 12: Drive all blames into one

I think the slogan from the Seven Points of Mind Training that has most affected me in terms of the transformation of my view, is slogan 12: Drive all blames into one. This embraces the view of taking responsibility absolutely and completely without compromise.

Identity as a fixed, unchanging reality––as a thing that permanently abides––is the primary delusion. It is the source of all pain, aggression, hatred, prejudice, discrimination, disinterest. It is to blame for everything.

'If I am in the saddle, I have the identity of a rider. If I am in the stable grooming the horse, I have the identity of a groom. If I am lying in the dirt watching the horse disappearing down the trail, I have the identity of a pedestrian. 

The identity of rider dissolves into emptiness when I dismount. The identity of groom dissolves into emptiness when I leave the stable. The identity of pedestrian dissolves into emptiness when I find my horse grazing, and get back in the saddle. Identity arises, abides, and dissolves – as is the same with all phenomena. Any impression of continuation is illusory.' 

'The illusion of a self-existent identity is isolating and selfish
– I am in pain, which is much more important than your pain. 

The illusion of a self-existent identity prevents enjoyment and appreciation
– you are happy, but I cannot appreciate it, because it is not my happiness. 

Pain is pain – the identity associated with pain is irrelevant.
Practitioners wish to alleviate pain. 

Happiness is happiness – the identity associated with happiness is irrelevant.
Practitioners enjoy and appreciate happiness, and wish to increase it.'

Even if there is no intention to harm from my own side, I am still the cause of others' pain. I am the object that made you angry – even though I didn't mean to. I am the person of whom you are jealous – even though I am just doing my own thing. I am the reason you felt overlooked and unloved – even though I didn't intend to ignore you. Taking the blame does not have to be associated with guilt and martyrdom. It is just recognising that everyone is confused and lacking awareness, and sometimes simply being there can aggravate that. It could be my delusion of an inherent identity that is the problem, or yours. The cause remains the same. Recognising this is driving all blames into one, and taking responsibility at a profound level.

'To take the blame for everything is to understand the root cause of all pain and unhappiness as the belief in an inherently existent identity. Practitioners take responsibility for this mistaken view. To be able to embrace the view of taking on the blame for anything and everything, is the most extraordinarily powerful practice of awakening.'

Extracts from Battlecry of Freedom by Ngakma Nor’dzin, Part II – the slogans;
to be published by Aro Books worldwide in 2019.

Battlecry of Freedom; Mind Training, Lojong

Cover mock-up

I have been writing a book about Lojong—Mind Training—for the last two or three years. This Buddhist teaching is presented as 59 pithy slogans on how to train the mind, organised into seven points. It is a teaching that originated in the 11th century, and the Seven Points of Mind Training were composed by Chekhawa Yeshé Dorje (1101–1175). The book is going to be called Battlecry of Freedom as the word slogan originates from an ancient Celtic word meaning  battlecry. 
Writing the book has been quite a big project involving a lot of research. The research is essential, but in the end has to be discarded to a great extent, as the book itself must be written from the basis of practice and practice experience, rather than from intellectual study.
The reason for the picture of me on a horse on the cover, is that horseriding is a theme that is used throughout the book. Horsemanship and mounted warriorship has been an important aspect of Tibetan culture since ancient days, and the experience of training and riding a horse has many similarities to the experience of training and riding the mind. I have ridden horses throughout my life. Drawing on this experience and the relationship with horses, and through telling horseriding stories, I am able to present a view of the practice of Mind Training that is both traditional and personal.
‘When looking at the spiritual path, it can be useful to compare it to a more ordinary experience—such as horseriding—and leave aside the enigmatic and mysterious atmosphere of spirituality. This can make spiritual practice more approachable. Ultimately deep spiritual understanding is beyond words, because such understanding is beyond the capacity of intellect. This is also true of the deep relationship developed between a horse and rider.’ Ngakma Nor’dzin, Battlecry of Freedom, Aro Books worldwide, 2019
Battlecry of Freedom is in the proof-reading stage, and is expected to be ready for publication by the end of the year. It is time, therefore, to start presenting snippets to whet your interest.
‘A horse cannot be forced to cooperate with the rider, and will resent the attempt. Similarly the mind cannot be forced. This is easily discovered through trying to force thought to disappear.’ Ngakma Nor’dzin, Battlecry of Freedom, Aro Books worldwide, 2019

New book in the autumn, and zentangles

I have been on something of a writing marathon for the first part of this year. The book is now written and is in its editing phase. This will also take some time, but I am confident that Battlecry of Freedom will be ready for publication in the autumn.

The book is about the Seven Points of Mind Training (bLo sByong -- Lojong) of ’Cad-kha-ba Ye-shes rDo-rJe (Chekawa Yeshe Dorje -- 1101-1175). The seven points contain fifty-nine slogans -- pithy sayings to remind you about practice, and I will be publishing sets of the fifty-nine cards to accompany the book. Here's an example of a slogan, picked at random:

DRIVE ALL BLAMES INTO ONE

le lan thams cad gCig la bDa’

The belief in an inherent self is to blame for all pain, dissatisfaction, and for cyclic existence.
Personally take the blame and accept responsibility for everything.

(Point 3: Transformation: 2nd of 6—12th of 59)

It has been my most challenging and inspiring writing project to date. I have thoroughly enjoyed the research, and also translating the points and the slogans from the Tibetan to try to engage with their essence. I hope it will be a useful book for Buddhist practitioners.

My other creative pastime is drawing zentangles. I am now part of a couple of groups who create zentangles in response to a challenge set every week. So usually I create one or two a week. I find this fun, relaxing, and creatively satisfying.

These were my first two tiles in response to the challenges. The top one is a challenge set by The Diva, #355. Other people's zentangles for this challenge can be found on Instagram by looking for #dc355. The bottom one is my Tickled to Tangle challenge #231. Adele Bruno sets these challenges and the many wonderful tiles can be seen on her blog.

Happy New Year.

Welcome to the year of the Earth Dog.

We had a wonderful weekend of celebrations for Lo-gSar (Tibetan New Year), and I enjoyed wearing Tibetan clothing for the Saturday, and Bhutanese clothing for the Sunday.

Hopefully this will be a fruitful and creative year. My latest book is coming on well and will hopefully be published this year. It is on the subject of bLo-sByong (Lo-jong - Mind Training) by 'Chhad-kha-ba Yes-shes rDo-rJe (Chekawa Yeshé Dorje, 1101-1175), and the 59 slogans.

I will also be creating zentangles, which I find a most enjoyable occupation. I introduced zentangling in an earlier post. It is an artistic form which embraces non-figurative creativity. The work is turned as it is created so that it is free from the concept of orientation. The piece evolves of itself from the tangles (patterns) employed. The tangles are created from five elements: the dot, the straight line, the curved line, the reverse curved line, and the orb or circle. Here is a recent piece.

Mash stories podcast of my short story

About a year ago I wrote a short story for Mash Stories as an entry for their monthly competition. It was called ‘The Perfect Surname’. It was shortlisted but did not win. Mash Stories podcast all winning and shortlisted entries and this week they podcast mine. It is so great to hear it read out.

‘Smith, Jones, Davies, Hughes …’ he thought to himself, strolling down the High Street.
‘These are obviously too ordinary. Tardis, Enterprise, Defiant, Serenity … these are too me and not sufficiently her.’

Gilbert Ramsbottom could still not quite believe that he was getting married. The wrong side of forty and the most boring, nondescript person in the known universe—in his opinion—and he was getting married. How had that happened? Gazing into the mouth of a patient is not the most obvious way to meet the woman you are going to marry, but for a dentist called Gilbert there were not many options.

‘Rivendell, Mordor, Baggins, Took …’

Valerie had absolutely refused to become a Ramsbottom. He could not blame her—the name had always blighted his social status—and he was quite happy to lose it as well. One of the advantages of living in a country where democracy and freedom of choice still had some meaning was that they could decide to choose their own surname. It was a simple procedure to adopt a new one. But what name to choose?

‘Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Ursa …’

And there she was, waiting for him.

‘Rose, Lily, Forget-me-not, Love-in-a-mist …’

“Hello, Darling.” She plonked a fat wet kiss on his mouth and he felt himself colour. “How is my gorgeous boy today?”

Would he ever get used to this? To be kissed by a buxom belle with come-to-bed eyes and curves in all the right places was beyond his wildest dreams. How did she find him attractive—a balding, skinny dentist, with a tendency to wear brown? He had decided that it was best not to question it, but to embrace it and enjoy the ride.

“Where shall we go to eat?”

“I quite fancy a burger today, if that is okay with you,” Gilbert replied.

“Perfect. Let’s go to that place in the arcade.”

They always agreed. Everything was always so easy.

Arm in arm, Gilbert and Valerie ordered their meal at the little café and as they sat at a table, Gilbert noticed that Valerie was looking excited. She had something to tell him. He ignored the little voice inside that said ‘she is going to break up with you.’ Her excitement was happy-excitement, not anxious-excitement.

“I’ve found the perfect surname for us,” she exclaimed, unable to contain herself any longer.

“Oh, wonderful. Well done. What is it?”

“Dearheart.”

“Pardon?”

“Dearheart. It’s from a Terry Pratchett book. Isn’t it perfect?”

Well no, not really. It was too obvious, too clichéd, and likely to cause as much ridicule as ‘Ramsbottom’. Gilbert gazed into Valerie’s eyes. She gazed back like a child offering a gift. Her look was open and artless—she truly felt that ‘Dearheart’ was a wonderful surname to secure the union of their love. He melted into her eyes, and knew he could deny her nothing.

He heard himself say, “Yes, my love, it is indeed perfect.”

The person I would most like to meet . . .

circa 2010

In December 2011 I joined my local WI.  I am now quite an active member – taking part in the Current Affairs and craft groups, and singing in the choir.  At our meeting on Monday we had an eisteddfod.  I did not feel I had time to create a craft item for it, so I submitted my name for the writing entries: a limerick, and essay on ‘The person I would most like to meet’.  Our choir also performed at the event: two songs in English and two in Welsh.
There were a lot of entries for the limerick competition and mine was not placed, but my essay earned a third place.  When I sat down to write I surprised myself.  I could not think of who I would most like to meet that I felt I could make into an interesting essay, except . . .

circa 1960

The person I would most like to meet is . . . well actually . . . it’s me!  This may sound like a silly idea, but in fact it is quite pragmatic.  Who am I?  Who do other people think that I am?  How do I come across to other people?  It would be so fascinating to be able to meet myself and find out what I am like to be with.  Sometimes I receive a reaction to a word or gesture that doesn’t seem to fit with the intention that was in my head.  So who did that person see?  What did that person hear?  What got mixed up between the saying and the hearing?
     Could I—through meeting myself—understand these confusions and learn how they could be worked out?  What is it about a turn of phrase that causes irritation?  Why is it that a certain manner of being produces a less than friendly response?  What am I projecting that is different to my intention?  If I met myself I could see how that functioned.
     I think that somehow it would have to be arranged that I was meeting myself without knowing that it was me.  I guess I would have to be in disguise . . . and yet, would I recognise myself anyway?  Photographs reveal so many different angles of my image, but would I recognise myself in person?  I see myself in the mirror every day but a mirror image is not the same as face-on.  I have only seen myself on video a few times and found that to be quite surprising – I moved differently to how I imagined.  The reality of anyone’s appearance is far deeper than a momentary captured image, so my glances in the mirror cannot truly tell me what I look like.  Recently I was going through old photographs of myself in my teens and twenties.  I now feel that I looked rather delightful, and yet at that time I had thought myself to be fat and ugly.
     I can imagine a number of advantages to the experience of meeting myself.  Through getting to know my alternative me I could find out whether I liked myself.  Am I fun and interesting to spend time with?  Do I dominate a conversation or join in too little?  Am I friendly and warm?  Certainly I have my own ideas about the type of person I am, but viewed from the inside it is difficult to be objective.  If I discovered that I did not appear to be a warm or welcoming person on first encounter, this would give me the opportunity to change.  The things that I didn’t like, I could note for future reference and see how I could work on them.

circa 1970

There is one major problem however, in meeting myself, which is that it would still be me, seeing me, and assessing me!  My opinion would still be completely subjective.  Have a conversation with anyone about a film or television programme and the people appearing in it, and differing opinions will spontaneously arise.  Would meeting myself provide an any more reliable notion of who I am?  If I find that I like this and that about me, it may be that those are the aspects that someone else finds thoroughly irritating.  If I don’t like certain habits, mannerisms or attitudes, it may be that these are the very characteristics that make me attractive to other people.  Changing oneself to fit in with a subjective viewpoint is always going to be fraught with problems, even—or perhaps especially—if that subjective viewpoint is my own. 
     I think, in the end, it is a bad idea.  The only way to know whether I am the person I want to be, is to be aware of the reflections I receive from others, and to be able to recognise when that reflection is open or closed.  Open reflections arise from people who are receptive to experiencing the me-ness of me.  Closed reflections arise when something gets in the way of receptivity so that the reflection bounces off a preconception or prejudice.  If I were to meet myself, the copy-me would still carry my baggage of preconceptions and prejudice, so my doppelgänger would not offer a more objective view of me than I currently experience. 
      So . . . let’s start again . . . the person I would most like to meet is YOU!  And I promise to be as receptive to you as possible and reflect you as warmly and openly as possible, so that you like the you that you see through me!

Relax... and then meditate

Through the years that I have taught meditation classes—both as a Buddhist teacher and as a community education tutor—I have found that people expect meditation to be a solution to their problems.  This was another common factor that arose amongst many of those attending my classes: a need for relief from exceptional personal circumstances such as illness or bereavement.  People attended the class in the hope of finding help with a particular personal problem.  A period of life with an unusual degree of stress or difficulty however, may not be the best time to try to begin meditation practice and in such circumstances it will certainly be better to begin with relaxation techniques.  It is in fact preferable to have established a degree of stability in one’s life and relief from immediate pain—mental, emotional or physical—before beginning meditation.  Hence I begin this book with relaxation techniques to allow us to arrive at a starting point for meditation.

Chapter 1, page 5, Relaxing into Meditation

Opening

Bell - from a thangka of Rang-rig Togden
by Kumar Lama

Chapter 1, pages 3 - 4: Relaxing into Meditation

A group of sixteen people sit in a circle on plastic schoolroom chairs. Their eyes are closed; their hands rest in their laps. Surrounded by the chaotic decoration of a textiles classroom the group has an atmosphere of stillness. The only sounds are slow and gentle breathing, or the occasional cough. After ten minutes, the group leader silently raises a bell, and—after a pause of a few seconds—strikes a single note with the bell’s clanger. The pure sound echoes through the room, gradually dying away.  Slowly—as the sound fades—each member of the group begins to stir, opening their eyes, stretching their limbs, and smiling at one another. “Good evening everyone. How has your meditation practice been this week?”

This was a typical scene for the opening of one of my relaxation and meditation classes for several years. School rooms are never entirely satisfactory for teaching practices such as meditation but this textiles classroom was one of the better ones. I offered the class as an attempt to bring the practice of meditation—in particular—to a wider audience.

bookbuzzr.com - author interview

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am 56 years old, have just celebrated 26 years of marriage, and have two grown up sons. I live in Cardiff with my husband. I have been a Buddhist for over 30 years and have been a teacher for all my professional life. I teach Buddhism, Tibetan yoga, meditation and relaxation. I also practice pulse diagnosis and reflexology. I was brought up in the West Midlands of England but moved to Wales at the beginning of the 1980s after completing a design degree.

Describe your book ‘Relaxing into Meditation’ in 30 words or less.

It describes practices of relaxation, breathing and meditation. Learn to relax the body and calm breathing. Then take that quietness into meditation and discover relaxation of mind.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Deciding on the final layout - it went through a number of forms before its final manifestation as short chapters, each describing an aspect of practice.

What books have had the greatest influence on you?

The books by my Buddhist teacher, written under the name 'Ngakpa Chögyam', such as 'Roaring Silence', 'Spectrum of Ecstasy', 'Wearing the Body of Visions', and the books of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, such as 'Shambala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior', 'Transcending Madness', 'Journey Without Goal', 'The Lion's Roar'.

Briefly share with us what you do to market your book?

I teach Relaxing into Meditation workshops. I have a blog: http://ngakma-nordzin.blogspot.com. I write articles for newspapers and magazines. I have had the book reviewed on blogs, in magazines, etc.

How do you spend your time when you are not writing?

I am currently quite busy attending events in my role as Chairperson for the Buddhist Council of Wales (http://www.buddhistcouncilofwales.org.uk/). I also teach at the Aro Ling Buddhist Centre in Bristol (http://aro-ling.org/) and answer correspondence from our students.

What are you working on next?

I am doing the research for a new book on Vajrayana Buddhism.



This interview and other information about me as an author can be viewed at the bookbuzzr site

Big Little City Exhibition

Last year I wrote an article for the 'We Are Cardiff'  blog.  The article was illustrated with a photograph taken by Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin of me with my mare, Dee.  Currently there is an exhibition taking place in The Old Library on The Hayes in Cardiff city centre called 'Big Little City'.  A selection of six articles from the We Are Cardiff blog have been included in the exhibition and my article is one of the chosen six.

'ö-Dzin's photograph is fantastic - a happy accident, catching Dee and me just at the right moment.

The article is copied below:

“In Cardiff they name roads as salutations to angels”

My first impression of Cardiff was somewhat romantic. My dearest friend – later to become my husband – lived in ‘Hail Gabriel’. How fantastic I thought – in Cardiff they name roads as salutations to angels. I later learned that ‘hail’ was in fact ‘heol’ and simply meant ‘road’, but by that time I was already in love with Cardiff and it mattered not.
It was an interest in Buddhism that brought me to Cardiff. I had been attending weekend events at the Lam Rim Buddhist Centre in Raglan for two or three years and had developed friendships with people living in Cardiff. On first moving to Cardiff as a newly qualified teacher, I worked in many schools throughout the city providing supply cover. I struggled with the children’s names. Rhiannon, Angharad and Iwan were new names to me, and even familiar names were spelt strangely, such as Dafydd, Alun or Huw. I never did get used to children telling me that they had ‘been to England’ for their summer holiday. It had been quite usual for my family to go to Wales for a holiday, but it just sounded really odd to hear people saying the same about England. For me England had always been where I lived, not a place you went to for a vacation.
I have taught in Community Education since I first moved to Cardiff in 1983. At first I taught pottery as I had trained in art and design, particularly ceramics. The health problems of my children when they were little led me into studying homoeopathy and so I taught this for a while. Underlying all my experience and work is my life as a Buddhist practitioner and I am now ordained as a ngakma, and so in more recent years my community education teaching was meditation and Tibetan yoga. My second book has just been published which draws on my experience of these classes. Relaxing into Meditation offers a gentle and pragmatic approach to the practice of meditation through relaxation and breathing exercises. We also run a weekly meditation class in Whitchurch which anyone is welcome to attend.
Cardiff is both spacious and compact. It is spacious with the many wonderful areas of open parkland where you can cycle or walk and feel part of nature. It is compact in that the main shopping centre is easily covered in a single expedition whilst still offering a great range of shops. We call our local Whitchurch shopping area ‘the village’ and indeed there are many such areas surrounding the city centre and each has its own personality. I also love that I need only travel a few miles north from my home in Whitchurch and be in beautiful and scenic countryside.
My two sons are Welsh like their father, and I now feel rather more Welsh than English. Although the sound of a Brummy accent makes me feel warm inside and brings a smile to my face, Cardiff, and Wales are my home. I have tried to learn the Welsh language with some success – I can read and write simple Welsh, but I have never succeeded in tuning in my ear to hearing it. I pick up words here and there, but I cannot follow the flow of a conversation. I hope to get back to this soon and improve my understanding.
I revitalised a love of horse riding at Pontcanna riding stables and eventually, in my middle age, realised a childhood dream of owning my own horse by purchasing a mare from them. We now have two horses and livery them at the splendid Briwnant Riding Centre in Rhiwbina. It still amazes me that I can keep my horses five miles from the city centre and yet ride for hours on woodland trails, hardly needing to touch a road.
Ngakma Nor’dzin Pamo grew up in the Midlands of England and moved to Wales as an adult. Her training in meditation began in the early 1980s and in 1989 she was ordained and became the first Western woman to take ordination into the non-monastic tradition of Nyingma Tibetan Buddhism. Her first book, Spacious Passion, was published in 2006. Her most recent book, Relaxing into Meditation, is available now through Aro Books Worldwide. Follow her online through her blogs, ceffylau.blogspot.com, transport-of-delight.blogspot.com, ngakma-nordzin.blogspot.com or spacious-passion.org. She currently lives in Whitchurch with her husband and has two sons.
Nor’dzin was photographed with her mare, Dee, at Briwnant riding stables in Rhiwbina. She was photographed by her husband, ‘ö-Dzin Tridral

Janet Fitch's 10 rules for writers

I recently joined the Books and Writers group on Linkedin.  Sometimes they offer links to helpful articles. I particularly liked 'Janet Fitch's 10 rules for writers' published in the LA Times last summer by Carolyn Kellogg.

Janet Fitch is the author of 'White Oleander' and 'Paint it Black'. The full text of her writing guidelines can be seen on her blog, but the headings of the rules are here to whet your appetite:

1. Write the sentence, not just the story.
2. Pick a better verb  
3. Kill the cliché.  
4. Variety is the key.  
5. Explore sentences using dependent clauses. 
6. Use the landscape.  
7. Smarten up your protagonist.  
8. Learn to write dialogue.  
9. Write in scenes.  
10. Torture your protagonist.

The article also has a useful group of references to other writers for further research.

Original artwork: 'Spring Daffodils' by Nor'dzin Pamo, available at Zazzle

________________________________________________________________
Relaxing into Meditation by Ngakma Nor'dzin
Aro Books worldwide  ISBN 978-1-898185-17-8 http://bit.ly/nrprim

Available from Lulu.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and other bookshops worldwide. 

Jane Austen Award competition

I discovered the delightful blog Crumpets and Tea via a tweet by the illustrious Stephen Fry.

Earlier this month the editor of Crumpets and Tea, Ashley Harnett, informed readers of the second Jane Austen Short Story Award.  The award is given by Chawton House Library and the entry fee is only £10.

They say that their intention "is to publish the very best short fiction."
For full details go to their site, but briefly, they are looking for "short stories of 2,000-2,500 words in length" and the theme is "the heroes and villains in Jane Austen’s novels."  First prize is £1,000 with two runners up of £200 each, plus all winners win a week’s writers’ retreat at Chawton House.  Also "seventeen other shortlisted authors will receive £40 plus publication in the winners’ anthology".

The closing date is the 31st March 2011 so time to start scribbling.  If you are a fan of Jane Austen—like me—then this could be the competition for you.

Good luck if you enter.

Ancient wisdom

An interesting post by Amy Harrison of Copyblogger about Aristotle and the Ancient Greek philosophers and their relevance to us today. Extract below.
To see the full post go to: http://www.copyblogger.com/aristotle-copywriter/.
I think it offers helpful guidelines for both writing and promoting our written work.

“Rhetoric is the art of using language for persuasive ends. Not unlike copywriting.

Aristotle was ... well-versed in rhetoric and persuasion ... and came up with his own rules of persuasion.

And despite these rules being more than 2300 years old, when you apply them to your copywriting, you’ve got something that persuades as well as being authentic and having integrity.

Ethos (show off those lovely morals of yours)

Aristotle pretty much said that having good morals and an above-board character wasn’t enough; you had to establish this to your audience. In other words, it doesn’t matter how wonderful and ethical a person you are if you don’t communicate that.

This is not about putting on a front, but revealing your character in ways such as:

• Sharing personal experience, (prove you know what your audience is going through)
• Avoiding inaccessible language (no jargon, or fancy speak, just plain talk please)
• Showing you have a genuine desire to help (such as a generous money-back guarantee if you can’t)
• Showing you have the expertise and knowledge for what you say you can do (give testimonials, and list any credentials you may have)
• Showing that you are personally experienced in what you say you can do. (been where your readers are now and found the success they want? Let them know your story)

Ethos is a powerful persuasive force — don’t ignore it.

Logos (give them proof, not piffle!)

Aristotle was pretty hot on the use of Logos. (Not the brightly-colored corporate image kind, but the Greek word for “word” or “reason,” and connected to our own word logic.)

To put it simply, logos means if you want to make a point, you’d better back it up with proof. You can’t just go out there making pie-in-the sky promises.

It was what really set him apart from the Sophists, and it can set your copywriting apart if you:

• Avoid ambiguity (trade in your “things” and “stuff” for specific language, and swap out superlatives for rock-solid benefits and results)
• Don’t use hyperbole (don’t tell them their life will be awesome after reading your eBook, inform them what they will actually learn from it, and what they will be able to do with the knowledge)
• Follow every point you’re making with proof (watch out for phrases like “we all know that…” or “ it’s important to…” research it, prove it and win them over)

Pathos (get them feeling something)

To trigger those emotional points in your persuasive and authentic copy, you’ll want to:

• Use stories to enhance visualization (be descriptive about your readers’ pain or problem and use vivid examples of what their life could be like)
• Ask questions to engage (particularly when a response proves your argument or gets them to articulate their problem)
• Make your writing flow naturally (write in your own voice, build suspense, and pull your reader’s attention along)
• Save the end of your argument for a big push of pathos — of emotional drive — that moves your audience (to take action!)

So if you fancy following in Aristotle’s footsteps (beard and tunic optional) double-check your copy to make sure it displays your robust character, is backed up with plenty of proof, and stirs your audience’s emotions enough to take action.”

Thank you Amy for a thought-provoking post. 
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Relaxing into Meditation by Ngakma Nor'dzin
Aro Books worldwide  ISBN 978-1-898185-17-8 http://bit.ly/nrprim

Available from Lulu.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and other bookshops worldwide. 

Pagan Spirits blog

The same article as featured in the previous post also appeared as a guest blog entry on Erin O'Riordan's Pagan Spirits blog on 6th February.

Asana magazine article

Asana, an international Yoga journal, asked me to write an article for their magazine and it was published in their January 2011 edition.  They asked for a particular layout and format with numbered points.

Relaxing into meditation teaches us how to live contentedly with a sense of well-being.  We discover spacious peace of mind even when our life circumstances are far from ideal.  Relaxation teaches us how to relax the body and meditation teaches us how to relax the mind.  We discover that total relaxation of body and mind is our natural condition.

1. Relaxing the body.

Stress and unhappiness manifest in the body, so we begin by relaxing our muscles.  We can achieve this by systematically tensing muscle groups throughout the body and then relaxing the tension on the out-breath.  We can stretch the body and move into various postures, relaxing as we breathe out.

2. Relaxing the breath

When we are agitated our breathing becomes faster and more shallow.  When we slow and deepen our breathing we become calmer.  We can harness awareness of the out-breath through visualising tension streaming out of the body as we breath out; and we can cleanse the breath through alternate nostril breathing.

3. Relaxing the voice

When we are happy we may spontaneously burst into song, but it is hard to sing when we are sad or stressed.  We can therefore learn to relax through free energetic sound.  We can sing yogic syllables and give ourselves permission to make as much noise as we wish without caring about the harmony or disharmony of our voice.  We sing the sound Ahhhhhh for the length of an out-breath and release energetic tension with the sound.

4. Ready for meditation

Having relaxed the body we wish to retain this sense of comfort and calm when we start to meditate.  It is therefore essential to find a sitting posture for meditation in which we can be relaxed but alert.  Relaxing the mind is more difficult than relaxing the body so we want to be as physically comfortable as possible so that the body does not distract the mind.  The body should be upright, balanced and unrestricted.  The spine should be erect but relaxed. The body should be balanced and not twisted or placed in a position that requires effort to maintain.  Blood needs to flow freely to all parts of the body and in particular to the limbs without constriction or pressure.

5. Relaxing the mind

Meditation relaxes the mind through letting go of thought to experience mind without thought. Thought is an intricate conceptual mesh that surrounds the still deep quietness of empty mind and acts as a filter for everything that we experience.  To relax the mind we need to loosen and let go of this mesh in order to discover and understand mind when it is no longer defined by thought.  Thought is a natural process of mind but thought is not the essence of mind.  We can only discover ultimate relaxation if we learn to become familiar and comfortable in the empty essence of the nature of mind.  We begin by using the breath as a focus and letting go of thought as we breath out.  Over time we can let go of the breath as a focus and simply let go of thought whenever it arises.  Gradually spaciousness develops in the mind and it becomes easy to dwell in the space of mind without thought.

6. Daily practice

Learning to let go of thought and relax the mind requires commitment and effort. Meditating every day gradually allows the mind to settle and let go of thought, and increases our capacity to concentrate and experience spaciousness of mind.  It is more productive to meditate for a short period every day than it is to meditate for a longer period more occasionally.  The length of our daily practice must be realistic and easily achievable so that it does not become a burden or a chore.  Ten minutes of meditation a day is all that is required for meditation to  become a life skill that is simply part of who we are.  At first we will continually lose our focus and we may find this frustrating, but we must not develop self-deprecation.  Whenever we realise that we have lost concentration we must celebrate this as a moment of re-emerging awareness.   To recognise loss of awareness is to have regained awareness.  Over time a commitment to practising Letting Go every day will produce startling results.  We will start to understand our relationship with thought and develop increased awareness.  We will start to feel more relaxed about who we are.  We will start to feel less pressured by our life circumstances.  We will begin to let go of self-centredness and find joy in being kind to others.

7. Further practice

When we have established a daily practice of Letting Go we can experiment with contemplative practices that change our ordinary view.  We can examine our relationship with others through looking at how we interact with a friend, an enemy and a stranger.  We can practise purification visualisation to discover clarity, and we can practise methods of developing loving kindness to enrich ourselves and develop openness and generosity.  

Through relaxing the body we feel refreshed and invigorated.  Through relaxing the mind we discover openness and clarity.  Over time the moments of experience of mind without thought will lengthen and occur more frequently and this spaciousness of mind will start to sparkle in our everyday lives.  We will start to notice our habit patterns and cease to be their victim.  We will discover that we have a choice about who we are and how we live our lives.  We will discover emotion as naked energy and sensory experience will become enlivened.  We will find that we become more open, patient, tolerant and kind people through the spaciousness of mind we have realised.  We discover open appreciation and enjoyment and awaken to our natural state of well-being.
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Relaxing into Meditation by Ngakma Nor'dzin
Aro Books worldwide  ISBN 978-1-898185-17-8 http://bit.ly/nrprim

Available from Lulu.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and other bookshops worldwide.